By Becket McDuffie
Palos Verdes High School

For years, Joe Dennis was always on call. The news didn’t care if he was spending time with family. And it certainly didn’t care that he was shopping for baby strollers with his wife. “We were shopping for baby strollers when I got a call from my contact at GBI, he said, ‘Hey Joe, I need you to come down to Logansville at 5 o’clock tonight,” Dennis said. Like countless times before, Dennis had a choice to make. He could continue the afternoon with his family, or he could chase the story. Joe explained the situation, saying, “I’m having some family time right now, but this is my job, and I need to do this.” For much of his career, journalism dictated Dennis’ schedule. But experiences like that eventually changed how he viewed the profession and led him toward a new role, teaching the next generation of journalists.

While Dennis eventually left the fast-paced world of daily news reporting, he never left journalism behind. Instead, he found a new way to pursue it through teaching. Today, Dennis helps students understand not only how to report stories, but also how to navigate an increasingly complicated media landscape. “I wanted to continue journalism for something that was on a more regular schedule,” Dennis said. “That’s what led me into teaching.”

While Dennis found a more predictable schedule in teaching, his experiences as a journalist continued to shape the lessons he shared with students. Years spent covering the news also changed the way he viewed information itself. “You are overwhelmed with information. I actually struggled with this,” Dennis said.

Having experienced the effects of information overload himself, Dennis believes quality journalism is more important than ever. In a world dominated by social media, he argues that journalism provides something many online platforms cannot: context.

While social media often delivers information through short clips and individual opinions, journalism requires reporters to gather information from many sources and present a fuller picture of events. “Journalism is rooted in principles that other forms of media aren’t,” said Dennis.

Dennis’ view of journalism has evolved in other ways as well. Early in his career, he believed journalists should strive to be completely unbiased. Over time, however, he came to realize that complete objectivity is impossible. Instead, he believes journalists must recognize their own biases and understand how those biases can influence their reporting.

Although Dennis remains passionate about journalism, the most rewarding part of his career isn’t seeing a story published; it’s seeing where his students end up. Former students have gone on to work for organizations ranging from the NBA to the Savannah Bananas. For Dennis, those successes serve as a reminder that his impact extends far beyond the classroom.”Seeing where some of my students go afterwards and how they make an impact is really cool,” Dennis said, “It’s rewarding to know that I helped them get to where they are today.”