1. What do you do?
I joined The Row, CNN's editorial oversight team, as an intern in Spring 2022 and transitioned to a full-time researcher position that summer. My responsibilities include managing Row editors' workflows and partnering with them to fact-check and edit TV scripts, digital articles, long-form stories, opinion pieces, audio scripts, and more. It involves heavy cross-department collaboration (especially with the legal and standards team) to review content for editorial accuracy, fairness, and balance.
2. What's the coolest part of your job?
The coolest part of my job is working with other amazing journalists and helping them get their work across the finish line! Some days, I can send my notes on a script, and within 30 minutes, I'll see it on air. Other times, the process is more grueling, and it can take days or weeks for us to iron out a piece, but whenever it finally gets published, there's no doubt that all of that work on the back end was worth it to see the impact it has online or on air.
3. Why are you passionate about it?
I've always loved storytelling. Whenever I had any free time growing up, I would always read and write. This carried through college when I joined the Technique, and as a part of the newspaper, I saw how much of a real-world impact storytelling can have. I saw how the events and people I reported on for the Technique, ranging from Covid developments to student events, helped spread awareness and connect people on campus. I knew that was something I wanted to continue after graduating.
4. Which skills from your IAC degree have helped you be successful in this career?
So many of the LMC courses I took and the organizations I joined on campus helped set me up for success post-graduation. All the courses I took with Hallie Lieberman, like Science/Tech Comm and Intro to Media, provided a journalism basics crash course. On top of that, all of the Adobe skills I learned in my graphics and video production classes really helped give me that edge I needed when applying to roles on the TV side of news production.
5. What's your #1 tip for students and alumni interested in your field?
Tech might be a STEM school, but that doesn't mean there aren't opportunities on campus to expand your skill set for fields like journalism! Be curious and active while you're still a student — join the organizations on campus that interest you but also ones that you will learn from. There are plenty of student publications at Tech that you can explore and find what fits your interests best, and on top of that, being in a major metro city gives you access to opportunities to report on companies that are major media brands. Use that to your advantage!
Janat graduated with a B.S. in Literature, Media, and Communication in 2022. Check out what more of our IAC alumni are up to!
