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”

Graduating Senior Griffin Hadley Proud To ‘Carry The Torch’

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Griffin Hadley and Kate McCarville the Tennessee men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams receiving the Torchbearer award at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center in Knoxville, TN. (Photo By Kyndall Williams/Tennessee Athletics)

School of Journalism and Media Professor Erin Whiteside met graduating senior Griffin Hadley for the first time during an informational session for students selected to cover the 2024 Paralympic Games for the USA TODAY Network in Paris.

“But it was not until around 3 am on Aug. 29 (the first day they were in Paris), when Griffin was working in a hotel lobby surrounded by his jet-lagged peers, … Read more “Graduating Senior Griffin Hadley Proud To ‘Carry The Torch’”

Land Grant Films Team Produces Award-Winning Short Documentary on Blind Woodworker

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Senior Carter Moore interviewing Greenville, Tennessee native and woodworker George Wurtzel for the Land Grant Films short documentary “Carving The Creative Vision”.

In small-town America, there always seems to be that person everyone knows who perfectly reflects what that community is all about. 

This phenomenon is what prompted Nick Geidner, School of Journalism and Media professor and Land Grant Films director, in 2023 to pitch to the student documentary production team a series highlighting unique individuals from various small Tennessee communities. 

While the full series has not yet developed, the team’s initial research introduced them to Greenville, Tennessee native and … Read more “Land Grant Films Team Produces Award-Winning Short Documentary on Blind Woodworker”

Thatcher, Durben Selected for 2025 Carnegie-Knight News21 Project

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Juniors Gracyn Thatcher and Alexa Durben, both journalism and media majors, will represent the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this summer at the 2025 Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellowship at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Two School of Journalism and Media students have been selected to participate in a prestigious national reporting initiative this summer.

Juniors Gracyn Thatcher and Alexa Durben, both journalism and media majors, will represent the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this summer at the 2025 Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellowship at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.… Read more “Thatcher, Durben Selected for 2025 Carnegie-Knight News21 Project”

The Election Project, Student Journalists Win Big at 2025 Southeast Journalism Conference

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Students in the School of Journalism and Media earned several awards for their reporting coverage including Best Public Service Journalism for The Election Project and Best TV Station at the 2025 Southeast Journalism Conference

The Election Project won “Best in the South” in public service journalism at the 2025 Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC).

A collaborative reporting initiative between the School of Journalism and Media and The Media Center at the College of Communication and Information, the Election Project gave students invaluable hands-on experience in election reporting while also educating the public on the 2024 presidential election and other civics topics.… Read more “The Election Project, Student Journalists Win Big at 2025 Southeast Journalism Conference”

School of Journalism and Media Students Produce Documentary on Vol Baseball Star Hunter Ensley

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A new student-produced documentary titled Hunter premiered February 13 on the Tennessee Athletics YouTube page.

The 45-minute documentary, produced as part of a School of Journalism and Media Video Sports Production and Performance class last fall, tells the inspiring story of Tennessee baseball outfielder Hunter Ensley and his journey from humble beginnings in Alaska and small-town West Tennessee to becoming a Tennessee baseball star during the program’s historic national championship run.

This film is a collaboration between the School of Journalism and Media, Tennessee Athletics and The Media Center at the College of Communication and Information.

“This shows the power … Read more “School of Journalism and Media Students Produce Documentary on Vol Baseball Star Hunter Ensley”

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”

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”

Graduating Senior Allison Seaton Found Her Passion After Transferring to Rocky Top

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Graduating senior Allison Seaton showing off her media credentials.

Transferring to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, turned out to be the right move for graduating senior Allison Seaton.

The East Tennessee native and School of Journalism and Media major may have started her collegiate career elsewhere, but Rocky Top is where she found her passion for sports storytelling.

“If I didn’t come back, I never would have found the field I wanted to be in,” Seaton said.

She enrolled to study political science and pre-law at UT with an interest in working in sports law. During her first semester, Seaton … Read more “Graduating Senior Allison Seaton Found Her Passion After Transferring to Rocky Top”

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”