Journalism sensation, Joe Dennis, continues to leave an impact in the journalism industry, but it all had to start from somewhere.
“I’ve had a lot of criticism. I believe that I used to be very self conscious of things. But, whenever it came to anything I produced journalistically, and I got a lot of criticism, I wouldn’t even become defensive. I guess I was always more happy, they were just joining in as a part of the process,” said Dennis. “So, anytime there was feedback, it almost made me feel good, because I’m like, wow, this person cares enough to take the time to call me out on something.”
With over 20 years of experience in the journalism industry, Dennis has done everything from being a radio announcer, professor, news editor, freelance reporter, etc. He always had an interest in radio, however the very start of his career and overall interest in journalism was during his orientation for freshman year at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.
The leader of his orientation group, Dave Monahn, was also the sports editor for the school newspaper, The Chronicle. When Dennis heard about The Chronicle in need of a volleyball reporter, he wasn’t interested. However, when he realized that it might help him have a chance with his crush, Tara Fenske, who was a middle hitter in volleyball, he went with it.
“Every experience you have on this earth makes you a better journalist, honestly. And I’ve made mistakes in journalism, that helped me tremendously to move forward,” he said. “You’ll realize that different people remind you of people from your past. And so, you learn, you know, how can I approach this person or how do I need to get the information from this person.”
Dennis wouldn’t have the success he has now if he didn’t make mistakes in the past. Although he made mistakes, it was earlier on, so he had plenty of time to learn from his mistakes and build his career as a journalist.
“You are put in situations and you see things that you would never would likely ever normally see. It hasn’t made me sad about the world,” he said. “It’s made me motivated to change the world and it’s made me motivated to uncover stories like that, and to shine the spotlight on things that need to be addressed.”
Transitioning from volleyball reporter to full time journalist, Dennis covered events that were much more complex than covering a volleyball match at North Central College. He saw the world at some of the toughest times, but despite how bad situations were, he was able to make people aware of them. And that was a big change from what he initially started in.
“And he was such a good listener. I learned so much from him on how to listen to people and genuinely care and show some empathy to people,” he said.
Dennis was able to be patient and truly care about the subject when interviewing and he realized that it came from his past. When looking about and reflecting about his dad, Walter, he realized that he gained beneficial skills early on in his life, which shaped him to be a better journalist.
Although Dennis was very hesitant working in a career related to journalism, after every single experience, he began to enjoy every bit of it.
“I love journalism, and I love getting to meet people and hear their stories,” he said. “And yeah, I would definitely do it over again if I had to.”
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