School of Journalism & Media

Alum Gene Wojciechowski shares insights, reflects on award-winning sports journalism career with students

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The first time Gene Wojciechowski (’79) was on camera it went horribly.

It was at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia and Wojciechowski was covering the Masters Tournament for ESPN. He was charged with delivering a two-minute live report that morning. The plan was that once on air, fellow ESPN broadcaster Scott Van Pelt would cue Wojciechowski up on each item and he would deliver his report.

However, things did not go as plan and Wojciechowski was suddenly on camera.

“And, I just melt,” Wojciechowski said, speaking to a class of School of Journalism and Media students on Wednesday. … Read more “Alum Gene Wojciechowski shares insights, reflects on award-winning sports journalism career with students”

JEM alum fulfills dream with unveiling of Condrege Holloway-inspired Smokey Grey football uniforms

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JEM alum Evan Ford (’17) poses with the new “Artful Dodger” Smokey Grey uniform he designed for the 2023 home opener against Austin Peay.

Evan Ford (’17) used to sketch, doodle, and dream about designing a University of Tennessee, Knoxville football uniform as a high school student.

Now, his dreams have become reality.

The School of Journalism and Media alumnus and Vols fan will see players wear the new “Artful Dodger” Smokey Grey uniforms he designed for the 2023 home opener on Saturday vs. Austin Peay.

Ford said UT Athletics, in partnership with Nike, announced last year players would wear … Read more “JEM alum fulfills dream with unveiling of Condrege Holloway-inspired Smokey Grey football uniforms”

“Seize the day”: JEM alum Ryan McGee delivers 2023 commencement address

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Ryan McGee at 2023 CCI CommencementESPN writer, broadcaster and School of Journalism and Electronic Media alum Ryan McGee (’93) encouraged the graduating class of 2023 to “seize the day.”

Speaking at the 2023 College of Communication and Information commencement ceremony on Friday, May 19, McGee said there are those who put down today’s generation and lament about the future. He believes those who buy in to these lowest denominator generalizations of Generation Z have not been among them.

McGee shared this generation never fails to inspire him with their energy, spirit, drive, love of life and ability to persevere even in the face of adversity. … Read more ““Seize the day”: JEM alum Ryan McGee delivers 2023 commencement address”

Broadcasting the Olympics: An Alumna’s Dream Come True

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During this summer’s Tokyo Olympics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, alumna Courtney Lyle (’12) of ESPN and the SEC Network will deliver NBC’s play-by-play for men’s and women’s field hockey alongside Olympic ice hockey medalist and analyst A. J. Mleczko. When the announcement was made, Lyle tweeted, “Athletes dream of playing in the Olympics. Announcers dream of calling them. I couldn’t be more excited to be part of NBC’s field hockey coverage this year!!! Dream Come True!!!”

Lyle and Mleczko will broadcast from NBC studios in Stamford, Connecticut, beginning August 1. “We will have a feed of the match from Tokyo … Read more “Broadcasting the Olympics: An Alumna’s Dream Come True”

JEM science communicator alumni analyze their academic, career experiences

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One of the perks about studying Journalism and Electronic Media (JEM) at UT is the amount of local resources that students have access to. From interning at the Knoxville News Sentinel to Discovery, Inc. to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), there are ample opportunities to combine the communications field with other specialties.

Here are four science communicator alumni stories.

ORNL is known around the science and technology communities for many things, one of those being its Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). Essentially, this accelerator-based system sends proton pulses to a steel target filled with liquid mercury. Then the neutrons move toward … Read more “JEM science communicator alumni analyze their academic, career experiences”

JEM Sports-Focused Alumni Share Academic, Career Journeys

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They trekked across campus sporting their University of Tennessee shirts, hats and even checkered overalls. 

They also walked the curved halls of the College of Communication and Information [CCI], where they laid the foundations for their careers in sports media. 

These journalism and electronic media [JEM] alumni are eight of the hundreds who’ve found careers in sports media, and all of them agree that their work on campus helped shape their careers.

Katherine Donnelly (2015), ESPN

Students in the JEM program learn about social media platforms and how to use them as content creators.

Katherine Donnelly found a career managing … Read more “JEM Sports-Focused Alumni Share Academic, Career Journeys”

Teresa Walker receives JEM 2020 Alumna of the Year award

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Teresa Walker, pro football writer for The Associated Press in Tennessee, is the 2020 Alumna of the Year for the School of Journalism and Electronic Media.

A three-time Tennessee Sportswriter of the Year recipient, Walker was elected to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s Hall of Fame in 2020.

Furthermore, Walker won a 2015 APSE award for a feature from the Masters, and she is also a two-time president of the Pro Football Writers Association in Nashville and past president of the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.

Walker has come full circle with UT’s recognition of her work.

“It is incredibly … Read more “Teresa Walker receives JEM 2020 Alumna of the Year award”

Cherokee Stickball Documentary Scheduled for TV, Festival Premiere

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Documentary Synopsis

Nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina is a tight-knit community of the remaining members of the Cherokee tribe, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. One of the tribes’ cultural traditions still practiced is the game of stickball. In the year 2000, nearly 100 women: mothers, daughters, sisters, cousins, and friends, took the field to play and exercise the matriarchal spirit that the Cherokee were known for. ᎡᏘᏴ ᏥᎾᎾᏛᏁᎮ ᎠᏰᎵᏐ ᎾᏛᏁᎰ / She Carries On tells the story of these women, how and why they played, and what the game means to them and their

… Read more “Cherokee Stickball Documentary Scheduled for TV, Festival Premiere”

Q&A with News21 Fellow Gabriela Szymanowska

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While she was a student in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media, Gabriela Szymanowska (JEM ’20) developed a passion for telling people’s stories that can raise awareness or inspire change on important social issues.

Gabi Szymanowska PortraitShe gained more experience telling those critical stories through writing and photography during her eight-month fellowship with the Carnegie-Knight News21 program, the prestigious multimedia project that brings together the country’s top journalism students and graduates. Because of COVID-19, this year’s 35 News21 fellows from 16 universities collaborated virtually on “Kids Imprisoned,” an investigation into juvenile justice in America.

Szymanowska served as Editor-in-Chief of the Daily … Read more “Q&A with News21 Fellow Gabriela Szymanowska”

Lexie Little (JEM ’18) Places in Hearst Awards for Clarence Brown Story

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Alumna Lexie Little (JEM ’18) recently placed sixth nationally in the Personality/Profile Writing Competition in the 2019-20 William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards Program. 

Her award-winning feature article, “A Roustabout Career: The Forgotten Celebrity of Clarence Brown,” started as a class assignment but eventually appeared in the Torchbearer, the University of Tennessee’s alumni magazine. 

Little is now pursuing her Master’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She recently started work on her thesis project, which explores shifts in the collective memory of the Civil War through studying newspaper coverage of … Read more “Lexie Little (JEM ’18) Places in Hearst Awards for Clarence Brown Story”