News Story

A Media School student is the recipient of a scholarship that has connections to a journalism alumnus and supporter of one of the school’s centers.

Junior Samantha Schmidt has won the Poynter Scholarship and Internship, named in honor of Nelson Poynter, BA’24, who while attending IU was editor of the Indiana Daily Student. He went on to publish the St. Petersburg Times, now known as the Tampa Bay Times, and he founded the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Poynter also founded the IU Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions, which now is part of The Media School.

Schmidt will receive a grant worth several thousand dollars and a summer internship at the Tampa Bay Times in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The award recognizes outstanding scholarship and dedication to news-editorial journalism. A committee of journalism faculty appointed by the journalism chair chooses the recipient.

This fall, Schmidt is investigations desk editor at the Indiana Daily Student and has served as a campus desk beat reporter and editor. She said she hopes to further her passion for enterprise reporting while at the Times.

“I am honored to have the chance to learn from the talented reporters and editors at the Tampa Bay Times,” she said. “I have dreamed of working in this newsroom since my freshman year, and I’m thrilled to take this opportunity.”

Schmidt previously interned at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Dow Jones Newswires in London as part of the Summer in London program, both of which taught her to write clear stories on tight deadlines, she said.  She credits the Star Tribune, in particular, with teaching her about writing daily spot news for a major city newspaper.