Conference gives students journalism snapshot

The 9^th annual Native American Journalism Career Conference at Crazy Horse Memorial on April 22-24 was the biggest yet.

About 250 people, including 154 Native American high school and college students from 10 states attended. Conference coordinator Jack Marsh, Freedom Forum’s vice president for diversity programs, said this was the largest total attendance, and the second-largest student turnout, since the Freedom Forum, South Dakota Newspaper Association and other organizations started the program in 2000.

Mentors, several of them Native American, came from across the country to help the students and to encourage them toward journalism careers.

Of the nation’s 52,600 newspaper journalists, 284 are American Indians, the fewest of any ethnic group.

Officials plan to post the students’ projects at: www.freedomforumdiversity.org.