CNN, Cronkite School to host journalism workshops, lecture

CNN is coming to Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication for a special public lecture and a series of exclusive training sessions for students and professional journalists.

A select group of ASU students and professional journalists will take part in the CNN Journalism Workshops on Saturday, March 18, at the Cronkite School. The in-depth career development sessions, led by CNN executives and journalists, will cover news producing, on-air reporting and digital content.

The CNN Journalism Workshops will be followed by a public lecture on Monday, March 20, featuring Ramon Escobar, CNN’s vice president of talent recruitment and development who will share important lessons for getting started in journalism. The talk is part of the Cronkite School’s weekly “Must See Mondays” speaker series, which features national leaders in journalism and communications.

Based in New York, Escobar oversees the recruitment and development of on-air talent at CNN. He also reports to CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker as the organization’s vice president of diversity and inclusion.

“CNN is thrilled to be hosting our daylong journalism training sessions at ASU,” Escobar said. “The Cronkite School has a long track record of developing some of the strongest and best-prepared journalists in the country. I’m also impressed with the school’s commitment to diversity. ASU shares CNN’s view that never has this commitment to diversity been more important as we look to shape an industry that must reflect dramatically dynamic national and global news audiences.”

A media veteran with 25 years of experience in news and entertainment in local, cable and network television as well as digital/new media, Escobar has worked in both English- and Spanish-language media. He came to CNN from Telemundo, where he was the head of the news division.

His lecture, “Designing Career Strategies,” will take place in the Cronkite School’s First Amendment Forum at 7 p.m. The Cronkite School is located on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus at 555. N. Central Ave.

“We are excited to be working with CNN to provide our outstanding students with the opportunity to learn and network with some of the best in broadcast journalism,” said Cronkite Assistant Dean Mark Lodato, who leads “Cronkite News,” the school’s award-winning daily newscast. “We sincerely appreciate CNN’s support and look forward to Ramon’s talk.”

The Cronkite School has strong ties to CNN, with several alumni serving in key roles for the news organization. Becky Anderson (1994) is managing editor and anchor of CNN Abu Dhabi; Rafael Romo (1995) is a senior Latin American affairs editor at CNN; P.J. Javaheri (2006) is a meteorologist and weather anchor for CNN International; Ian Lee (2007) is a foreign correspondent for CNN in Cairo; Samuel Burke (2009) is an international business and technology correspondent for CNNMoney; and Leigh Munsil (2010) is a breaking news editor for CNNPolitics in Washington, D.C.