By Laura Nelson
Student Writer
CNN anchor Kyra Phillips (B.A. Broadcast Journalism ’90) spoke to an audience of 300 high school students at USC Annenberg Friday, giving advice and telling stories about her experiences in the industry.
In a conversation with veteran journalist Anh Do (B.A. Print Journalism ’89), Phillips told a series of stories about her work as a reporter as part of USC’s High School Journalism Day.
Phillips has been an anchor and reporter with CNN since 1999. She has completed four reporting tours in Iraq and spent a month in Antarctica, where, among other things, she stayed in an igloo she built by herself. She has covered topics ranging from the Gulf oil spill and Hurricane Katrina to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The women discussed the importance of legwork and hard work in reporting, and told the audience that character and people were the best ways to make a story relevant.
“People remember people,” Phillips said. “That is what makes the story so memorable. It’s finding the person, finding the character, and telling the story through that.”
The most important thing to remember when searching for people, Do said, is to not give up. Do, who is the vice president of Nguoi Viet, the country’s largest daily Vietnamese paper, said one technique for tracking down sources for emotionally-charged stories is reminding them that even if they decline to comment, the story will still be covered. Speaking with her gives them the chance to control what information gets out and how they are portrayed.
“Ultimately, without the people, it’s not a story,” Do said. “It could be a memo, or text in a textbook. Focus on people to bring the news of the day alive.”
As one example, Phillips showed a clip of her interview with Kim Burrell, Whitney Houston’s best friend, the morning after the singer’s death in February. With news of Houston’s death still fresh, Phillips said she didn’t know exactly how to respond.
“One of the hardest things to do as a journalist is to be empathetic, but ask them tough questions,” Phillips said.
