 "Photo: Bruno Morlan/The Daily Texan")
When applying for one of her first broadcast journalism jobs after graduating from Harvard University, Soledad O’Brien said the station manager asked her to change her name to something a little less difficult to pronounce.
Very upset, she called her mom, who told her matter-of-factly that she probably didn’t want to work for someone so stupid.
“And, ultimately, she was right,” O’Brien said.
The CNN anchor and news documentarian addressed the importance of diversity to a group of UT students in the Texas Union Ballroom on Monday. The Student Events Center hosted O’Brien as a part of its Distinguished Speakers Series.
Since she joined CNN in 2003, O’Brien has covered everything from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. She is also known for her investigative documentaries, including two installments of “Black in America” and “Latino in America.” The films tell the stories of individuals who have to cope with the challenges of living as minorities.
Karla Alvarez, a communication sciences and disorders senior, has only seen some of O’Brien’s work, but said “Latino in America” resonates with her.
“I like that she touched on how hard it is for children to grow up with parents who want to impose really strong ethnic beliefs on you,” Alvarez said. “When you’re still surrounded by American peers, it can be very difficult.”
O’Brien emphasized that when people talk about diversity, the discussions aren’t always easy. She said she had to fight to tell some of the stories she included in her documentaries.
“Our editorial sessions were scream fests at times,” O’Brien said. “I’m not interested in telling PR stories.”
In “Latino in America,” she told the story of Luis Ramirez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was kicked to death by three white teenagers.
“His identity cost him his life,” she said.
O’Brien said people need to think about incorporating diversity into businesses and media coverage in different ways. When Hurricane Katrina first hit New Orleans, most of CNN’s initial coverage was done in the studio. But the most meaningful coverage was done when her team actually went to the city and saw the ghost town it had turned into, she said.
“When you saw the storm just blow through, it illuminated a lot of the problems that already existed in New Orleans,” O’Brien said.
Because of O’Brien’s work with CNN, pre-journalism freshman Jasmine Powell said O’Brien was the reason why she wanted to go into the magazine industry.
“She’s one of my role models,” Powell said. “She’s one of the most hands-on journalists, especially when I see her working with children.”
She’s all about being #1, she wants the world to revolve around her. She comes first, before her family. She wants to be a celebrity figure and a star. In interviews she says she works 6 days a week, mostly out of town, and on some holidays. She goes to gala events, concerts, lots of entertainment events, as a single woman, leaving her husband and kids behind.
I think Soledad O’Brien is a very poor journalist. What ever happened to the days of CNN with Bernard Shaw and Judy Woodruff? They were honorable journalists. You could believe what they said. John Las Vegas