MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Three Middle State University School of Journalism students were among
12 students from across the state immersed in real-world media through participation in The
Tennessean’s second annual Journalism Academy.
Hannah Carley, Shauna Reynolds and Brianna Sorrell from MTSU’s School of Journalism and
Strategic Media joined professional journalists for three days of learning, networking and mentorship at
the newspaper and digital outlet’s Nashville office in early January.
The Tennessean Journalism Academy allowed students to see a professional news organization and
expand their contacts with experienced journalists and students across Tennessee. Participants also
learned about writing and reporting, investigating, digital production, and applying for jobs.
“Liz Schubauer, city editor, and the rest of The Tennessean staff were so generous with their time and
knowledge,” Reynolds said. “We had the chance to talk with journalists from multiple departments in
informal panels with Q&A sessions, in one-on-one mentorship meetings and at casual meals. Journalism
students are very curious by nature, so our questions were nonstop. We experience valuable insight from
reporters and editors with varied backgrounds and levels of experience.”
Reynolds said she enjoyed talking with students from other Tennessee universities and learning about
what was happening in student media at bigger, smaller, and public and private schools.
“Hearing about administrative efforts to shut down a story at a private university reminded me how
fortunate I am to work for an editorially independent student publication,” she said, referring to the
MTSU Sidelines digital news outlet.
The experience at the three-day event and spending time in The Tennessean’s office helped ease
Reynolds’s anxiety as she approaches graduation.
“I’ve been leery of big corporate media organizations, but learning how a large team collaborates to
produce local news with the resources of a larger network left me seeing things differently,” she said.
Reynolds said she and the others attended a Zoom meeting with editors from across The South region of Gannett, the parent company for The Tennessean, which is also part of the company’s USA Today network.
MTSU is an equal opportunity, non-racially identifiable, educational institution that does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities.
“That helped me understand how The Tennessean works with newspapers from different markets to
deliver the most thorough news to the appropriate audience,” said Reynolds, adding that the opportunity
before the spring semester started really inspired her.
“I am so thankful the School of Journalism allowed me to take part in this,” she said. “I am headed into
this new semester with fresh inspiration for my work at Sidelines and working on my application for The
Tennessean’s summer internship program.”
