School of Journalism & Media

2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 Recipient Taylor Hathorn discovered passion on Rocky Top

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Alumna Taylor Hathorn’s (’14, ’19) post-graduation path received a jump-start when she signed up to be a part of Land Grant Films’ Medal of Honor Project.

“I cannot begin to explain how formative that project was in my career,” the 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 recipient from the School of Journalism and Media said.

The Medal of Honor Project is an award-winning, student-led video production project produced by Land Grant Films, a documentary production program as part of The Media Center at the College of Communication and Information. The project is a continuation of students’ coverage of the 2014 Medal … Read more “2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 Recipient Taylor Hathorn discovered passion on Rocky Top”

Bane Named a Top 20 Winner in Hearst Journalism Awards in Photojournalism Competition

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School of Journalism and Media junior Avery Bane took this photo while covering the Paralympic Games for USA TODAY and submitted it for consideration for the 2024-2025 Hearst Journalism Awards Program’s Photojournalism News and Features Competition. 

School of Journalism and Media junior Avery Bane finished in the top-20 of competitors in the 2024-2025 Hearst Journalism Awards Program’s Photojournalism News and Features Competition. 

The Hearst Journalism Awards is a nationally recognized program that honors colleges and students that produce exceptional work in the field of journalism and media. The program offers 14 competitions annually awarding up to $700,000 in scholarships, matching … Read more “Bane Named a Top 20 Winner in Hearst Journalism Awards in Photojournalism Competition”

Tennessean Journalism Academy Reinforces the Power of Journalism For Students

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The Tennessean hosted 12 college students for their annual Tennessean Journalism Academy in January. Representing the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, were journalism and media seniors Kylia Berry and Catherine Cox. Pictured above in the back row are, from left to right, Shauna Reynolds, Samuel McCormick, Faith Vance and Brianna Sorrell. In the middle row are Berry, Cox, Anastasia Boldyreva, Nolan Russell and Michelle Loria. In the front row are Liz Schubauer, content strategist at USA TODAY Network, Hannah Carley, Anabelle Coker and Sarai Bennett.

Hearing The Tennessean’s breaking news team share their perspective on covering horrific events and using empathy … Read more “Tennessean Journalism Academy Reinforces the Power of Journalism For Students”

CCI Faculty Brittany Tarwater 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40

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From the moment Brittany Tarwater (‘09, ‘13) stepped into the College of Communication and Information to where she is today in her career, there’s been a network of supportive faculty pushing her to succeed. She didn’t realize when she arrived at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus on her 18th birthday that CCI and UT would become intertwined with her life and career for years to come. Now, she joins seven other CCI alumni as one of the class of 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40.

Tarwater is a full-time assistant professor of practice at the School of Journalism and … Read more “CCI Faculty Brittany Tarwater 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40”

Four Faculty Members Contribute to New Book on Women’s Sports and Media

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A new book — Media, Women, and the Transformation of Sport — examines the coverage of women athletes and sports from Title IX to NIL. UT School of Journalism and Media faculty members contributed around a third of the chapters

When School of Journalism and Media Assistant Professor Shannon Scovel was asked to contribute to an upcoming book on women, media, and sport edited by Pamela Creedon, she was deeply honored.

“Creedon’s first book on women’s sport media was like a fundamental text for me as I was understanding who I am as a scholar and how I think about … Read more “Four Faculty Members Contribute to New Book on Women’s Sports and Media”

Alum Pays it Forward after Decades-Long Career in the Industry

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School of Journalism and Media alumnus Wesley Loy in Cordova, Alaska (Photo courtesy of Bob Hallinen).

School of Journalism and Media alumnus Wesley Loy (’84) can still recall his father’s misgivings when he decided to pursue a career in journalism.

“But once he saw my name for the first time on the cover of The Knoxville Journal he was blown away by that,” Loy said. “He thought it was the greatest thing ever to tell all his friends ‘Look, my boy is in the newspaper.’.”

Loy has worked nearly 40 years in the journalism industry covering everything from breaking news … Read more “Alum Pays it Forward after Decades-Long Career in the Industry”

UT Jimmy Carter Expert, Author Reflects on Former President’s Legacy

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When School of Journalism and Media Professor Amber Roessner decided to shift her research subject matter from the history of sports media to presidential politics, it puzzled some family and colleagues.

Their befuddlement grew when the former sportswriter and magazine editor-turned-academic shared that her focus would be on the presidential campaign of former President Jimmy Carter. Roessner said some of her colleagues—and later even Carter himself—pointed out much had already been published about the 39th US president.

Nonetheless, Roessner was convinced she could offer a new perspective in what on the surface seemed an exhausted area of scholarship.

“I do … Read more “UT Jimmy Carter Expert, Author Reflects on Former President’s Legacy”

JEM Professor Amber Roessner Provides Expert Commentary in Wake of President Jimmy Carter’s Death

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As the nation mourns the death of President Jimmy Carter, who died December 29, 2024, Professor Amber Roessner is being called upon by news media to share her perspective on the life and legacy of the longest-lived United States president. A School of Journalism and Media professor, Roessner met the 39th president in 2014 before publishing her book, Jimmy Carter and the Birth of the Marathon Media Campaign, in 2020. She is currently in the process of writing another book chronicling his presidency and post-presidency, on advanced contract with LSU Press.

Roessner’s expertise on Carter and political journalism

… Read more “JEM Professor Amber Roessner Provides Expert Commentary in Wake of President Jimmy Carter’s Death”

From SIS Alumnus to Cichlid Enthusiast

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Scott Wells (’89, ’96, ’13) is a proud alumnus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he serves as the chief of staff for the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He has earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD from UT. Wells graduated with his master’s degree in information sciences in 1996, which allowed him to merge his two passions: writing and science. In his free time, he enjoys working on his blog, The Cichlid Stage.

Education and Career

Wells earned his bachelor’s degree in English, focusing on business and professional writing, in 1989. After … Read more “From SIS Alumnus to Cichlid Enthusiast”

Graduating Master’s Student, Dental Hygiene Educator Teresa O’Daniel Says Communication Courses Made Her a Better Teacher

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When Teresa O’Daniel first became a dental hygienist, she never thought she would be working in public health much less as an educator in the field. But public health eventually became more than just a career option for O’Daniel, who is a dental hygiene instructor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. She’s also graduating this semester with her master’s from the College of Communication and Information with a concentration in strategic and digital communication (SDC). 

“When I was in school, I thought, ‘I’m never going into public health.’ But working in public health, I saw what … Read more “Graduating Master’s Student, Dental Hygiene Educator Teresa O’Daniel Says Communication Courses Made Her a Better Teacher”