Students Jill Grandison, Hyatt Fathy, Aysha JamalShena Penn and Nargis Rahman after the JIM Anniversary Gala & Fundraiser at the Wayne State Community Arts Auditorium. PHOTO: Nick Meyer/TAAN

DETROIT – Some of the biggest names in local journalism from
television to print and radio were honored on Saturday, May 14 as Wayne State
University’s Journalism Institute for Media Diversity (JIM) celebrated its 25th
anniversary with a gala and fundraiser at the Wayne State Community Arts
Auditorium.

Twenty-five of metro Detroit’s top journalists were honored
on the night with a trio of local TV news anchors, Huel Perkins of Fox 2, Devin
Scillian of WDIV-4, and Glenda Lewis of WXYZ-7 each serving as a Master of
Ceremonies.

The institute is a unique honors program with the goal of
encouraging, training and supporting the next generation of media talent with a
focus on diversity.

” The 25th anniversary celebration was a wonderful
event with almost every major news anchor in town (attending),” said WSU
Director of Journalism Ben Burns.

“We now have sent more than 250 communications
professionals into the field to help change the nature of our trade, (it) made
me feel real proud,” Burns said.

Graduates have gone on to work at media outlets such as the
Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times,
the Wall Street Journal, WWJ Newsradio 950 in Detroit and more since the JIM
began in 1984.

Participants also compete for top-of-the-line scholarships
and go on a retreat each summer. Members must hold down a 3.0 grade-point
average and undertake one internship each semester.

Sophomore Jill Grandison said the institute has helped her
greatly in her studies.

“The institute is a learning community that allows us
to grow as journalists and individuals,” she said. “It’s more than
just a scholarship or academic group, it’s also a family that allows us to
learn about each other’s cultures…it’s been really great and I’ve gotten so
much more out of it than I originally expected to get.”

A total of 25 esteemed journalism professionals from metro
Detroit were honored as well at the glitzy celebration which included
highlights of their careers and accomplishments.

WSU alumnus, Arab American and pioneering former White House
correspondent Helen Thomas wasn’t present, however, as her “Spirit of Diversity”
scholarship was pulled after she made comments critical of Israel and Zionist
influence in America. Thomas instead attended and spoke at the Palestine
Cultural Office’s “Nakba 63” commemoration event on the same night.

At the JIM gala, the awardees in the “Anchoring It
Down” category for news anchors were Murray Feldman of Fox 2, Guy Gordon
and Carmen Harlan of WDIV-4, Lloyd Jackson of WJR, Diana Lewis and Chuck Stokes
of WXYZ-7

The “Detroit’s Scribes” for reporters and writers
category included Oralander Brand-Williams and Nolan Finley of The Detroit
News, Cindy Goodaker of Crain Communications, W. Kim Heron of the Metro Times,
Cassandra Spratling and Patricia Montemurri of the Detroit Free Press.

“Intrepid Reporters” from the TV news field included
Al Allen and Bill Gallagher of Fox 2, Cheryl Chodun, Bill Procter, Mary Conway
and Val Clark of WXYZ-7, and Roger Weber of WDIV-4.

The “Detroit’s Voices” awards in radio went to
Greg Bowman, Joe Donovan, Roberta Jasina, Tim Kiska, and Pat Sweeting of WWJ.
Kiska is also a journalism professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and
an elections commentator.

The “Producers & Directors” awards went to
Randy Henry and Ted Talbert of WDIV-4, Alex Kimbrough of Fox 2, Carlota
Almanza-Lumpkin of PBS.

JIM member and student Hyatt Fathy was impressed by the
gala.

“It was exciting to see so many movers and shakers in
the local journalism industry here tonight; it was a great event,” she
said.

“Being a part of JIM is amazing because you get to know
students of different cultures and the standards of what it takes to succeed in
journalism.”

Those interested in more information on how to apply for the
Journalism Institute for Media Diversity at Wayne State can email Alicia Nails
at emmy40@aol.com.