During last Spring semester, I was given the gift of going on a tour of CNN’s headquarters. While I’ve visited CNN before, this trip was so much more in-depth and offered me a better understanding of broadcast journalism. I was previously opposed to exploring the broadcast side of journalism, leaning more towards media-making and writing articles.. This experience has changed my mindset. It made me realize how broad the world of journalism is through media, broadcasting, article writing, photography, videography – the list goes on. The various components needed to keep a broadcasting news channel running 24/7 made the process even more interesting.
Arriving at the dead center of Ted Turner’s empire provided the first wave of realization that maybe I was more into broadcasting than I thought. Our tour guide, CNN executive producer and VOX board member, Diana Hill, explained how the structure was the real home of Ted Turner who founded CNN. The mansion, which was located on the Georgia Techwood campus in between the studios and the beautiful gardens was a visual representation of how one man cultivated such a large organization.
As we entered the studio and production area of Turner Broadcasting, I realized how cautious I had to be of my camera’s battery life. I was recording b-roll for a VOX media project and I only had 40 minutes left. The trip made me realize how much I loved controlling the camera and visuals of what went out to the public. I loved it so much, I began to feel a bit of panic after I handed the camera off to someone else and wasn’t able to locate it afterward. At the end of the day, it was safe in the office with me, though.
Diana led us through the white industrial halls of Turner Studios; each door we entered was a new glimpse into the world of journalism. I met CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield who told me to put my camera away as soon as I walked into the studio, which I did immediately. While I did not talk to her in-depth, she carried a certain confidence that I admired. She was about to go on live national television in the upcoming minutes and her composure while a dozen teenagers walked around her set was praiseworthy. Apart from this, I noticed all the different positions the people around the building carried. There was someone to help with the makeup, teleprompter, cameras, and wires. It was like a little machine, and each person was a different gear with a different purpose.
The production control room is where the news is broadcast. Diana had told us to prepare for bright screens and shouting and, to me, that was an understatement. The production room literally had a screen on every wall. There were feeds from everywhere – Baltimore, Israel, DC – and it was all being broadcasted by this small group of about 20 people in Atlanta. We stood in the room for about 20 minutes and I was completely engaged the entire time. There was just so much going on and so much to take in it was impossible to become “bored.”
A polite production member took time out of her work day to talk to us about the happenings of the production room and her experience working at CNN. I was so intrigued because the people working there looked like they loved their job. New information was being given to them every minute, and while it did seem a bit overwhelming, there was still laughter being thrown around the room and smiles on everybody’s faces.
The reason journalism – any journalism – has always stood out to me was because journalism was about giving the truth to the people. While the truth is sometimes hard to understand and accept, it’s so important for it to be known in the most neutral way possible. Reporters and anchors give us this truth, especially those on the scene, and it’s truly an art in the way they deliver their messages and keep their composure during some of the most shocking events. All of the aspects of broadcast journalism I experienced at Turner Studios made me realize just how much goes into producing real, truthful news and how much satisfaction it can construct for a person seeing go out into the world.
I will forever be grateful for this new insight I’ve been given into the world of journalism.
