Pierce Gentry, far left, with the other contestants in the Audio category at the Hearst Journalism National Championship.
As Pierce Gentry (‘25) walked through San Francisco in early June, he soaked in the colorful sights of the largest Chinatown in the world outside of China, but what he really focused on were the people and sounds filling the iconic neighborhood.
“Being an audio journalist adds a whole new dimension to storytelling. You have to make sure your audio quality is good, but you’re also making sure you’re telling a story through sound. Whenever I can bring out the sounds of the natural world and let people tell their story, I do. I try to limit the interruption of my voice in the stories,” said the WUOT 91.9 FM reporter and School of Journalism and Media alumnus.
This approach served Gentry well as the two-minute story he created about the impact of tariffs on business owners in Chinatown earned him second place in the Audio category at the 2025 Hearst Journalism National Championship. Known as the “Pulitzers of College Journalism,” Gentry qualified for the prestigious championship by winning second place in the Audio category of one of the 2024-2025 Hearst Journalism Monthly Competitions.
That initial win earned him a $2,000 scholarship and a matching grant for the School of Journalism and Media along with an all-expenses paid trip to San Francisco to compete at a national level. He joined 28 other finalists from around the country who competed in five categories: Writing, Photojournalism, Audio, Multimedia, and Podcast.
Finding a Winning Story
Gentry said they were given their assignment a week prior to arriving in the Bay Area, allowing the finalists some time to mull over the topic of their competitive piece.
“We weren’t allowed to do interviews ahead of time or ask professors or mentors for help. It was a daunting assignment because the prompt was to examine how President Donald Trump’s executive actions pertaining specifically to immigration, tariffs, DEI, and generally the economy are impacting life for people in the Bay Area,” Gentry said. “That’s very broad and I was overwhelmed quickly because I had a lot of ideas, but I didn’t know which one would be the one I would pursue. Because I only had two minutes, I kept thinking, ‘Was this topic too complex? Was it too simple?’”
One idea kept coming back to him, so he zeroed in on it, and that was the 150% tariffs initially imposed on goods from China. While that tariff was reduced, the tariff at the time of Gentry’s information-gathering excursions still stood at double what it was prior to Trump’s entry into office. While the China tariffs disrupted an array of industries across the United States and the world, Gentry was curious to discover how this unique community full of Chinese immigrants and first-generation citizens was impacted.
“These people, most of them are medium to low-income people. How are they faring after the tariffs? I wanted to approach the story sort of how I did reporting during Helene. I wanted to immerse myself in the neighborhood and go door to door to talk to people,” he said.
After stumbling past some language barriers, as Gentry only speaks English and many in the community speak no or minimal English, he finally made headway. First, he met the owner of a shop selling spiritual items for Buddhists, then the president of the Chinatown Merchants United Association of San Francisco, a woman who sold fruit smoothies and tanghulu, and finally the main source for his piece, Abby Hong, restaurant owner of the House of Dim Sum.
Gentry’s story opens with Hong rattling off a list of things stacked high in the basement storeroom of her restaurant, which is stuffed full of foods and materials she bought when the tariffs dipped back down again. Gentry said Hong and many business owners have been panic-buying goods only available from China, such as food packaging, as they worry the tariff will shoot back up again. Hong has been struggling with the uncertainty and extra expenses, which extends to the many family members who work at the House of Dim Sum.
Winning Second Place
It was this slice of life paired with Gentry’s concise summary of the tariff’s impact on Chinatown business owners that landed him in second place. He had the opportunity to hear his competitors’ pieces before winners were announced June 5, and the competition was stiff. In fact, the judges told competitors in the Audio category that all their pieces were high enough quality to air on NPR’s flagship news program All Things Considered.
“I didn’t go with a mindset to compete. I was excited to just go and meet the fellow finalists. I’m just not a very competitive person, I just wanted to pursue the best story I could, so I didn’t really care where I placed. Once I produced it, I thought it was a really good story. So, to place second, which is ahead of what I expected for myself, I was really proud of that,” he said.
His second-place win at the national level earned him a $7,500 scholarship and a Hearst Medallion. It also added more fuel to the fire he has for telling the stories of those who don’t always have a voice.
Gentry’s passion and hard work have been a throughline in everything he’s done both as a student and as a professional journalist. WUOT Director Jody Hamblett said she was impressed, though not surprised, that he did so well in San Francisco.
“Pierce’s success at the Hearst National Championship reflects both his exceptional talent and his deep commitment to telling meaningful stories. Competing under pressure, in an unfamiliar city with limited time, he delivered a piece that stood out on a national stage. This win is well-earned, and it’s just the beginning of what promises to be a remarkable career in journalism,” she said.
Gentry’s success at the two Hearst competitions not only garnered a $9,500 in matching grants for the School of Journalism and Media but it also elevates the visibility for a flourishing journalism and media program. The school’s director, Amy Jo Coffey, said Gentry’s work and subsequent awards are a proud reflection of the school’s high-quality curriculum and “hands-on from day one” focus on student experiences.
“Pierce Gentry is a gifted journalist and it fills us with pride that a School of Journalism and Media graduate has attained this prestigious achievement,” she said. “Pierce’s national championship win is affirming not only of his professional talents but is symbolic of this program’s rise and the quality of journalism students it is producing.”
From Journalism Student to Public Radio Reporter
While Gentry is genuinely humble, the current “awards” portion of his resume has become very fleshed out in recent months as he continues to win honors for work he did over the past year as a journalism and media student and as a part-time reporter at WUOT, East Tennessee’s NPR station.
Initially aiming to work in newspapers, Gentry’s attention turned to audio when he became one of WUOT’s inaugural practicum students his junior year. He was put on air the first week at the station and it wasn’t long before he was hooked on the medium. His talent and dedication didn’t go unnoticed by Hamblett, who hired him as a part-time reporter throughout the whole of his senior year.
“Pierce Gentry has quickly distinguished himself as a rising star at WUOT and in public media. In a short time, he’s gone from student contributor to trusted reporter, earning national recognition for his thoughtful storytelling, sharp instincts, and deep commitment to public service journalism,” Hamblett said. “His swift rise is a testament not only to his tireless work ethic, but also to his natural ability to connect with people, ask meaningful questions, and uncover the human heart of complex issues. Whether he’s covering local stories or tackling national topics, Pierce brings a rare combination of empathy, curiosity, and clarity to everything he does.”
Now that Gentry has graduated, he will start as a full-time reporter at the station on August 1. He is just one of a news team that will continue growing as Hamblett is making strategic hires to increase news coverage of the East Tennessee area.
Gentry said he’s ready to dive deep into the stories of East Tennessee, with a focus on the rural counties beyond Knox County that oftentimes do not have dedicated news services. There are so many untold stories to tell that reflect the daily struggles and achievements of the people who live between the Tri-Cities area and Crossville, and he’s ready to put their voices on air.
“I think I’ve come into WUOT at such a fantastic time, there’s so much opportunity for growth right now. We’re currently looking for a news director, we’re hiring a popular local chief meteorologist, we’re expanding our newsroom—there’s just so many great things happening right now. I’m so excited I get to be a part of it and do my small part to help WUOT grow,” he said.