School of Journalism & Media

UT Student Journalists win regional SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards

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Student journalists at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, won several first-place and finalist awards at the annual Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Region 12 Conference last month.

Award-winning work included stories covering Hurricane Helene and the 2024 presidential election campaign.

Senior journalism and media major and The Daily Beacon Editor-in-Chief Shelby Wright said she is proud of her work on Hurricane Helene, which won in the general news reporting category. She sees the award as another opportunity to spread awareness about the impact of this tragedy.

“I think it shows how important journalism is at the end of the day,” … Read more “UT Student Journalists win regional SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards”

Live Election Day Special Helped Students Hone Skills, Milestone for TVC

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TVC students celebrate after successfully producing “Voting Matters,” a live Election Day special, on Nov. 5, 2024.

Three weeks before Election Day, School of Journalism and Media Assistant Professor of Practice Brittany Tarwater reached out to the student leadership at The Volunteer Channel (TVC) with an idea to produce an Election Day live special.

Inspired by the great work the students have been doing all semester covering the election as part of the Election Project, a collaborative reporting initiative between the School of Journalism and Media and The Media Center, Tarwater viewed the live special as the next … Read more “Live Election Day Special Helped Students Hone Skills, Milestone for TVC”

Students Encourage Voter Participation Through the Election Project 

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With messages such as “Voting is Key” and “Rock the Vote,” students in Professor Rob Heller’s class once again designed billboards in partnership with Lamar Advertising to encourage Tennesseeans to vote this November.

Heller said six billboard designs shared with Lamar Advertising began running on digital billboards throughout Tennessee on October 4 and the company plans to keep sharing them until the day before the election.

Heller’s graphic design class is just one example this election season of students gaining invaluable hands-on experience in the industry while also educating audiences on civic topics. 

That is the purpose of the Election … Read more “Students Encourage Voter Participation Through the Election Project ”