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People  •  Journalism  •  Professor of the Practice

Dan Lothian

Dan Lothian is the founder of Little Park Media which offers video & podcast production services and media strategy. He is a Visiting Scholar in the School of Journalism at Northeastern University and a panelist on the WGBH program “Beat the Press.”

Prior to launching his own venture Lothian spent more than a decade as a correspondent at CNN, the last five years at the network as a White House Correspondent.  He was named to this position in 2008. Before joining CNN’s Washington bureau Lothian served as CNN’s Boston bureau chief and correspondent. In addition to reporting, Lothian was responsible for coordinating all news coverage from the greater-Boston area.

Lothian began at CNN in June 2003 covering a wide range of issues. However, he was a key member of CNN’s Peabody Award-winning “best political team on television.” He covered the 2004, 2008 and 2012 presidential races traveling with more than a half dozen candidates.

Lothian’s career has also taken him across the map to report on natural disasters including hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Dennis and Gustav. His reports contributed to the network’s Peabody award winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

The funeral of Rosa Parks and a documentary on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision in Brown vs. Board of Education were also highlights of his time at CNN.

Domestic coverage was only part of Lothian’s portfolio. He traveled to the Middle East to report on the ongoing tensions and proposed peace agreements between the Israelis and the Palestinians.  While covering the White House Lothian traveled with President Obama to more than 30 countries including his historic visit to Myanmar and the controversial trip to Colombia.

Lothian joined CNN from NBC news where he worked for seven years as a Los Angeles-based correspondent.  He covered breaking news across the west and Mexico, was dispatched to Cairo, Egypt after 9-11 and spent several weeks based in NBC’s Tel Aviv bureau. After returning to the U.S., he was temporarily assigned to cover the White House and Pentagon. His reports were featured on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, The Today Show and MSNBC.

Before spending more than 17 years on the national stage, Lothian worked at top local stations across the country. He reported for WCVB-TV in Boston, KING-TV in Seattle, WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, FL and WDEF-TV in Chattanooga, TN, where he began his television career. Lothian started learning the ropes of broadcasting at the age of 16 as a radio announcer for WKES Radio in St. Petersburg, FL.

His accolades include National Headliner, Peabody, Associated Press, James Beard, Religion Newswriters Association and National Association of Black Journalists awards. He also received two national Emmy nominations.

Lothian has lectured at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and taught at Emerson College in Boston. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Temple University and a master’s degree from American University in Washington D.C.

Departments

Journalism

Education

  • Master’s Degree, Journalism/Public Affairs, American University
  • BA, Broadcasting, Tennessee Temple University

Courses Taught

  • Thinking Like a Media Entrepreneur
  • Perspectives on Journalism Ethics