Walter S. and Syrena M. Howell Essay Contest

Students wishing to apply for this scholarship and prize must write an essay. The student who writes the best essay in 1,500-2,500 words will be awarded a scholarship of at least $3,000 and a $1,000 prize. Judges may select additional worthy essays for recognition and scholarships.

The goal of the Howell Essay Scholarship is to encourage students to analyze the current use in social, academic and political discourse of propaganda, as defined as unproved and/or unverifiable assumptions in a report or statement of allegations reflecting the view and interests of its advocates.

This contest and scholarship were established by Grant Howell, former editor of The Daily (Royal Oak) Tribune, in memory of his parents, Walter and Syrena Howell.

This scholarship and award is given annually to a ComArtSci undergraduate student who writes the best essay examining media bias, a subject of deep concern to Howell. He was a feisty newsman, in the best sense of the word, always wanting his staff and his newspaper to cover the news fairly, objectively and honestly.

2025 Essay Topic
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids the government from restricting the press. Yet in 2024, the U.S. began investigating RT (Russia Today) for disseminating “Russian propaganda” in the U.S. Following that, Meta, YouTube and other sites blocked RT. This is just one example of recent efforts to stop the spread of propaganda and unverifiable information as if they were statements of truth or accuracy. Can the United States have a free press and stop propaganda? Explain how.

In your essay, which may include text, audio or video, use and cite at least three sources. In keeping with the spirit of this assignment, entries will be checked to ensure nothing has been generated by artificial intelligence (AI) and that there is no plagiarism. Potential violations will be examined under the School of Journalism’s academic integrity policy.

Essay Guidelines
Your essay should be 1,500–2,500 words and must be focused on this year’s topic. Consideration will be given to analyses with critical thinking and research, including — but not limited to — web searches, interviews with experts on the subject and links to examples. Sources must be properly cited. Essay may be presented in a written or multimedia form. Multimedia essays should include scripts for any video content. Students may also produce multimedia elements as a supplement to a written essay.

Text essays and/or scripts should be in a Word document (.doc or .docx). Do NOT include your name or any other identifying information in your essay files.

Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible, entrant must be currently enrolled as an undergraduate with a major in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. Scholarships are issued for the upcoming fall semester, and students must be registered for MSU courses during the upcoming fall semester to receive the scholarship.

Questions
Questions can be directed to Joe Grimm at jgrimm@msu.edu.

School of Journalism scholarships are applied to a student’s university account to support a future semester of study. To be considered, applicants must complete the application form for this scholarship opportunity.