Eight journalists were named Southeastern finalists Monday in the race to become the first reporter to ride into space aboard a shuttle.
The eight regional finalists, including two each from United Press International and ABC News, were chosen from among 20 semifinalists after judges viewed videotapes made by the reporters, conducted in-depth interviews and studied writing samples.
More than 1,700 journalists applied to be the first reporter in space, from which 100 semifinalists — 20 each from five regions across the nation
— were selected April 16. Each region selects eight finalists.
”I`m surprised and obviously very pleased,” said one Southeastern finalist, UPI Science Editor Al Rossiter Jr., who has covered the space program since 1963.
The other seven finalists were UPI radio correspondent Robert Navias; ABC national correspondents Barry Serafin and James Wooten; Jay Barbree, a correspondent for NBC News; Marcia Bartusiak, a freelance science writer from Virginia; Washington Post reporter Kathy Sawyer, and James Snyder, who goes by the name Jim Slade as a correspondent for the Mutual Broadcasting System.
