Putting the Facts First

After applying to over a hundred internships with little success, Kaitlyn Meehan ’26 said she almost cried with relief when she walked into CNN headquarters in Atlanta to work as a researcher with their FactCheck desk.

She knew applying would be competitive, but her longstanding passion for journalism, prior research experience and quick critical thinking skills helped her land the position. She felt the impact of her work right from the start, fact-checking a TV package on her first day of training that she saw on air the following day.

A political science major with minors in nonprofit management, public administration and psychology, Meehan said she learned so much about how to navigate the workplace, check her own viewpoint bias and effectively seek the truth.

“My favorite part about it is going to work and learning something new every day — you kind of become a mini-expert on whatever piece you’re fact-checking,” she said. “I truly feel like my breadth of knowledge has expanded exponentially since I started working there.”

Over the course of her summer internship, she fact-checked news from different desks, including podcasts, TV packages, digital videos and social media posts, learning about different topics from colleagues across departments. She said the experience helped her build a globally interconnected perspective, where she applied political science theory she’d learned in the classroom to the world of journalism.

Even after leaving Atlanta, Meehan is still growing her skills as a freelance fact-checker for CNN. It’s been a great fit for someone whose studies have established in her a vested interest in the truth, which carries over into her personal life, too.

“I think it’s very important in this day and age, when there are so many sources that people are choosing from,” she said of the work. “Things can get misconstrued so easily.”

Meehan has eyed the CNN’s News Associate program that’s intended to help new grads kickstart their career. Eventually, she said she’d love to dive deeper into national policy and work toward her dream job as a White House reporter.