The Business of Journalism and the Future of News Media

Building E62, 223

Please join the MIT Sloan Entertainment, Media, and Sports Clubfor an in-person lunch panel discussion with CNN journalists Polo Sandoval, Sarah Jorgensen, and Beth English about the media industry, the newsgathering process, and their experiences covering some of the country’s most historic moments. CNN's Senior Vice President and Head of Product Amanda Rottier (MIT Sloan MBA, Class of 2011) rounds out the panel to discuss the future of the journalism business.With rapidly-changing media business models, the rise of AI and video streaming, the proliferation of new digital media ventures amid the shrinking of traditional media outlets, an increasingly divided public with wavering trust in news organizations, as well as the expanding popularity of social media in delivering news, a discussion on the future of journalism and the media industry is more critical than ever.Lunch will be provided.Panelists: Polo Sandoval is a CNN U.S. Correspondent based in New York. He has covered a wide range of breaking news stories across the U.S. for CNN since 2014 and has been on the ground for stories such as the outbreak of deadly tornadoes across the deep south, the tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, the 2015 Freddie Gray protests in Baltimore, the 2015 prison break in Dannemora, NY, and the latest escape of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. In 2018, he also he returned to his hometown in the Rio Grande Valley to cover the controversial U.S. child separation immigration policy, providing valuable reporting and context at the U.S.-Mexico border. Polo’s work has been recognized by the Texas Associate Press Broadcasters and the Lone Star Emmy chapter. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. He received a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication with a concentration in Electronic Media from Texas State University in San Marcos.Sarah Jorgensen is a producer on CNN's Digital Video Programming team, which curates content using editorial decision-making and audience metrics for all of CNN's digital platforms, including its website, app, YouTube channel, and TikTok account. Previously, Sarah was a field producer in CNN's New York newsgathering bureau. She covered stories ranging from earthquakes to hurricanes, from terror attacks to court cases. Sarah was nominated for an Emmy for her work covering the mass shooting in Dayton, OH, and was a part of CNN's Emmy-nominated COVID-19 pandemic coverage. She is proud to be approaching her 10 year anniversary at CNN, where she started as an intern in the network's Investigative Unit. Sarah graduated with her master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and received her undergraduate degree from the University of San Diego.Beth English has been spent 16 years as a New York City-based photojournalist for CNN, during which she has traveled across the U.S. and Europe. The stories that she has covered for CNN include the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the missing Titanic submersible in Newfoundland, the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan attacks in Paris, and the 2017 bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. She has also traveled extensively covering the last four U.S. presidential elections and inaugurations. She has worked on several notable interviews, including Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama, and Daniel Radcliffe. Beth is an Emmy-award winner and is the only female photojournalist for the New York bureau, amid a current staff of 16. Prior to CNN, Beth worked as a photojournalist for TV stations in Portland, Oregon and Spokane, Washington. She holds a B.A. from Seattle Central College.Amanda Rottier is Senior Vice President and Head of Product for CNN where she oversees product strategy and development for the core CNN Digital business, CNN Audio, and CNN Underscored. Before her current role, Rottier served as Vice President of Product Growth for CNN Digital. Rottier is an experienced product and business leader with over 15 years of experience working on subscription products within media companies. Most recently, Rottier was at The New York Times where she had full P&L responsibility and led the product and marketing teams for NYT Cooking. Most notably, she launched the NYT Cooking subscription business, growing the business over 500,000 net new subscribers to The New York Times portfolio. Before that role, she worked in business development and strategy overseeing large strategic partnerships with Apple News and Facebook. She holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a B.S. in Communications and B.A. in International Relations from Boston University.Moderator: Laura Ly is a first-year MBA student at MIT Sloan and an Emmy-nominated journalist. Prior to business school, she spent over a decade reporting for CNN, based in New York. She is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and holds a B.A. from Columbia.