Live in Bulgaria or in the classroom, Teodora Trifonova shares multimedia passion

KYLIA BERRY Staff Writer

When she was a sophomore pursuing her bachelor’s in journalism at the University of Bulgaria, Teodora Trifonova yearned for hands-on experience in her journalism career. In Bulgaria, she knocked on the doors of numerous media organizations with her resume and CV. As part of her first internship, she worked at the Bulgarian National Radio Station. As a young journalist, Trifonova knew broadcasting was her passion and she continued her internship at the leading TV network in Bulgaria, bTV.

“I spent a year there, and they hired me,” Trifonova said, now a doctoral student in journalism and a teaching associate in the College of Communication and Information.

Over the past 11 years, Trifonova has reported news and investigated crime for bTV media. She came to UT to pursue her doctorate and to be the educator to younger journalists that she wished she had.

“I wanted to have a real journalist come to me and be able to take their class,” Trifonova said.

In a 15-year career, Trifonova has acquired valuable knowledge she hopes to pass on to her students.

“Teodora goes the extra mile for her students, giving them experiences beyond the textbook and in the field,” Clinton Elmore, director of The Volunteer Channel, said.

Trifonova is also a researcher and received the competitive Collaborative Scholars Grant from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication along with journalism professor Joy Jenkins last year to study foreign correspondents from Eastern Europe as they cover the war in Ukraine.

The journalism profession is rapidly changing as technology advances. As a professional in the media industry, Trifonova has seen how the industry has changed over time. There was a dramatic shift in journalism from 15 years ago to today’s profession.

“Journalists are multitasking nowadays, and you must be a multimedia journalist,” Trifonova said. “I want my students to be exposed to mobile journalism to develop more skills, and when they go outside of academia, they will find a better job.”

With the change in the industry, journalists have developed skills that assist them in their profession. Today, reporters are often their own copy editors and videographers.

“If you asked me 15 years ago that I would have to have skills in filming and editing, I would say no way,” Trifonova said.

Media in the 21st century is constantly changing, making journalists adapt to new professional trends. Trifonova stresses the importance of mobile journalism to her students.

“I want my students to be exposed to mobile journalism so they can develop more skills,” she said.

In addition to educating students at the university, Trifonova is a U.S. correspondent for bTV Media. She reports live in Bulgaria from Knoxville and from around the United States. The iPhone is her cameraman as she clicks on the app provided by her news station to broadcast live in Bulgaria. She can fit all her equipment in her purse to go live anywhere.

“Here is my lovely adaptor for my smartphone and my portable light so that I can go live anywhere,” Trifonova said, unpacking her media kit.

Trifonova was a special correspondent in the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections. Before reaching the polls, she brought her entire production set in her suitcase. As former journalists began arriving, she noticed they were using the same equipment and reporting on their iPhones. The similarity of the reporter’s equipment exemplifies the change in the media industry.

“I met with journalists from different countries who were also U.S. correspondents. They were working the same way as I was,” Trifonova said.

Trifonova believes multimedia journalism will increasingly become the new normal in the industry. In the 22nd century, all journalists could be in a multimedia profession.

“Embrace it. Don’t fight against it. Use it,” Trifonova said.