Scholarships & Fellowships

Bob Horner Scholarship

Robert "Bob" Horner spent more than 45 years in journalism, starting in 1970. He is a native of the Washington D.C. area. He received degrees from the University of Missouri and American University before working at local stations for six years. He was a bureau manager and executive for CBS News before moving on to NBC News. In 1991 he founded the NBC News Channel, which provides news coverage to affiliates, foreign networks, and the programs and platforms of NBC News. He was President of that service until he retired in 2017. He received the RTDNA Foundation's First Amendment Service Award in 2020.

Horner established the Bob Horner Scholarship in 2020 to fund undergraduate scholarships for journalism or communication students, with priority given to those students who intend to pursue a career in broadcast journalism or in some form of journalism that emphasizes the use of video, including documentaries and digital platforms, with the intention to benefit the general public.

The recipient of the Bob Horner Scholarship will receive $2,500 and an invitation to the RTDNA Conference.

Who Can Apply

• Undergraduate journalism or communication students, with priority given to those students who intend to pursue a career in broadcast journalism or in some form of journalism that emphasizes the use of video, including documentaries and digital platforms, with the intention to benefit the general public
• Winners must plan on continuing their undergraduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible

Carole Simpson Scholarship

Carole Simpson is a former RTDNA Foundation trustee and the 1996 recipient of the Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award in recognition of her work to protect First Amendment Freedoms. She established the Carole Simpson Scholarship in 1991 to encourage and help minority students to overcome hurdles along their career path in electronic journalism. In a career of notable firsts, Carole Simpson has led the way for minorities and women in broadcasting. After beginning her career as a journalism educator, she went on to break barriers and raise social issues as a journalist. Simpson was the first woman to broadcast news in Chicago, the first African American woman to anchor a network TV evening newscast, and the first woman and first minority to solo moderate a presidential debate. She retired from ABC News in 2006 to become a Distinguished Journalist in the School of Communications at Emerson College in Boston. Her memoir, NewsLady, was published in 2010.

The recipient of the Carole Simpson Scholarship will receive $2,000 and an invitation to the RTDNA conference.

Who Can Apply

• Students who will be sophomores, juniors or seniors at the time the scholarship is awarded, pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism
• Winners must plan on continuing their undergraduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible
• Open to students of color

David Louie Scholarship

David Louie was the recipient of the RTDNA Foundation’s very first scholarship in 1970 while a student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Upon graduation, he joined ABC-owned KGO-TV San Francisco. He created this scholarship in 2022 to mark his 50th anniversary at ABC. The scholarship is restricted to full-time Northwestern/Medill students with a preference for applicants of Asian American descent.

Louie was a long-time RTDNA board member and RTDNA Foundation trustee as well as a past national president of the Asian American Journalists Association and national chairman of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

The recipient of the $2,000 David Louie Scholarship will also receive an invitation to attend the RTDNA conference. 

Who Can Apply

• Must be attending Northwestern University
• Preference given to students of Asian American descent
• Students who will be sophomores, juniors, seniors or graduate students at the time the scholarship is awarded, pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism
• Recipients must plan on continuing their undergraduate or graduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible

Dr. Marsha Della Giustina Scholarship

Dr. Marsha Della Giustina tirelessly spent more than a half-century in broadcast journalism, beginning her career as New England’s first female news producer at Boston’s ABC affiliate WCVB-TV, before being recruited to help launch one of the nation’s first undergraduate broadcast journalism programs at Emerson College in Boston. During her years at Emerson, which spanned four decades from 1977 until her retirement in 2021, Dr. Della Giustina, who passed away in June 2023, became a mentor to thousands of reporters and producers.

As a longtime member of RTDNA, she launched one of the largest regional journalism conferences in the nation, sponsored annually by RTNDA (later RTDNA), The Associated Press and Emerson College.  Under her guidance and mentorship, both in and out of the classroom, Marsha’s students were often recognized with awards from the AP, the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In keeping with Marsha’s 50+ years of educating and mentoring journalists, her legacy lives on through the Dr. Marsha Della Giustina Scholarship.

The recipient of the Dr. Marsha Della Giustina Scholarship will receive $2,000 and an invitation to the RTDNA conference.

Who Can Apply

• Undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in broadcast or multimedia journalism at any college or university in the U.S.
• Winners must plan on beginning or continuing their undergraduate or graduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible

Ed Bradley Scholarship

Ed Bradley is best known for his award-winning work in 26 years on CBS News’ 60 Minutes and as the first African American White House TV correspondent. Bradley received the Paul White Award from RTDNA in 2000 recognizing his lifetime commitment to excellence in journalism and the First Amendment Award from the RTDNA Foundation in 2005 in recognition of his support of First Amendment rights. He passed away in 2006.

Bradley established the Ed Bradley Scholarship in 1994. Since then, 20 young, aspiring journalists of color have received the award created by the late CBS News and 60 Minutes correspondent. Past winners have gone on to work for organizations including NPR, CNN, and Al-Jazeera America. They have enjoyed careers from reporter, anchor, and media attorney to Saturday Night Live comedy writer and White House speechwriter.

The recipient of the Ed Bradley Scholarship will receive $10,000 and an invitation to the RTDNA conference.

Who Can Apply

• Students who will be sophomores, juniors or seniors at the time the scholarship is awarded, pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism
• Winners must plan on continuing their undergraduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible
• Open to students of color

George Foreman Tribute to Lyndon B. Johnson Scholarship

George Foreman is a boxing champion, Olympic gold medal winner and celebrated pitchman. As a young man, he was inspired by President Lyndon Johnson and by RTDNA Foundation founder Barney Oldfield. In his autobiography By George, Foreman credits LBJ's Job Corps for rescuing him "from the gutter." While attending the Job Cops program, he met Barney Oldfield, who was one of the program’s sponsors and became Foreman’s mentor. Foreman thanks Oldfield "for a lifetime of friendship, devotion, counsel, and wisdom. The world would be a far better place if everyone were lucky enough to have a friend like you."

The recipient of the George Foreman Tribute to Lyndon B. Johnson Scholarship will receive $6,000 and an invitation to the RTDNA conference.

Who Can Apply

• Must be attending the University of Texas at Austin
• Students who will be sophomores, juniors or seniors at the time the scholarship is awarded, pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism
• Winners must plan on continuing their undergraduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible

Lee Thornton Scholarship

Lee Thornton was the first African-American woman to cover the White House for a major news network (CBS) and the first African-American host of All Things Considered on National Public Radio. She served as a faculty member at the Howard University School of Communications, earning a tenured position. Later in her career, she taught at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism and served a term as the school's interim dean. She held a master’s degree from Michigan State University and a doctorate in mass communications from Northwestern University. Ms. Thornton passed away in 2013 at age 71 and endowed in her estate this scholarship in her name.

Students from the University of Maryland and Howard University will be given preference.

The recipient of the Lee Thornton Scholarship will receive $2,000 and an invitation to the RTDNA conference.

Who Can Apply

• Students who will be sophomores, juniors or seniors at the time the scholarship is awarded, pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism
• Winners must plan on continuing their undergraduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible

Lou & Carole Prato Scholarship

Louis F. Prato dedicated more than 30 years to RTDNA and the RTDNA Foundation. Lou served as secretary of the RTDNA Foundation Board of Trustees, and for more than 20 years he was treasurer of the RTDNA Board of Directors. Lou worked as a sports broadcaster, news director, and journalism professor. Lou and his wife, Carole, lived near his alma mater, Penn State University. He authored several books on Penn State football, including The Penn State Football Encyclopedia, and was Director of the Penn State All Sports Museum. He died in February 2025.

The scholarship was established in 2001 in recognition of Lou’s service to RTDNA and the RTDNA Foundation and his commitment to excellence in journalism. It is awarded to a journalism student who brings Lou's journalism values to cover sports.

The recipient of the Lou and Carole Prato Sports Reporting Scholarship will receive $1,000 and an invitation to the RTDNA conference.

Who Can Apply

• Students who will be sophomores, juniors or seniors at the time the scholarship is awarded, pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism
• Winners must plan on continuing their undergraduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible

Mike Reynolds Scholarship

Mike Reynolds, who died in 1988 of a brain tumor at age 45, was assignment editor and then managing editor at KCCI-TV in Des Moines, IA. This scholarship is awarded to a journalism student with good writing ability, excellent grades, a dedication to the news business, a strong interest in pursuing a career in electronic journalism and a demonstrated need for financial assistance.

The recipient of the Mike Reynolds Scholarship will receive $1,000 and an invitation to the RTDNA conference.

Who Can Apply

• Students who will be sophomores, juniors or seniors at the time the scholarship is awarded, pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism
• Winners must plan on continuing their undergraduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible

Pete Wilson Scholarship

The Pete Wilson Journalism Scholarship was established in 2007 to honor the late Pete Wilson, a San Francisco television and radio journalist. The scholarship is granted to an undergraduate or graduate journalism student from the San Francisco Bay Area or attending a college or university in the Bay Area who shares Wilson's commitment to ethical, responsible journalism. The Pete Wilson Scholarship is open to both undergraduates and graduate applicants.

The recipient of the Pete Wilson Journalism Scholarship will receive $2,000 and an invitation to the RTDNA conference.

Who Can Apply

• Must be from or studying in the San Francisco Bay area
• Winners must plan on continuing their undergraduate or graduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible

Presidents Scholarship

Two awards are given each year in honor of former RTDNA Presidents Theodore Koop, Bruce Dennis, James McCulla, John Salisbury, Bruce Palmer, Dick Cheverton, Jim Byron, Ben Chatfield and John Hogan.

The recipients of the Presidents Scholarship will each receive $2,500 and an invitation to the RTDNA conference.

Who Can Apply

• Students who will be sophomores, juniors or seniors at the time the scholarship is awarded, pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism
• Winners must plan on continuing their undergraduate education in the Fall semester to be eligible

Michele Clark Fellowship

The RTDNA Foundation's first fellowship is named for Michele Clark, the CBS News correspondent who was killed in a plane crash while on assignment in 1972. This fellowship is awarded to a young, promising minority professional in television, radio or digital news.

In addition to the $1,000 award, winners of the Michele Clark Fellowships are invited to attend the RTDNA conference.

N.S. Bienstock Fellowship

An award established in 1999 by Richard Leibner and Carole Cooper, the original owners of N.S. Bienstock. Acquired by United Talent Agency in 2014, the firm now known as Bienstock, a UTA Company has been a leading talent agency in news and reality-based programming for more than 50 years and is a long-time member of RTDNA. This award recognizes a promising minority journalist in radio, television or digital news.

In addition to the $2,500 award, winners are invited to attend the RTDNA conference.

Vada & Col. Barney Oldfield National Security Reporting Fellowship

Established by the RTDNA Foundation Board of Trustees in honor of Vada and Col. Barney Oldfield. Barney and Vada served in WWII and both had illustrious military careers. Barney's long and impressive career included a stint as a Hollywood studio publicist, WWII Army and post-war Air Force public relations officer, author, and lecturer. Col. Oldfield was also a businessman and philanthropist who founded over 40 private foundations, including the RTDNA Foundation. This fellowship is awarded to a reporter or producer in radio, television or digital news engaged in covering national defense and security

In addition to the $1,000 award, winners are invited to attend the RTDNA conference.

Gary L. Hanson International Reporting Fellowship

Established in honor of Gary Hanson, a former RTDNA chair and lifelong advocate for journalism and education, this fellowship celebrates Hanson's dedication to international storytelling. Hanson's career spanned newsroom leadership, teaching, and creating global student reporting experiences. The Gary L. Hanson International Reporting Fellowship provides a stipend of up to $2,500 for recipients to attend the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, or another international journalism event of their choosing, to explore the field of global journalism firsthand.

In addition to the $2,500 award, winners are invited to attend the RTDNA conference.