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WRAL Education Reporter Receives Fellowship at University of Michigan |
WRALj-TV Education Reporter Yvonne Simons has been selected as a Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan. |
WRAL-TV Education Reporter Yvonne Simons recently received an honor from the University of Michigan. She has been selected as a Wallace Fellow at the university.
CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace and his wife began the program as an outlet for selected journalists to expand their horizons, vet out a major project and re-energize their writing careers. Each year 12 American journalists and six foreign journalists are chosen to participate. Simons was selected for one of the few spots from a group of over 170 applicants.
As a Wallace Fellow, Simons will spend one year on the campus; she will spend half of that academic time in the School of Education. Simons has been in the broadcasting field for 18 years and has spent 16 of those reporting on education stories.
“Journalism loses 50% of its workforce when the workers reach their mid- to late-40’s, and they never return to the profession,” said Simons. “The brain drain in our profession is tremendous and probably has contributed, at least in part, to the decline of quality and viewership in television. The fellows program tries to recapture journalists before they leave and help them re-enter the profession reenergized and more prepared for whatever comes next.”
Simons has resigned her position at WRAL-TV to pursue this opportunity and will leave for Ann Arbor in early June. She has spent eight years at the Raleigh station on the education beat.
“Yvonne has lead the way in Education reporting for the last 8 years at WRAL,” said WRAL-TV News Director Andrea Parquet-Taylor. “Her latest investigation into grade fixing prompted the removal of a principal and changes in the system.”
“I could not have been eligible for the Wallace without the last 8 years of storytelling and relationship building that I’ve learned here,” said Simons of her years at WRAL. “I’ve been allowed to take my lead and to follow outstanding journalists. In particular, I’ve watched and learned from others how to approach stories with ethical premises.”
