Main Responsibilities of a Journalist at CNN
Matt, a CNN journalist, focuses on the digital platform, specifically as a live news editor crafting "live updates" – "a series of blurbs" constantly updating major news stories like the war in Ukraine. The role blends taking raw reporting from field reporters, adding context and copy editing, with weekend leadership overseeing daily coverage decisions.
Live News Reporting, Digital Journalism, Content Editing, Teamwork and Collaboration, News Judgment
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Matt Meyer
Journalist
CNN
UC Santa Barbara
Political Science, American Studies
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Communication and Marketing
Video Highlights
1. Matt works as a live news editor at CNN, focusing on the digital side of news reporting. His work involves transforming raw reporting from field journalists into easily digestible content for online audiences.
2. He emphasizes the dynamic nature of live news updates, which resemble a constantly updating feed, requiring rapid information processing and contextualization.
3. Matt's role includes editing, fact-checking, adding context, and making big-picture decisions about coverage, showcasing diverse responsibilities in a fast-paced news environment.
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your current role?
I now work at CNN on the digital side. When people read news stories on cnn.com, it's often my team and me.
Specifically, I'm a live news editor. This means the stories I work on aren't traditional articles with a beginning, middle, and end. Instead, we create live updates, sometimes called a live blog.
This format is used for major, developing news stories that are constantly updated. We cover these stories with individual posts, similar to a Twitter feed. These posts provide the latest information at different times, like "12 minutes ago" or "3 minutes ago." For major stories, this can run 24/7.
My role as an editor involves taking raw reporting from the field. For example, during the war in Ukraine, reporters on the ground send updates via email or instant messenger. Writers on my team then take this raw information and make it easy for readers to understand.
I then add context that might be missing. If a town name is mentioned, I might add why it's important. I also copy edit their writing, ensuring it's as strong as possible and free of errors, before publishing it.
I am the weekend editor for our team. On weekends, I lead and make big-picture decisions about our coverage, including what we're covering, how, and what might be missing. During the week, I work on an incredibly talented team within a large news organization. I'm more involved in the day-to-day writing and editing of updates, rather than making the big-picture decisions. This allows me to do a bit of both, which is great.