Former CNN chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin is publishing her first fictional novel, about a hard-charging newswoman who battles to get ahead at a ratings-obsessed network rife with sexual harassment.
Yellin, who covered four presidential campaigns during 17 years as a reporter and spent seven years at CNN, is releasing “Savage News” through Mira Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Yellin’s protagonist, Natalie Savage, fights to report on serious news at a network driven by a ratings-obsessed boss, Page Six has learned. But she is constantly big-footed by her colleagues as she investigates a scandal involving the foreign-born US first lady. Plus, Savage is constantly criticized about her appearance, against a backdrop of institutional sexual harassment.
Prior to CNN, Yellin was an anchor at MSNBC, then a White House correspondent for ABC News. She has reported on the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. Yellin left CNN at the end of 2013.
Given her experience, she clearly knows where many bodies are buried in news. But she won’t say if anything in the book resembles any real people or events.
When asked if anyone at CNN or other networks had inspired Natalie Savage or her other characters, Yellin coyly explained, “I’ll just say this is a work of fiction.” The book — which gives insight into how news networks operate and what life is like for a female reporter — is due for release next year. But given that it touches on many themes relevant to today, we only hope the publishers will decide to release it sooner.