SAAHJ receives largest donation in its history
Hearst, the owner of the San Antonio Express-News, is donating $50,000 over two years to the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists’ scholarship fund.
It is the largest single donation SAAHJ has ever received.
The gift comes during a difficult time for SAAHJ. We were unable to hold our largest fundraiser, the annual scholarship gala, in-person this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Our alternative, virtual event raised significantly less money for our student journalism scholarships than past galas.
“We’re thrilled to have a national media organization invest in the next generation of San Antonio journalists,” said board president Silvia Foster-Frau. “We still have a lot more work to do before local newsrooms are reflective of our majority-minority city, but with these funds we are one step closer to achieving that goal.”
Last year, SAAHJ sent an open letter to Hearst demanding more diversity in its newsrooms, citing a survey that found a disproportionate number of white journalists compared to journalists of color.
Hearst, a diversified media company, owns 24 daily papers and 52 weeklies across the United States. Its donation provides $25,000 in scholarship funds for 2021, and $25,000 for 2022.
SAAHJ is looking forward to continuing its work to advance diversity and inclusion in San Antonio media through its scholarship program and other initiatives.
Applications for the 2021 SAAHJ scholarships are now open! More details can be found by clicking here.
