Anna Meiler

By Corinne Arel '24

Anna Meiler, class of ‘12, first felt the impact of journalism as a student in Professor Steve Fox’s investigative journalism course. The Boston Globe published the class coverage of the aftermath of a series of tornadoes that swept through western Massachusetts.

"After receiving messages from families affected by the tornadoes, is the moment when I felt like I could make a difference," said Meiler. "It solidified that journalism is what I want to do every day for my career." 

Meiler worked at UVC-TV 19 and later became the television station's News Director. She credits her time and experience at the UMass' student-run video production center with furthering her passion for broadcast journalism. 

Today, Meiler works as a general assignment reporter for WBZ-TV, Boston's CBS affiliate. Her workday starts at night, when she wakes up at 2 a.m. to cover the morning news.

She receives her daily news assignments from the executive producer and starts writing scripts before she has to be on the scene at 4:30 a.m. Meiler then heads out to the field to report on the stories, going live six to seven times during the morning show until 7 a.m. After the morning show ends, Meiler works to further the stories she plans to cover and constructs a report for the station’s afternoon show. 

Meiler then heads out to the field to report on the stories. She ends the day by working to further the stories she plans to cover and constructs a report for the station’s afternoon show. 

“I love helping people start their day,” Meiler said. “It’s rewarding to know that as people are getting up and having their first cup of coffee, I am one of the people talking to them and providing them with information that is valuable to them before they head out the door.” 

In November 2021, Meiler reported on a veteran and retired Massachusetts State Police Sergeant named Christopher Sanchez who traveled around the world getting World War II veteran signatures on a copy of the book The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw.

After the feature was published, Meiler was overwhelmed with messages from WBZ-TV viewers. “By telling this story I knew I was helping bring people together to preserve more memories and remind these veterans how valued they are," Meiler said. "That was rewarding for me."

As a general assignment reporter, Meiler loves that each day is unique because every story she covers is not the same. “When I go to bed at night, I have no idea what I will be doing the next morning,” Meiler said.
 
During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Meiler covered a story on a woman who dressed up as Disney’s Frozen Queen Elsa and raised money for local charities by reading stories to children over Zoom. Meiler later participated in a special storytime fundraiser where she read stories to children while dressed as Princess Anna.
 
"Believe in yourself, because it is a tough job," Meiler said is her advice for aspiring journalists. "Be proactive in networking, interning and working hard on writing and reporting stories. You can do it if you believe in yourself and put the hard work in."