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ABOUT
A Georgia native, Rosana has worked professionally in fast-paced daily newsrooms for nearly a decade.
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She thrives under tight deadlines and high-pressure situations. As a detail-oriented self-starter, Rosana is committed to getting the story right the first time, balancing speed with accuracy and fairness to deliver clear, reliable information — especially during crises.
Empathy and humanity guide her reporting, which has earned her the trust of sources who've shared with her some of the darkest moments of their lives.
Most recently, Rosana worked as a breaking news reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Her responsibilities included serving as the first person on the news desk each morning at 5 a.m., a role that required independent news judgment, an authoritative and assertive attitude and the ability to produce clean copy quickly. She also frequently led her team during the newsroom’s morning stand-up planning meetings.
Rosana is curious and meticulous by nature, making her unafraid to raise questions or concerns in pursuit of telling the most accurate story. During her time at the AJC, she consistently ranked among the top performers on her team — itself one of the highest-performing teams in the newsroom in terms of subscriber growth and other metrics.
Beyond the urgency of breaking news, Rosana is passionate about explaining complex topics in clear, conversational language without bogging down the reader. Her reporting interests include social justice and civil rights, with a particular focus on government accountability, especially within law enforcement and the judicial system.
The child of an immigrant, Rosana brings a culturally grounded perspective to her work, shaped in part by spending part of her childhood living in Peru and traveling throughout South America. She is fluent in Spanish and values every opportunity to use that skill to better connect with the people she covers.
Outside the newsroom, Rosana can be found working on her perpetually in-progress crochet projects while going down documentary rabbit holes; learning Italian (don't put her on the spot yet!) or tending to her cats, dogs and ever-growing collection of plants.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Staff Writer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2022 – Present | Atlanta, GA
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Led early-morning breaking news coverage beginning at 5 a.m. for a daily newspaper serving the Atlanta metropolitan area (6.3 million market), producing fast, accurate copy under tight deadlines.
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Used audience analytics tools (Tableau, Marfeel, etc.) to inform headline and story optimization, resulting in stories frequently ranked among top-read.
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Helped manage live coverage of major breaking news events using Norkon Live Center, aggregating reporting from across the newsroom into real-time blog-style updates.
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Frequently served as acting morning team supervisor, identifying coverage priorities, leading morning planning meetings and assisting with copy editing for clarity, flow and adherence to AP Style.
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Reported independently and in collaboration with business, education, climate, politics, transportation and other teams on enterprise stories focused on crime and public safety.
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Consistently ranked among the top three performers on the breaking news team, one of the newsroom’s highest-performing desks.
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Staff Writer
Courthouse News Service
2021 – 2022 | Chattanooga, TN
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Covered legal, political and environmental news across the Southeast with national relevance.
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Produced concise summaries of newly filed civil litigation for a daily legal industry digest.
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Staff Writer
Chattanooga Times Free Press
2018 – 2021 | Chattanooga, TN
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Covered crime, courts, police and public safety for a daily newspaper serving a 20-county tri-state region (Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama).
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Delivered exclusive, high-impact spot news and enterprise reporting on tight deadlines.
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Reported live from the field during significant breaking news, publishing continuous web and social updates while developing deeper context.
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Fostered a strong source network within the criminal justice system and local community, helping bring deeper nuance to reporting.
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Regularly filed state and federal open records requests to develop and maintain public records databases supporting long-term accountability reporting and providing context over time.
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Verified user-generated content and source claims and translated interviews between Spanish and English.
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Intern (May 2017 – May 2018): Covered general assignment and enterprise stories on crime, education, weather and local government.
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Freelance Reporter
Chattanoogan.com
2016 - 2017 | Chattanooga, TN​
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​Covered education and breaking news for same-day online news publication.
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Public Relations Intern
Life Care Centers of America
2016 - 2017 | Cleveland, TN
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Wrote content for internal and external publications, including company news and feature stories.
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Delivered audience-focused marketing copy for brochures, flyers and postcards.
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Collaborated with graphic designers to develop cohesive communications packages.
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Copy edited press releases, web content and marketing materials for clarity, accuracy and consistency.
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Editor-in-Chief
Southern Accent (student newspaper)
2015 - 2016 | Collegedale, TN
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Led a staff of 22 editors, reporters, designers and photographers for a weekly student newspaper with a print circulation of 3,000.
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Oversaw editorial planning, assignments, deadlines and publication workflow.
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Managed a $54,000 annual budget and ensured efficient use of resources.
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Wrote, edited and approved all content, frequently on next-day deadlines.​​​
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Supervised social media and web operations, strengthening audience engagement and public perception — a legacy that has been maintained by subsequent student editors.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
Best News Reporting, 2nd Place​​
Issued by Tennessee Press Association · 2021
Associated with Chattanooga Times Free Press
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For the coverage of Chattanooga's 2020 Easter Sunday tornado aftermath.
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Judge's comments: "While coverage of a storm event might ordinarily be viewed as more of a breaking news event, the degree of devastation left by tornado damage and the impact on human lives and entire communities merited consideration in this category as well. The quality and breadth of coverage is impressive, given the size of staff. The examination of why county-level alerts didn’t go out for the tornadoes was a particularly valuable public service."
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Sample of coverage:
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Family marvels over Chattanooga area house uprooted by tornado and moved 75 feet with them inside
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Chattanooga family hopes to find keepsake military quilt blown away by tornado
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Auburn Hills property manager charged with coercion of witnesses after hoarding arrest
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Best Single Feature, 1st Place​​
Issued by Tennessee Press Association · 2020
Associated with Chattanooga Times Free Press
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For a story documenting the devastation lived by a young bride-to-be, whose groom was shot to death while selling an Xbox Live just two weeks before they were to marry. She chose to visit his not-yet marked gravesite on their wedding weekend. Photos further illustrate the young woman's pain as she wept on her beloved's grave, dressed in her wedding gown as her mother-in-law replaced her white veil with a black one for mourning.
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Online story (includes a sound bite from the interview): On what would have been his wedding weekend, family members of slain Chattanooga man gather at his burial site​
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Best News Reporting, 2nd Place​​
Issued by Tennessee Press Association · 2020
Associated with Chattanooga Times Free Press​
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For the series of articles covering the death and funeral of fallen Chattanooga police officer Nicholas Galinger.
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Judge’s comments: "Compelling photography to complement compelling story. Thorough reporting. Balanced coverage. Good job not convicting suspect and instead allowed the police to do it. Reporter went above and beyond by attending funeral. ... The officer’s willingness to speak demonstrates the relationship between the publication and the department, which is essential for any newspaper. Layout added to attracting readers to the peice. Overall, amazing job! Good investigative series. Kudos!"
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Public Service, 2nd Place​​
Issued by Tennessee Press Association · 2019
Associated with Chattanooga Times Free Press
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For outstanding public service journalism throughout the year.
EDUCATION
Southern Adventist University
Bachelor’s Degree, Journalism
2016 | Collegedale, TN​​​
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Activities and societies: Student newspaper; Communication Club
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Minor: Photography
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Member and Secretary: Lambda Pi Eta (National Communication Association honor society)
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Recipient: Journalism and Communication Departmental GPA Scholarship (2012, 2013, 2016)
SKILLS & EXPERTISE
Breaking news reporting; enterprise reporting; explanatory journalism; public service journalism; spot news; court and legal reporting; crisis and emergency reporting; deadline-driven reporting; source development; public records requests (FOIA); user-generated content verification; ethical news judgment; bilingual reporting (Spanish); Copy editing; AP Style; fact-checking; headline writing and optimization; SEO; Data research; data management; audience analytics; Chartbeat; Metrics for News; Tableau; Marfeel; Microsoft Power BI; Sophi; LexisNexis; PACER; Content management systems (CMS); Arc; WordPress; Squarespace; Wix; Norkon Live Center; live blog management; Datawrapper; Canva; Adobe Audition; Microsoft Office; Google Workspace; social media publishing; Facebook; Twitter/X; remote work; organization; multitasking
CONTACT
229-460-7040
HughesRosanaR@gmail.com
Atlanta, GA
Looking forward to hearing from you!
