Mira Lowe is the Senior Editor for Features at CNN Digital. She is in charge of the Entertainment, Health, Tech, Living and Travel verticals.
Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of having Mira Lowe, CNN's Senior Editor for Features, guest lecture for two of my journalism classes. It was a treat to hear advice from an established journalist who has had success in the magazine, newspaper, and digital industries. In my feature writing class with Dr. Pamela Hill Nettleton, Lowe discussed the importance of branding ourselves professionally to attain a job as a freelance writer. In #loweclass, the conversation centered on her role as editor for CNN Digital and her advice for telling stories through the use of old media and new media.
To prepare for Lowe's visit, last Sunday I was assigned to review the five channels Lowe is responsible for at CNN and then compare them to my beat, the BBC. Lowe began her discussion by addressing our critiques collectively. She agreed with many of the arguments we made and assured us she was taking our thoughts into consideration. Lowe introduced her channels as "verticals" because they run vertically across the home page, which Lowe says is the "door to the house" – a reference I had never heard before, but liked. She also introduced the terms "t'c and c's," which stands for top stories and center stories. It was fun to learn journalism lingo I had never heard before. I'm hoping it will help me sound more professional as I start to interview for jobs in the fall.
After briefly touching on the five verticals, the conversation switched to blogging. Lowe emphasized that for a big company, like CNN, blogging is absolutely essential. CNN has three working blogs: a Belief blog, a This Just In blog and a Marquee blog. It also live blogs big events or events that are not featured on the site regularly. Lowe said the difference between writing a blog and writing a story is that blogs should be "enjoyable" and provide "insight, energy and voice." I much prefer blogging to writing news stories, so I was happy to hear that it still serves an important purpose.
Next, we discussed the need for journalists to be able to tell stories on a variety of platforms. In #loweclass we have been working to expand our skill sets by telling stories through video, but I don't think I will ever be able to tell a story like CNN did with "The Gift of Charles." The eight minute video incorporated every aspect of journalism in one microsite, or what Lowe calls, "specialized templet." For my upcoming #loweclass project I am thinking about creating a microsite like the one used for "The Gift of Charles." I think it would provide my readers easy, in-depth access into the life of my subject.
To better our writing, Lowe encouraged us to explore the iReport page on CNN's website because she said we would have a good chance of getting our work published, that is, if it is well written. The iReport page is a citizen journalism platform that is open to anybody. I am glad she pointed this page out to us because it is a perfect avenue for students to explore if they are looking for clips and cannot be a part of a writing organization on campus.
I feel so lucky to have had Mira come to talk to us about journalism and give us advice as we enter the industry. With all she has accomplished in her career, she is a huge role model for me as a journalist, and as a woman. I am looking forward to hearing her speak again if she returns to Marquette next year.
To prepare for Lowe's visit, last Sunday I was assigned to review the five channels Lowe is responsible for at CNN and then compare them to my beat, the BBC. Lowe began her discussion by addressing our critiques collectively. She agreed with many of the arguments we made and assured us she was taking our thoughts into consideration. Lowe introduced her channels as "verticals" because they run vertically across the home page, which Lowe says is the "door to the house" – a reference I had never heard before, but liked. She also introduced the terms "t'c and c's," which stands for top stories and center stories. It was fun to learn journalism lingo I had never heard before. I'm hoping it will help me sound more professional as I start to interview for jobs in the fall.
After briefly touching on the five verticals, the conversation switched to blogging. Lowe emphasized that for a big company, like CNN, blogging is absolutely essential. CNN has three working blogs: a Belief blog, a This Just In blog and a Marquee blog. It also live blogs big events or events that are not featured on the site regularly. Lowe said the difference between writing a blog and writing a story is that blogs should be "enjoyable" and provide "insight, energy and voice." I much prefer blogging to writing news stories, so I was happy to hear that it still serves an important purpose.
Next, we discussed the need for journalists to be able to tell stories on a variety of platforms. In #loweclass we have been working to expand our skill sets by telling stories through video, but I don't think I will ever be able to tell a story like CNN did with "The Gift of Charles." The eight minute video incorporated every aspect of journalism in one microsite, or what Lowe calls, "specialized templet." For my upcoming #loweclass project I am thinking about creating a microsite like the one used for "The Gift of Charles." I think it would provide my readers easy, in-depth access into the life of my subject.
To better our writing, Lowe encouraged us to explore the iReport page on CNN's website because she said we would have a good chance of getting our work published, that is, if it is well written. The iReport page is a citizen journalism platform that is open to anybody. I am glad she pointed this page out to us because it is a perfect avenue for students to explore if they are looking for clips and cannot be a part of a writing organization on campus.
I feel so lucky to have had Mira come to talk to us about journalism and give us advice as we enter the industry. With all she has accomplished in her career, she is a huge role model for me as a journalist, and as a woman. I am looking forward to hearing her speak again if she returns to Marquette next year.
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