Experiment in Louisville

Betty Lou Amster is the only woman police reporter Louisville has ever had. After breaking into journalism on an Indiana newspaper, Mrs. Amster landed on the Louisville Times (circ. 167,607) five years ago, made good on the police and courthouse beats. She was later moved to general assignments, especially sob-sister stories, and became dissatisfied with her job and herself. At 24, Betty Lou felt that she had "run out of learning," because, married at 16, she had never gone beyond high school. Last month, Reporter Amster buttonholed Publisher Mark Ethridge (who also runs the Louisville Courier-Journal) and asked for help. Said she: "I don't want to be writing about kids, dogs and lollipops when I'm 50."

Ethridge, who has seven Harvard Nieman Fellows on his staff, decided to try a Louisville version of the Nieman Fellowships. Under the plan, Reporter Amster will study three days a week at the University of Louisville, work at the Times three more. The newspaper will pay her salary, provide tuition and books. The university will give Betty Lou private instruction on her hand-picked interests (municipal government, anthropology, taxation, labor relations, the Soviet Union).

Last week, registering at the U. of L., Reporter Amster said happily: "How are you going to know what you want to study until you've been out in the world and learned what you need to know?"

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