School of Journalism and Media Assistant Professor of Practice Brittany Tarwater expects her students to enter their work into contests.
She encourages this both in the classroom and through The Volunteer Channel, a student-run broadcast station she advises within The Media Center at the College of Communication and Information.
So, naturally, she must do the same.
“I think it’s important to put yourself and your work in the arena,” Tarwater said. “That’s a vulnerable space where you have to get very comfortable with the critique. I’m very grateful that the competitions put your work on a platform where more people are exposed to the stories and create a greater impact.”
This summer, Tarwater won another Regional Edward R. Murrow Award in the Excellence in Writing category for her work at WVLT-News.
This was Tarwater’s second consecutive year to receive a Murrow Award. She won regional Murrow Awards in 2024 for her work with WVLT on the original documentary A Tennessee Waltz: Ray Blanton’s Last Dance. The documentary won in the News Documentary and Excellence in Innovation categories.
This year’s award-winning work included:
- UT swim team turns tragic loss into historic season
- University of Tennessee track standout overcomes hurdles with sport and faith
- ‘I just wanted covers’ | Young surgery survivor sews to help Knoxville children overcome life-altering treatment
Tarwarter said she was especially proud to see her story about the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, swimming and diving team. Tarwater is a former UT swimmer.
“There has been no deeper personal tragedy that I have covered in my career and no greater honor than sharing the story of the teams’ success last year,” Tarwater said. “I try to tell our students that we are in the people business. I’m truly grateful the people in these stories were so willing to share very impactful, sometimes vulnerable, pieces of their lives. I think stories like these make us feel connected, they help us understand one another, eliminate bias and create a more empathetic community.”
The WVLT News staff also won a Murrow award in the Overall Excellence category.
Tarwater said the WVLT team’s journalism excellence is on display every day, but this year’s award stood out to her because it recognized the team’s response to Hurricane Helene. She added two interns from UT were an important piece of the reporting process.
“It’s truly an honor to work with some of the best journalists in the industry and have the opportunity to bring those values into the classroom and The Volunteer Channel,” Tarwater said.
The Regional Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold a strict code of ethics, demonstrate technical prowess, and highlight the importance of journalism as a service to the community. Winning work in the regional categories becomes eligible to advance to the National Murrow Award competition.
Harmon Recognized with Green Eyeshade Awards
School of Journalism and Media Professor Mark Harmon won two third-place prizes in the 2025 Green Eyeshade awards.
Harmon took third place in the News Commentary and Analysis category for his Troubled Tennessee column series about the state legislature. He also finished third in the Humor and Satire category for his Bloviating Moments in Tennessee column series about some of the more peculiar actions and claims of Tennessee legislators, both state and federal.
All of Harmon’s award-winning columns were published in the Tennessee Lookout.
Since 1950, the Green Eyeshade Awards have recognized excellence in journalism across the Southeast.
This year, the awards considered work produced in 2024 from print, digital, radio and television outlets in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. For the full list of winners, visit: https://www.greeneyeshade.org/2025-winners/.
“We are fortunate to have active journalists on our faculty, and award-winning ones at that,” said Amy Jo Coffey, director of the School of Journalism and Media. “Our students are learning from some of the best in their craft.”