Hello! My name is Payton Bell. I was born and raised in Oklahoma City.

In 2023, I graduated from Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts with my BFA in broadcast journalism and documentary filmmaking. At Chapman, I was an acnhor, reporter and executive producer of our live student newscast. I also covered news and politics for The Panther, the independent student newspaper, and I interned on the education desk at southern california’s NPR affiliate, KPCC.  These experiences have helped me hone my news judgment and research, writing and editing skills. I love the fast-paced nature of reporting on deadline; updating my scripts minutes before air with breaking news and posting on my social media accounts to update followers on the latest developments. Journalists make a difference in their communities, and that’s a big part of why I am passionate about pursuing a career in reporting.

I landed an internship with CNN International in Atlanta and it solidified my dream to become a reporter. I had the opportunity to research, write and produce multiple stories and packages for various CNNI news programs and got hands-on experience in the control room assisting producers and communicating live with reporters across the world. My time at CNNI also inspired me to live abroad to get more international experience. 

Last August I moved to Paris, France to pursue my MA in diplomacy and international law at the American University of Paris, which I completed this summer.

The capstone course of the program was the Summer Institute of Human Rights. During the final month of classes, my cohort traveled to The Hague, Netherlands where we spent time visiting The International Criminal Court, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, just to name a few.

We studied under well-known human rights experts who are actively moving the human rights agenda forward. Their lectures ranged from international criminal law in The Hague to domestic law in the US, from pandemic intervention in the EU to the use of ethical artificial intelligence, from the war in Ukraine to the challenges of environmental protection, and from religion to science.

Other courses focused on examining human rights policies and legal frameworks for extended reality (XR) technologies, and how we must further identify gaps in emerging technologies to secure human rights protections.

I was able to work on a project over the summer where I created a women’s rights-focused search engine for women in my home state of Oklahoma, with the goal of providing comprehensive information on healthcare, legal assistance and mental health resources.

It was a transformative experience. I loved my time in Paris and beyond, but I am happy to be back in Oklahoma and looking forward to getting into the broadcast journalism/documentary world and plan to use the skills and experiences I’ve gained to contribute to my community. 

Outside of work and school, I enjoy trying new restaurants, baking, curating spotify playlists and Pinterest boards, and spending time with my friends and family.