Last summer Google announced a joint scholarship program for aspiring journalists with the Associated Press, administered by the Online News Association. Now six winners will receive a $20,000 scholarship to help them make their dreams come true.

The winners were Rebecca Rolfe, John Osborn, Katie Zhu, Emily Eggleston, Reginald James, and Kevin Schaul. You can view profiles of their submissions including YouTube videos here.

John Osborn is a graduate student at Berkeley and says “The most effective way to truly understand anything is to experience it” and this is one of the main reasons why he wants to become a journalist.

Kevin Schaul is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota. He will use his scholarship to focus on the computer science end of journalsim and states that, “Computaional tools can help us answer once unthinkable questions, become more productive, and tell better stories. And that is what journalism is all about.”

According to Google’s official blog for the contest these intellectuals:

“Have big plans that range from producing hyperlocal data-driven stories, to developing open-source apps that allow for democratic news gathering and greater collaboration, to data visualization for current events and entertainment, to producing political news games and teaching journalists how to code.”

Is it fair to say that Google gave students attending institutions in the suburbs less preference?

The following is a statement from the contest’s website:

“Students from diverse backgrounds, as well as those attending rural-area institutions, are strongly encouraged to apply.”

Why do you think this is? What is the purpose?