The Best Person You Don't Know About - CNN's Lynne Russell Gives The News an Edge

by Lindsey Buckner, 14, USA

Most teens take the news for granted; it's educational and most of all, boring. Acutally, most of us would rather watch anything but the news. Teens complain about the news, it's really boring (you could just get it off the net anyway) and those anchors are just plain dorky. If your parents aren't enough, why not watch some geek in a business suits who over did it on the make-up; right? Wrong. The newsanchor stereotype has been going around since the beginning of broadcasting. But there is one anchor who dares to be different; to break the rules and give news a new image. This super anchor is none other than CNN's Lynne Russell.

What makes her different from other anchors? Lynne is conversational, almost personal when she gives the news. Her body language is exrtodinary, giving everything she says an edge. She presents the news with her own style; reading slower so we can understand what's going on, and making the most uninteresting events seem interesting. But it gets better. I bet you've never seen a news anchor that, for instance, is a cop and a detective. Or practices karate and is a certified scuba diver? Lynne passions outside of CNN shock all.

Her philosophy is very Lynne: "You don't have to do just one thing!". And it's the truth.Lynne is a private detective, and works about 10 hours a week investigating things we hear about all the time: unfaithful spouses and even fradulent injury claims. Don't know what that is? It's like saying you have a hurt ankle to get out of PE, and then running like nothing happened. The cop thing; Lynne is a volunteer deputy sherrif. According to her, it's mostly directing traffic.

But she loves everything she does. And Lynne leaves quite an impression. She is known for her looks and her personality. Lynne is funny, warm, inspiring, professional, classy, daring, logical, and just plain wonderful. And people who know her are glad to. She gives wonderful advice, and her 52 years on this earth has made her one of the wisest people ever. Her words of wisdom are certainly true, and down-to-earth. Her best has to be this quote from an in-flight magazine: "Life is too short not to live it the way you want to. It isn't about money. It's about attitude. It's about giving up old limitations and understanding you have choices. Begin by believing that everything is possible".

Lynne has helped me realize what I can do with my life, and has inspired me to go into journalism and follow in her footsteps as a news anchor. And I thank her for that. For more information about Lynne, check out one of her fan sites, Lynne Live! www.expage.com/page/lynnelive or watch Lynne on CNN Headline News on weeknights 6-12:00 pm EST, 3-9:00 PT. Look for her autobiography coming out soon, "How To Win Friends, Kick A--, and Influence People". Feel a little different about the news now?