Sonam Vashi
sonam93@gmail.com | sonamvashi.com
Experience
The Row Researcher at CNN, Full-time, Atlanta.
May 2015—present
The Row is CNN’s worldwide editorial gatekeeper, central nerve, and story vetting operation for all content streams.
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Fact-checking, adding context, fairness, ethical judgment and background for packages. Tweaking average
copy to become smooth, powerful journalism with an editor.
Fronting the research team for fact-checking the 2016 presidential election debates
Managing and analyzing efficient workflow for the team, including assigning about 60 scripts per day
Education Intern at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Major city newspaper, 17 hrs/wk. December 2014—May 2015
• Pitching and writing stories on Ga. education, including several B1 features on topics like the anti-testing movement
• Covering Atlanta Public Schools as a beat, attending board meetings and learning the intricacies of school systems
• Writing obituaries or other pieces, including a front-page obituary on civil rights leader Julian Bond
Executive Editor at The Emory Wheel, Emory’s semiweekly newspaper, 30 hrs/wk, Atlanta. March 2014–March 2015
Copy Chief/Copy Editor
September 2011—March 2014
• Created digital strategy and led comprehensive redesign of website to increase audience development and
engagement with the org., heavily revised social media strategies and online workflow
• Revised and edited stories in each issue, managed and built website and managed members of 50+ staff
• Made ethical decisions from taste and privacy judgments to analyzing sensitive stories for potential problems
• Led breaking news coverage and responded promptly and efficiently with solutions to daily problems, such as server
failure, content shortages, contacting sources and inefficient organization practices and workflow
• Created and implemented independent projects, such as reporting on major stories such as sexual assault on campus,
requiring multimedia components, creating and training new sections and editing stories with writers.
Freelance Writer at Creative Loafing Atlanta, Popular city alt-weekly, Atlanta, Ga.
October 2013—present
Music Intern, 20 hrs/wk
July 2013—October 2013
• Pitching and writing music blogs, features, Q&As, reviews and lists, as well as contributing to general Atlantarelated features, such as the 2014 Neighborhood Guide, copy editing and events data entry
• Maintaining current knowledge of the local arts and music scene to identify potential stories and trends
Research Assistant at the Georgia Civil Rights Cold Case Project, Atlanta, Ga.
May 2014—July 2014
• Investigated untold stories of unsolved civil rights-era murders in the South under Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
Hank Klibanoff by researching the 1957 murder of Clarence H. Pickett in Columbus, Ga.
• Collected, analyzed and organized FBI file information, historical context and independent findings.
• Created detailed notes, timelines and maps of the murder event and wrote a long-form narrative article
Editor-in-Chief of Frequency, Emory’s music and culture zine, Atlanta, Ga.
April 2013—August 2014
Staff Writer/Copy Editor
September 2012—April 2013
• Planned, edited and designed a biannual magazine, including the implementation of an online launch, adding digital
elements (photos, audio players, hyperlinks) to the content and marketing the website via social media
Editorial Intern at Atlanta Magazine, Monthly city magazine, 12 hrs/wk, Atlanta, Ga.
May 2013—July 2013
News Intern at WebMD, Health information website, 40 hrs/wk, Atlanta, Ga.
June 2012—October 2012
Education
Emory College of Arts and Sciences – Atlanta, GA
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Political Science
May 2015
Cumulative GPA: 3.6/4.0
Regent’s Park College, Oxford University — Oxford, England
Study Abroad Summer 2014
Honors: Winner of the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award for Breaking News (Region 3);
Omicron Delta Kappa (National Leadership Honor Society); Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society)
Skills
CMS: iNews, MediaSource, MIRA, Nexis, NewsEngin, Foundation Editor, WordPress.
Software: Adobe InDesign/InCopy, Photoshop, Audacity.
Social Media: Google Analytics, Dataminr, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Language: Fluent English, advanced French, elementary Spanish. Driver’s license.
Additional Experience
Stacks Worker at The Robert. W. Woodruff Library, 10 hrs/wk, Atlanta, Ga.
September 2014—November
2014
• Checked in, organized and shelved books in Emory’s undergraduate library with reliable attendance and efficiency
General Manager at The Green Bean Coffee Shop, 17 hrs/wk, Atlanta, Ga.
March 2013—March 2014
Barista
January 2013—August 2014
• Spearheaded a move to a larger, busier location by working with Emory/Sodexo, created a new look and menu
• Created an Employee Handbook, trained new employees, handled daily problems, managed social media presence
• Trained employees on sustainability and fair trade issues as part of our educational mission
Intern at C4 Atlanta, Local arts nonprofit, Atlanta, Ga.
February 2012—May 2012
• Helped launch the online Atlanta Spaces program by compiling a database of local arts venues