Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. In order to succeed in this career, you need to have courage, stamina, thick skin, and perseverance. You can never pay too much attention to detail. Don't let any fact go unchecked. It is your job to report an unbiased account and it is you who is writing the first draft of history. Don't ever take that lightly.
1. Tell us about your background and journey.
My journalism career began when I was 15 years old. I pitched a story to my town newspaper that turned into a front-page exposé. It was a story about a rat problem at the local high school. After that, I started writing a weekly column on world issues for the town paper. By my senior year of high school, I was Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper.
I eventually made it to Columbia University where I earned my master's degree in broadcast journalism. After school, I worked for a number of outlets, including CNN, ABC News, and Good Morning America. I am currently the Executive Producer of Next Generation Storytelling at ABC7.
I have reported from the Oscars red carpet, from a marijuana field, from the top of a mountain, and from a sleeper bus across the country. I've been to wildfires, chased kidnappers, traveled to political conventions, and even become a mermaid for a day. I have worked with truly talented journalists and have been fortunate enough to have won two Emmy Awards.
After work, I spend evenings teaching as an Adjunct Professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. I am also the founder and creator of getting Savvy with Social, a media and lifestyle company and blog.
2. What is your opinion about press freedom in India?
A free press is a key to any democracy. To quote Thomas Jefferson, "No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free no one ever will."
3. Who is your favorite journalist and why?
All of my journalism teachers and professors throughout my life are my favorite journalists. Without them, I would never have made it to where I am today.
4. What do you think about the quality of journalism in India and how can it be improved? What is your message to all aspiring journalists?
Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. In order to succeed in this career, you need to have courage, stamina, thick skin, and perseverance. You can never pay too much attention to detail. Don't let any fact go unchecked. It is your job to report an unbiased account and it is you who is writing the first draft of history. Don't ever take that lightly.
6. If you could interview one famous person, who would that be and why?
One famous person I am interested in interviewing is Thomas Pulitzer because he founded the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
7. Which is your favorite book and why?
This is a tough question! I don't know if I'd ever been able to pick just one book. But one of the first books I fell in love with was "To Kill a Mockingbird."
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