“Stop walking that way; you’re in a minefield!”
Stopping in my stride, I immediately turned around and ran out of the Al Khatim desert through the hot sand and rubble. As I made it back to the town's safety, clutching an extended tripod and two lavalier mics, the man who saved me from making a grave mistake began to yell again.
As we approached Rex Brynan, a professor at McGill University, Middle East expert, and — most importantly — the creator of the CNN Academy Simulation, he stared right at me and my team, telling us that if it had been in a real boots-on-the-ground scenario, we’d all be dead.
Students at the CNN simulation
The Simulation
Luckily, the movie set we were on had no live minefields and was just a 45-minute drive away from Abu Dhabi. Our desert experience was a part of CNN Academy, a program meant to train the next generation of journalists in a fail-safe environment, as I had just learned.
Our group from Georgia Tech had arrived in Abu Dhabi a few days before we were thrown into the midst of an intense simulation. It included a fictitious media network, which we were newly credentialed for, fake political parties, government, scandals, and hundreds of other elements. Over 10 days, we attended press conferences, fought each other for exclusive interviews, dug deep through files provided to us, scoured the fake social media platforms, and went on a site visit in the desert with fake minefields.
Sanika Tank, left, and fellow student participant Anna Abernathy
Exploring Abu Dhabi
Outside of the simulation, CNN, in partnership with the Creative Media Authority in Abu Dhabi, presented several master classes with CNN veterans and artificial intelligence experts. We even had the opportunity to hear Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, president and CEO of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators, speak at the opening ceremony.
After spending our days learning everything the simulation had to offer, our group of 10 from Atlanta took the opportunity to explore Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Yas Mall, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, the Yas Marina Circuit, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and even take a desert tour before we headed back to Atlanta for the holidays.
Abernathy and Tank at the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi
Growing as a Journalist
As a student journalist, I’ve learned firsthand during my internships with local news stations and CNN, as well as during my time with Georgia Tech’s student newspaper, the Technique, that there isn’t much room for mistakes when delivering news.
The chance to practice getting thrown out of an interview, challenged during a press conference or even almost setting off a (fake) explosion is extremely rare, and exactly what made CNN Academy and our time in Abu Dhabi so unique.
Sanika Tank is a third-year LMC student with a focus in Communications and Social Justice. Learn more about the Abu Dhabi CNN Academy Experience.