The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas (FOIFT) announced the recipients of its annual scholarships on May 5. The scholarships aim to advance the fields of journalism and open government law.
William Fry, a student at Texas Tech University, was awarded the Ralph Langer Scholarship, and Casey McKee of the University of Houston Law Center was awarded the Joel White Scholarship.
The FOIFT scholarships are designed to support the next generation of professionals committed to protecting the First Amendment and the public’s right to know. Fry and McKee were selected for their dedication to transparency and their investigative work into issues such as news deserts and the impact of artificial intelligence on defamation law.
The foundation’s executive director, Kelley Shannon, said that both recipients have shown a strong desire for careers that ensure the public remains well-informed through access to government records and meetings.
“Both students have demonstrated a strong commitment to journalism and protecting free speech and free press rights,” Shannon said.
William Fry, who is majoring in political journalism and creative media, received a $6,000 scholarship. Fry currently serves as the managing editor for the West Texas Watchdogs News Service, an initiative he helped launch to address the decline of local news coverage in the Texas Panhandle.
His academic research at Texas Tech’s Honors College examines how the media habits of Gen-Z shape their political identities. Previously, Fry interned at The Canadian Record, a historic Panhandle newspaper.
Casey McKee, a first-year law student, was awarded the $1,000 Joel White Scholarship. McKee’s background includes a journalism degree from UT Austin, where she wrote a thesis exploring the legal tensions between modern AI technology and U.S. defamation frameworks. She is set to join the litigation group at Jackson Walker as a summer associate, focusing on media and entertainment law.
The Ralph Langer Scholarship commemorates the former executive editor of The Dallas Morning News who led the paper to six Pulitzer Prizes. The Joel White Scholarship honors a former FOIFT president and attorney who was a tireless advocate for free speech and open government.