Two Alabama State University students received the surprise of a lifetime after learning they had both been awarded the Investigative Reporting and Editors (IRE) Fellowship to attend the HBCU (historically Black colleges and universities) Investigative Reporting Workshop.
Senior communication studies major Ashonti Shaw, a native of Benton Harbor, Michigan, and junior broadcast journalism major Aaliyah Thomas, an Atlanta native, each received a $400 fellowship, a one-year IRE student membership and a complimentary student registration to the workshop. This is the first time two students from the university have been awarded an investigative journalism fellowship.
Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting. IRE was formed to create a forum where journalists around the world could help each other by sharing story ideas, newsgathering techniques and news sources.
Communications studies professor Carlos Morrison, Ph.D., was not surprised when he learned of the students’ fellowships.
“Ashonti has distinguished herself as an exceptional journalist, and this IRE award is the latest recognition of her hard work and her talent,” Morrison said. “These awards mean so much to our individual students and to our reputation as a department that educates future media professionals to help create a fairer, more just, more rational world.”
Thomas believes attending the workshop will help her career aspirations.
“When I heard I was receiving the scholarship, I was excited and enthusiastic,” she said. “Since I have never attended this workshop, I do not have the specifics on what we will be doing. With it being a workshop, I know that we will have networking opportunities, different seminars and classes, plus more.
Thomas expressed how the conference will positively affect her career.
“I believe that the journalism conference will benefit my career because it will provide me with networking opportunities and will provide me with skills that can develop me as a journalist.”
Shaw offered more insight into the workshop that she will be attending.
“The HBCU Investigative Journalism Workshop will allow students to learn skills that will broaden their understanding of investigative journalism and receive hands-on data sessions,” Shaw said. “In Atlanta, I will be learning a variety of investigative techniques to conduct interviews, access public information and learn about the power of AI (artificial intelligence). I love that it is specifically to support students of color and all backgrounds that attend HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.”