Rosemary Pennington | Feb. 22, 2008
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| Courtesy photo |
| Named an Overseas Press Club Scholar, Ben Weller, M.A. ‘07, won a scholarship and internship in Seoul, Korea, this summer. |
"I went over there to teach English but knew nothing about its language or history," said Weller, M.A. ‘07. But he soon fell in love with the country and its culture. "I just feel a real connection to Korea. When I left I thought I’d love to return as a journalist and, if offered the chance, I’d do it in a heartbeat. And now, I am."
Weller will return to South Korea this summer, one of the perks of his award last week from the Overseas Press Club Foundation. As one of 12 students from across the United States and England named Overseas Press Club Scholars, he won a $2,000 scholarship to travel abroad. He also was one of five selected for internships, and he’ll spend his working for Reuters news agency in Seoul.
"I’ll be doing some photography," Weller said. "But I told them I wanted to do a little bit of everything, write as well as take photos, and they were pretty open to it."
The Overseas Press Club Foundation started the scholarship competition in 1992 and selects scholarship winners based on an essay contest. Its mission is to encourage young correspondents to work abroad, even in a climate where news organizations have cut back on using correspondents around the world, according to foundation director Jane Reilly.
Weller said he’s ready for that challenge. Unlike his experience during his first trip to Korea, he is anything but flying blind when it comes to journalism skills. He has freelanced for Bloom magazine, produced business articles for the Indianapolis Star and served as a staff writer and photographer at the News Journal, a weekly in North Manchester, Ind. This semester, he’s continuing his freelance work as well as sharing his expertise with students as an adjunct lecturer for J201 Reporting, Writing and Editing II.
Associate professor and Overseas Press Club member Steve Raymer has worked closely with Weller and says his professional experience, as well as his time abroad, made him a good candidate for the press club awards. Raymer urged him to apply.
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| Sheila Lalwani, B.A.J. ‘02, is the Harvard winner. Weller once interviewed Lalwani when he was working as the School of Journalism Web reporter. (Read the story at this link.) |
The foundation’s Reilly agreed.
“Ben, like so many of the others, showed the kind of spark and ingenuity you need to make it in this business,” she said in an e-mail message. “Veteran correspondents like to say that a person has to have the fire in his or her belly. We believe Ben has it.”
Raymer said Weller’s win added another element, that a journalism school graduate is one of the 12. Raymer said he’s observed that winners often are students from Ivy League schools or those that don’t have journalism programs. This year’s winners include students from Yale, Harvard, Columbia, New York University, Oxford and Oberlin.
Of the group, Weller wasn’t the only winner with IU School of Journalism ties. The Harvard University winner, alumna Sheila Lalwani, B.A.J. ’02, also is an Overseas Press Club Scholar.
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Amy Reynolds said solid journalism training helps students make the most of their talents.
"Ben deserves all the credit on this one. He’s remarkably talented," she said. "But I think it does show the value in going to school and getting a journalism degree. Ben had this all in him to start with. I just think the program here allowed him to get to another level in his work that’s helped him realize his goals.”
And if journalism students want to realize their goals of working overseas, Raymer said they’ll follow Weller’s example. They will find ways to get themselves overseas instead of waiting for someone to send them.
"This is the way things are done now," Raymer said. "Organizations aren’t going to send you overseas anymore. If you really want to do this, if you’re serious about doing this, you’ll find a way to get there yourself. This is just one way of doing that."
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| Courtesy photo |
| During the visit to the Overseas Press Club and at the awards luncheon, Weller appreciated being with people who see a future in international newsgathering. "They see this as a need that is always going to have to be filled." |
"It was nice to be there and not have people telling me I wasn’t going to have a job when I graduated," Weller joked. "I felt really nurtured. We had an opportunity to meet a lot of people who see a future in international newsgathering. They realize that people who want to do this need support, but there wasn’t this pessimism that seems to surround a lot of discussions about foreign correspondence. They see this as a need that is always going to have to be filled. People want to know about the world."
Weller hopes to prove himself during the Reuters internship, enough that he may be offered a permanent job.
"They say it might happen," Weller said. "But nothing’s guaranteed. I’m definitely going to try to turn this into something long term. The hope is that could happen right away."
But Weller has a backup plan if that doesn’t happen. He’ll try to make a living freelancing in other parts of Asia.
"I think I can string or freelance for a while," Weller said, "until I find something a little more stable."
