The UTC Solutions Journalism kickoff event will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 22, in the Lupton Hall common area. Photo by Angela Foster.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Communication will celebrate the launch of its new Solutions Journalism initiative with an event starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22, on the first floor of Lupton Hall. The event will feature a town hall discussion, a panel presentation with experts and opportunities for student journalists to collaborate on impactful story ideas.
Supported by a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN), the initiative aims to empower student journalists to go beyond reporting on societal problems by highlighting actionable solutions being implemented to address those challenges. Solutions Journalism stories all contain four elements: a response to a problem, evidence of the effect of this response, limitations to the response that still need to be addressed, and insight into what can be learned from the response.
The SJN’s Student Media Challenge highlights UTC’s dedication to fostering impactful journalism and creating a platform for student voices. By using the Solutions Journalism lens, this project aims to address some of the most pressing issues facing the community while inspiring actionable change.
The Jan. 22 event will serve as a launch party for the project and will focus on mental health, a critical issue affecting students both on campus and beyond. The program aims to provide a platform for students to share their experiences with mental health challenges while generating story ideas for student journalists to explore throughout the spring semester—such as the challenges of balancing academic responsibilities with self-care or accessing mental health resources on campus.
These firsthand accounts will help create a foundation for meaningful conversations and guide student journalists in crafting stories that resonate with the community.
A panel of campus experts will provide their perspectives on the challenges students face and the potential solutions being implemented at UTC and in the broader community. Panelists include:
- Dr. Ruth Walker, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology
- L. Corinne Webster, director of the Counseling Center
- Megan McKnight, director of the Center for Wellbeing
The Student Media Challenge, launched in 2022, adds to SJN’s ongoing work with colleges and universities by awarding grants to student newsrooms to pursue solutions journalism projects. Previous funded projects have included an award-winning podcast on food insecurity, addressing news deserts in rural Missouri and fortifying coverage for a weekly in Georgia.
UTC was one of eight schools awarded the Student Media Grant for 2024-2025, joining:
- Baltimore Watchdog (Towson University)
- Capital News Service (University of Maryland)
- Long Beach Current (California State University, Long Beach)
- Hilltop Views (St. Edward’s University in Texas)
- Stanford Daily (Stanford University)
- The Tiger’s Roar (Savannah State University in Georgia)
- The Temple News (Temple University)
The initiative helps students cover social issues more deeply and equitably while gaining valuable experience for internships and careers. For instance, the grant will support UTC student journalists in producing stories for the University Echo, Mocs News and perhaps other on- and off-campus media outlets—including the Chattanooga Times Free Press, WTCI PBS and WUTC-FM 88.1.
Student-produced stories will emphasize solutions being utilized to tackle the problems students face, offering actionable insights and highlighting community resilience.
Led by UTC sophomore Mallori Crocker and Department of Communication Lecturer Jim Tanner, this project offers students a distinctive opportunity to hone their skills in solutions-oriented reporting while crafting compelling narratives that drive meaningful change and serve both the campus and local community.
Students will have the opportunity to sign up at the event to participate in the initiative—either once or on a weekly basis—and they will be paid for their involvement in writing, podcast or documentary making.
Students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to attend the event and engage in the conversation. Attendance is free, and no prior registration is required. Food and drinks will be provided.
Learn more
