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Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism University of Southern California
ALUMNI

Cathy L. Hue Truong

Class of 2000, Bachelor's



Freelancer - Saigon Times Daily and Current TV (2006)
Channel One Network (2000-2005)
Internships - Dateline NBC, NBC Newschannel, KNBC

Survey

What are the top three skills journalism students should learn in college?:

1.  Communication – from communicating with your colleagues, to interviewing subjects, and establishing press contacts.  Your ability to be a strong communicator is vital: work on being personable, getting your ideas across, and being a good listener.
2. Teamwork – Understand it’s not just about you.  It takes a group of people to put a news show together.  Remind people when they’ve done a good job, and in return – you’ll have a better product.
3. Story Ideas – Observe… read… dig for stories out there.  Not just what’s in mainstream news, but the stories that don’t get the exposure they should.  The stories that interest you and what you want to tell the public.  Fresh ideas will not only help one stand out, but it will make you a better journalist.



What were your duties at ATVN? :

Line Producer, Writer



How did ATVN prepare you for your career?:

The hands-on experience helped me decide what jobs I liked (writing, field producing) and what I didn’t like (line producing).



What is your advice to aspiring journalists?:

Be curious, know when to call B-S, and do the story justice.



What should graduates keep in mind when negotiating their first job?:

To be a realistic… I don’t know if there’s much “negotiation” one could do right out of college.  I was in the mindset that you take what you can get.  Be humble, but be smart. 

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