ASU journalism student wins Roy Howard reporting trip to Japan

For the seventh time in nine years, an Arizona State University student from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is among the winners of the Scripps Howard Foundation’s Roy W. Howard National Collegiate Reporting Competition.

Cronkite junior Olivia Richard was one of nine journalism students across the country to win the prestigious honor, which includes a nine-day reporting trip to Japan. Since 2008, Cronkite students have won the award seven times, the most by any journalism program in the country.

At the Cronkite School, Richard has covered the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the 2016 presidential election and the Special Olympics World Games. She also has interned with NBC News in Los Angeles and with several Arizona news outlets, including NPR member station KJZZ, CW6 and Arizona Capitol Television.

“For me, winning the Roy W. Howard Competition is a testament to both the people whose stories I was able to tell and to the incredible teachers and mentors I've had at Cronkite,” Richard said. “The skills I've learned and developed at the Cronkite School have given me confidence in myself as a reporter and the skills to take risks with stories and my career.”

The all-expenses-paid trip begins May 11 and includes excursions to Kobe, Kyoto and Osaka in Japan. The trip also includes visits to Tokyo as well as Hiroshima to tour the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Park, dedicated to documenting the first atomic bombing.

As in previous years, the nine winner were chosen based on the quality of their journalistic work, an essay about their interest in international affairs and letters of recommendation.

Richard’s win marks the third consecutive year that a Cronkite student has been selected. She joins previous winners Rebecca Smouse (2016), Sophia Kunthara (2015), Jack Highberger (2012), Dan Neligh (2011), Natalie Podgorski (2010) and Deanna Dent (2008).

“Olivia is an outstanding, enthusiastic broadcast journalist who is making an impact as a student,” said Christopher Callahan, dean of the Cronkite School. “To be among the winners of the Roy W. Howard Competition is a tremendous accomplishment. We are thrilled that she will be representing the Cronkite School in Japan.”

The competition, established in 1984 in cooperation with Indiana University Media School, honors the memory of the journalist who led Scripps Howard Newspapers from 1922‐1953 and United Press from 1912‐1920. This is the 12th year the Scripps Howard Foundation has sponsored the study tour to Japan, a country Howard visited several times as a journalist.

“The Scripps Howard Foundation develops the next generation of leaders in journalism through programs such as the Roy Howard National Collegiate Reporting Competition,” said Liz Carter, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation. “This year’s winning applicants represent some of the most talented future journalists, and we look forward to their contributions to the industry.”