Alisyn Camerota, a CNN anchor and co-host of CNN’s morning show New Day, has her dream job. “I figured out at 15-years-old that I wanted to be a television reporter and from that moment I made decisions towards that goal: working at my college television station, getting hands-on internships and volunteering at a radio station,” she says. Camerota was previously co-host of America’s News Headquarters on Fox News Channel for 16 years and, before that, she co-anchored Fox & Friends Weekend and contributed to the Fox & Friends weekday franchise.
“It’s funny, I recently found a cover letter I wrote in 1988 to CNN’s Washington bureau chief when I was in college, pleading for a job interview, which I never got,” she says, “I guess the takeaway from this is that it requires tons of patience to eventually land your dream job!” Camerota’s journalism career was the inspiration for her novel Amanda Wakes Up, which is about a young anchor named Amanda Gallo.
Alisyn Camerota, CNN anchor and co-host of New Day. CNN
I loved your book, Amanda Wakes Up, which seems to be loosely based on an anchor at a company very similar to Fox News, where you worked for 16 years. How did you decide to write the book, and what was your writing process like?
I started writing the book out of frustration. Originally, I began writing things down because I was so frustrated by the things I was seeing around me that I felt violated the rules of journalism. At the time, I was working for a boss who had a very particular way he wanted stories and interviews done, which had nothing to do with journalism. I was facing a raft of ethical dilemmas and writing them out helped me process my thoughts. A lot of the challenges [Gallo] faces in the book really happened to me. Of course, there are also a ton of funny things that happen behind-the-scenes at every morning news show. I wanted to give the readers a backstage pass on all of that – the relationships, the private jokes, the camaraderie and, of course, the thrill of that red light going on and knowing I’m bringing important information to people as it happens. I love the news business and I wanted the reader to understand why.
The writing process was long and arduous. It was much harder than I anticipated – and slow. But I really enjoyed it. It was therapeutic to be alone with my thoughts and to slow down. The pace was so different than the warp speed of my day job.
Are there any similarities between you and Gallo?
Oh my God, yes, a million. She’s ambitious and idealistic, as am I. She needed some beauty pointers and a wardrobe makeover before getting her big gig, as did I. (The hair and makeup teams are miracle workers, as you’ll read). The book opens with a scene in which [Gallo] is awoken by a major breaking news event and has to race to cover it. Only problem? She didn’t bring any work clothes on her weekend beach getaway, so she shows up in a bathing suit. I’m not proud to admit, that scene was lifted directly from real life – as many others were as well. The good news is that [Gallo’s] learning curve is quicker than mine. She figures out her ethical dilemmas faster than I did.
In the book, Gallo tries to cover the presidential election but keeps getting thwarted when she tries to ask hard-hitting questions. What advice do you have for political journalists based on your own experience?
Do your homework and make sure the organization you work for practices journalistic integrity. Are they committed to following the tried and true tenets of journalism? Make sure you know the philosophy of the person you work for if he or she is going to be dictating your coverage. And most importantly, think about what you’ll do if your boss’s demands don’t comport with your moral compass.
In the wake of the Me Too movement and Time’s Up – and given your own experience with sexual harassment – what is your advice to other women who want to speak up at the time and afterward?
I feel like the MeToo movement has paved the way for victims of sexual harassment to know they’re not alone and that they’ll be believed if they speak up. If it’s happening to you, say something sooner than later. Take notes. Tape record them. Go to human resources. If you don’t feel heard there, go to a lawyer – that generally gets the company’s attention.
One of the best parts of my job is the opportunity to shine a spotlight on issues that I care about. I felt it was so important to give these “silence breakers” a platform to tell their story and to be heard.
What’s the biggest lesson you learned at work and how did you learn it?
You shouldn’t have to take grief from anyone just to keep your job. If someone is being a bully or abusing their power, don’t feel like you have to tolerate it. Chances are, you’re not alone and he or she is tormenting other people as well. Band together and do something about it. One toxic person can poison an entire well if you let them, so get as far away from that person as possible.
What is one thing that you wish you had known when you were starting out your career?
It will all work out.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Treat others as you would like to be treated.
What is your career advice for other young professional women?
Show up early, stay late. No one ever rose to the top by working 9-5. Say yes to every opportunity and request that comes your way during those early years in your career. Once you’ve established your reputation as a hard and indispensable employee, you can be selective about what you want to do next. But most importantly, follow your bliss. None of this will feel like a chore if you are passionate about what you do.
