The Tennessee Journalist turned one year old on Oct. 12, and it's being celebrated with week-long articles and a party today at 11:30 a.m. in the third floor lobby of the Communications building.

This online student news publication has grown steadily in the past year, because it gives students an opportunity to explore web journalism.

"We're very excited. We've done a lot in this past year, and we're hoping to accomplish even more in the years to come," said Katie Rodgers, editor-in-chief for the Tennessee Journalist, in her Ask An Editor interview.

This semester, there have been many advances in video, article series, audio and podcasts, and Rodgers is excited to see the even bigger and better attractions that are added to the site everyday.

We've done a lot in this past year, and we're hoping to accomplish even more in the years to come. Katie Rodgers, senior, editor-in-chief of Tennessee JournalistThe news site's creator and faculty advisor is Dr. Jim Stovall. He created a Web site similar to the Tennessee Journalist at the University of Alabama, where he previously taught. Stovall was asked to do the same thing for The University of Tennessee, and so, with the collaborative efforts of faculty and students, Tennessee Journalist was born.

"The faculty here had wanted to do something like this and has wanted to do that for some years now," Stovall said.

"It was hard at first – it was slow to get students to come and work for us because they had no clue what it was," said Sarah Jane Cothren, news editor of Tennessee Journalist for the spring semester of 2007.

Some of the first articles on the Web site were from a sports writing class taught by former professor of journalism at UT, Daniel Foley. The class created athletic profiles with audio and video clips.

"It was really quality stuff and it gave us a good start," said Stovall.

Stovall said that he couldn't stress enough the importance the of people who helped with the technical creation and develpoment of the site. Two of the main developers were Staci Wolfe who now works at Scripps and Johnny Dobbins who is now working for the Tampa Tribune Site.

"All of us are reaping the benefits of what they created," Stovall said.

I think it's great because it is entirely run by students. Stephen Townsend, junior, reporter for Tennesee JournalistThe news site has covered big stories over the past year. Some of those include the power outage at Andy Holt apartment residence hall on the UT campus last spring and the fire at the McClung Warehouses in downtown Knoxville.

"[The Web site] is so immediate," said Cothren about the benefits of having an online news source. "I think as long as staff members are really on top of stuff and get stories up there really quickly, it's more immediate than a newspaper. And it would be really nice for the college community to have that to go look at all the time and see up-to-date stuff as things are happening." 

"I think it's great because it is entirely run by students. Students run everything from the photos to the editing to the managerial decisions," said Stephen Townsend, a reporter for the Tennessee Journalist.

Certainly, the Web site is a collaborative effort. Rodgers understands this very well.

"I am very pleased with the site and all the people that are involved. I say this at nearly every meeting, but I am so proud of everyone working on the site and all the great things they are doing," Rodgers said. "I would like to thank everyone that has touched the site in some way. We couldn't have made it to our first birthday without everyone who has been involved."