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.”

Joe Dennis, a seemingly simple man living in Georgia, a Christian family man, and a teacher at two universities in Georgia, is much more insightful and knowledgeable than one may think.

Dennis said, “You will develop empathy. It’s undeniable. You are put in situations and see things you normally wouldn’t.” 

He also said, “So I think it’s done quite the opposite. It hasn’t made me sad about the world; it’s made me motivated to change the world, uncover stories like that, and shine a light on things that need to be addressed.”

Dennis wanted to share and gain every inch of knowledge he could; he was inspired by meeting others and listening thoroughly to people from anywhere and everywhere. Dennis attended Catholic school in a small town in Illinois for 12 years. He then spent four years at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Dennis then continued his journalistic journey at the University of Georgia by getting his doctorate in mass communications and journalism; years later, he began teaching the multimedia journalism class at UGA.

“Every experience you have on this earth informs you and makes you a better journalist. Dennis said, “And I’ve made mistakes in journalism. That helped me tremendously to move forward. But it’s funny when you meet so many people; as you get older and older and older, you’ll realize that different people remind you of people from your past.”

Dennis is deeply connected with the people and stories he’s encountered as a journalist. Through these deep connections, he has acquired much wisdom and insight, which he shared with his UGA journalism class for high schoolers. Dennis’s words resonated with me; his worldview and wisdom have helped me understand the kind of person he is through pretty much a stranger’s glance. That emphasizes how someone can find a story in anything and anyone, even after a short time. That was something Dennis wanted to teach the class. Dennis has a lot of information and knowledge to share with people, and he is excellent at expressing his expertise.

Until his death about ten years ago, he was the kind of family patriarch. If you ever had a problem, you would talk to my dad. 

Dennis says, “ he was just such a good listener. 

Dennis says, “You know, he had a very level-headed temper. I learned so much from him on how to listen to people and to like, genuinely like care and show some empathy to people.”

Through the words Dennis shared about his father, it is apparent that he was his mentor and his guidance through this wild world. Dennis learned a lot from his father, and his traits stem from the knowledge he gained from him. His father always listened to him, so he became a journalist. Dennis learned how to genuinely care for others and share his empathy with anyone he encountered; through his father’s guidance, Dennis grew and excelled in journalism. Dennis’s deep connection to journalism and uncovering some of the most tragic stories is personal; he is continuing his dad’s legacy as a listener and as an empathetic character, which shows the kind of person Dennis is.

“We took pictures of this little kid playing, and it just generated so much sympathy, it spurred the Monroe City Council to address this issue and pass bills to deal with it.”

Instead of emphasizing the tragedies of slum-lording, Dennis captured a gentle-hearted moment of a little boy living under these conditions, still smiling. These images were something people could empathize with and hopefully understand, as well as the importance of why the issue needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Dennis captured a beautiful moment, so beautiful that it is still the most important and inspiring story he’s ever covered, all because he was able to help a little boy.

Dennis’s efforts in this story led to the Monroe City Council helping relieve some of the slumlord issues in Georgia, and this was a proud moment for Dennis. This was a proud momentnot because of the attention on the story or the fact that the City Council recognized him but because he helped people.

Dennis’s talk about capturing this moment in time and forgetting all of the chaos behind the scenes was a beautiful sentiment for the story he covered, and this sentiment showed through the Monroe City Council’s efforts to relieve the community’s struggles.

“The last words my dad said to me before he died were to be the peacemaker, and that’s what I’ve spent my time trying to do.”

In Chicago, the summer of 1976, on Aug. 30th the world was introduced to Joe Dennis. Little did anyone know, he would go out and try to discover everyone’s story as a journalist, all while adorned in his iconic fedora. 

“[Journalism] made me motivated to change the world. And it’s made me motivated to uncover stories like that and to shine a spotlight on things that need to be addressed,” Dennis said. 

Born and raised in the Southside of Chicago, Dennis was brought up in a way familiar to many Filipinos: a Catholic household. He attended Catholic school through 12th grade and once school was over, he decided “the first thing I couldn’t wait to do was not go to church, because I was so tired of it.”

 However, since meeting his wife, he became closer to his faith once he found a church that reaffirmed his beliefs.

“My Christian belief at the core of Christianity is Jesus and being a Christ centered person. Just treating everyone with love and respect and not judging,” Dennis said. 

Along with his religious beliefs, Dennis has grown to become a man of many passions. His love of Kesha, the White Socks, and his utter hatred of the Mcdonalds on Prince, as well AT&T, are what make Dennis unlike any other. Among his many passions is one that he holds close to his heart. His love of journalism. Dennis was introduced to the world of journalism through an odd pairing, volleyball and pizza. Through this unique connection, Dennis dove head first into the world of journalism as a student at North Central College.

“I looked at college as a time to kind of reinvent myself, and I wanted to be a big fish in a little pond, as opposed to a small fish in a big pond,” said Dennis.

Being a big fish in a little pond was exactly what Dennis accomplished at his first job in Monroe, Georgia at the Walton Tribune. Dabbling in many forms of media, Dennis settled on becoming a host for the radio show “The Big Rock Show.” He was the disc jockey for this show for 10 years.  

“I became a professional disc jockey, I emulated that energy that they had to their shows like it, you know, just very high energy, and I use that now, even still to this day, because I’m the public address announcer for the Georgia hockey team. I still get to have some of that energy that I love communicating when I do that.”

Eventually, Dennis left the journalism world to become a dad. He now resides in Athens, Georgia, where he lives with his wife Carla, and his three sons. Currently, he is an associate professor of mass communications at Piedmont University. Dennis shares his passions and love for journalism with many young students through the UGA summer programs at Grady college. He continues to share valuable advice to students looking to follow in the career of journalism.

“If you’re like a news journalist or a community journalist, you will develop empathy,” Dennis continued, “It’s undeniable, because you are put in situations and you see things that you wouldn’t, never, likely, never normally see.”

Despite not being a journalist, Dennis still looks back on his time being a journalist as a happy time.

“I love journalism and I love getting to meet people and hear their stories, and, yeah, I would definitely do it over again.”

It’s no mystery why a New York street vendor felt compelled to match the wandering pedestrian that was Joe Dennis with a hat that had the same playful energy. A friendly face under a felt fedora brings to light Joe’s golden aura.

“I knew it was the last time I was going to see him, and he knew it, and his last words were, Be the peacemaker. And so that’s something I definitely want to spread.” Joe Dennis said, sharing the commemorative advice of his father that he’s used to guide him in all aspects of his personal life.

Joe Dennis has many roles in his life: teacher, father, coach, journalist, devoted church member, and hardcore Kesha fan. But each and every one of these stems from his love of interacting with and caring for other people. Which he admits is largely attributed to his father, Walter Dennis, and religious background. Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, Joe had a “love thy neighbor” environment as he was raised in a very Catholic family. He attended Catholic school for all 12 years of his school career before going to North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, meaning he was no stranger to a Christian mindset. However, Joe’s father, who was on the path of becoming a priest before meeting Joe’s mother, made sure that the Christian values his sons would internalize would be to respect everyone and spread the love of Christ.

“This church that we go to was doing that, and I’m like, well, this is perfect, because it matches my Christian belief that at the core of Christianity is Jesus, being a Christ-centered person, and you should treat everyone with love and respect and not judge. And I found a church that does that, and so I’m all in.”

Religion has been a major factor in Joe’s life, and it still is to this day. Different points in his life morphed his relationship with faith, like many who spend their whole lives with religious influences. Joe shared that once he got to college, he was eager to take a break from the church and became separate from sermons and sanctuary, but once he met his wife, Carla Dennis, who is evangelical, he began going to church with her and reconnected with the Christian community. Once he and his wife married and moved to Georgia, they went through another period where church didn’t factor into their daily lives. But once the tragedy of 9/11 occurred and the entire nation entered a time where they needed faith, Joe and Carla found their way to another local church. Now they’re active members of a united methodist church that perfectly aligns with Joe’s accepting beliefs.

“Yeah, so it’s basically raising them in a way similar to how my dad raised me, where, you know, I tell them not to bully, to see the good in everyone you know, and just to be the light for someone, because you never know how you can change someone’s life at any given day just by a positive interaction.”

Joe has three sons and has made sure to model his parenting after his fathers. He finds it extremely important to pass on the moral code of giving, understanding, and viewing everyone as human that he was raised with. He makes sure that in every family quarrel there is mediation and peace, and he has stressed to them that no matter who you’re talking with, judgment has no place in the conversation. 

“You know, it’s funny, because my oldest son just kind of told me, he’s 20 now, and he was like, ‘Man, Dad, you did something right. Because if I see $1 on the ground, I can’t pick it up without looking around and seeing who I should ask. Is there anyone who might have lost his or is asking some stranger, is it yours?’ Yeah, and that meant a lot to me.”

There are many factors to what makes Joe, Joe, but he evidently carries on Walter Dennis’s legacy and the word of God with respect and radiance.
“Really, I was raised as a Christian who truly embraces the love of Christ and tries to spread that in my interactions with people. And so I was raised to never judge people, to not talk bad about people, and so that has been a huge influence for me, as I’ve ventured out into journalism and interviewed people and talked to people, even people that I like vehemently disagree with, I’m able to recognize them as children of God, basically, as fellow humans, and see the good in everyone.”

Dr. Joe Dennis, Chair of the Department of Mass Communications at Piedmont University, has impressive experience as a radio host, journalist, professor and father, each role providing numerous opportunities and obstacles. 

“I looked at college as a time to reinvent myself, and I wanted to be a big fish in a little pond as opposed to a small fish in a big pond,” Dennis said.

Joe attended North Central College, a private liberal arts college in Naperville, Illinois. Dennis was attracted to North Central because they had an exceptional radio program, an interest of his since childhood. Dennis became a professional disc jockey and emulated the energy of the radio show hosts he had listened to as a child. Joe still utilizes his high energy to this day as he is the public address announcer for the University of Georgia hockey team.

“I think if you are a journalist, and especially if you are a news journalist or a community journalist, you will develop empathy,” Dennis said. “It is undeniable, because you are put in situations, and you see things that you would likely never see.”

Joe is referring to a series he worked on at the Walton Tribune that covered slum-lording, which went on to win a Georgia Press award for Best Community Service. The story was told through the lens of a child who lived in a slumlord’s home. Dennis said that the environment was disgusting, filled with rats crawling into the home and fly traps hanging from the ceiling. Joe took pictures of the small child playing and the photos created an enormous amount of sympathy, spurring the Monroe City Council to address slumlording and pass bills to potentially fix the problem.

“You know, being a dad is actually how I got out of journalism,” Dennis said.

Joe and his wife Carla were shopping for their newborn son on a Sunday afternoon when the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) called. The GBI was conducting massive drug busts and invited Dennis to come along, providing a location and telling him, “You’re not going to regret it.” Being part of a drug bust was a life-changing experience, but Joe wasn’t sure if he could continue to be a journalist while building a family. That is when he began teaching. 

Dennis taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. What makes UGA special to Joe is the network of students, the close knit community, and the connections each student possesses for the future.

Joe has played many roles throughout his lifetime, but he continues to stand by the advice, “Don’t let fear get in the way of a good opportunity.”