CCI media outlets and college alums won big at the East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ (ETSPJ) Golden Press Card Awards this past May. From the left: Professor Mark Harmon, WUOT reporter Jacqui Sieber, CCI graduate student Alexis Bishop, graduate student Nick McNeese, Beacon photographer Edward Cruz, Knoxville News Sentinel reporter and Beacon alumnus Daniel Dassow (’23), and WUOT Interim News Director Melanie Faizer.
College of Communication and Information media outlets and faculty won big at the East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ (ETSPJ) Golden Press Card Awards in May.
The annual awards honor the most outstanding journalism produced in East Tennessee from the previous year.
WUOT 91.9 FM swept the radio category, winning first place in feature, general, and government and politics reporting coverage. WUOT’s Jacqui Sieber and Melanie Faizer, undergraduate students Maxwell Tsetsakis and Eden Bollschweiler, and grad student Alexis Bishop were credited for the winning entries. Bishop also won second place for overall student reporting.
The NPR affiliate station also won first and second place in the All Media category for its climate and environmental reporting coverage. Along with Faizer and Sieber, graduate students MaryBeth Mahne and Nick McNeese were also credited.
WUOT General Manager Jody Hamblett said it is great seeing the graduate students recognized alongside veteran reporters. Last July, WUOT was incorporated into CCI, and opportunities for students to do work at the station have increased.
“We talk about the importance of local journalism with our student interns all the time but having others validate their efforts only helps that message resonate even more,” Hamblett said. “Our partnership with CCI benefits students by allowing them hands-on reporting experience alongside our professional news team. That partnership has been invaluable to WUOT, allowing us to grow our community news coverage in East Tennessee at a time when local journalism is dwindling across the country.”
Other winners included School of Journalism and Media Assistant Professor of Practice Brittany Tarwater and the WVLT staff, who won the Horace V. Wells Jr. Community Service Award for the WVLT news original documentary A Tennessee Waltz: Ray Blanton’s Last Dance. The documentary covered the behind-the-scenes story of how Tennessee Democrats and Republicans banded together to remove former Gov. Ray Blanton from power after he became embroiled in a clemency for cash scandal in the late 1970s.
Tarwater also won first place in the Documentary/Public Affairs Programming—Television category for her work on A Tennessee Waltz: Ray Blanton’s Last Dance.
Fellow journalism and media faculty member Professor Mark Harmon was also honored at the awards. He took second place in Freelance Writing in the All Media category.
CCI student journalists were also recognized at the SPJ awards. Former photo editor for The Daily Beacon Edward Cruz won first place in the Best News Photography in the All Media category. Beacon photographer Parker Phegley took second place in the Best Sports Photography in the All Media category.
“What an accomplishment,” Assistant Professor and Interim Faculty Advisor for The Daily Beacon Michael Martinez said. “Even though they are students Edward and Parker were competing with professionals. It shows the quality of photojournalistic work they are producing.”
For a full list of awardees etspj.org/2023-golden-press-card-winners/.