LOS ANGELES, CA (ANS) -- Dan Lothian is White House correspondent for CNN, reporting on the activities of President Obama and the administration. He was named to this position in December 2008. Before joining the team in CNN’s Washington bureau, Lothian served as CNN’s Boston bureau chief and correspondent. In addition to reporting, Lothian was responsible for coordinating all news and coverage from the greater-Boston area.

Dan Lothian with his award (Photo: Dan Wooding)

Since joining CNN in June 2003, Lothian has covered key stories for the network, and his career has also taken him across the map to report on natural disasters and tell the stories of the victims of hurricanes Dennis, Gustav, Katrina and Rita. His reports contributed to the network’s award-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

Lothian has also covered the funeral of Rosa Parks, the 2004 presidential campaigns and the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision in Brown vs. Board of Education case from Topeka, Kan. In July 2003, he traveled to the Middle East to report on the ongoing tensions and the proposed peace agreements between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Lothian joined CNN from NBC News where he had worked for seven years as a Los Angeles-based correspondent. Before that, he reported for WCVB-TV in Boston. Previously, he reported for Seattle’s KING-TV, West Palm Beach, Fla.’s WPTV-TV and Chattanooga, Tenn.’s WDEF-TV. Lothian started learning the ropes of broadcast journalism at the age of 16 as a radio announcer for WKES Radio in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Dan Lothian reporting from the White House

His accolades include a National Headliner award, a National Association of Black Journalists award, two national Emmy nominations, and an Associated Press award, but now he has just received one award that he treasures greatly – the Ambassador Award from Media Fellowship International (MFI), a group that encourages Christians working in Hollywood, the media and in all aspects of the entertainment industry.

Lothian was given the award by Pastor Bob Rieth, Founder and President of MFI, during the 14th Annual MFI Praise Brunch held on Saturday, September 22, 2012 in Los Angeles, for letting his “light” shine for Christ in his media work.

The award is based on the Scripture: “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Cor. 5:20 NIV.

Dan Lothian pictured with Susan Stafford, the first 'Wheel of Fortune' girl, and Pat Boone

After he had received the Ambassador Award, I asked Dan Lothian what it meant to him to receive this honor in front of many of his peers, and he replied, “I’m not one who goes out seeking awards. I’m a journalist who keeps his head down and does his job day in and day out.

“But I think it’s wonderful to be recognized by an organization that’s been with me when things haven’t always been great. When you’re going through some tough times, I knew that there was someone there you can call up and who can give you the kind of encouragement that you need to make it through your day and that’s what Bob Rieth, the head of Media Fellowship, has been able to do for me.”

During his acceptance speech, Dan Lothian recounted how his Jamaican-born father helps keep his feet on the ground and so I asked him to share more about this.

“At the end of the day, my dad is very proud of me, but every time people walk up to him and ask, ‘Aren’t you proud of your son? Look what he has done. He’s working at the White House for CNN,’ then my dad always says, ‘What I’m proud of is that he’s got his head screwed on tight.’

“That sometimes seems a little harsh, because what you want to hear is your dad saying ‘you’re the greatest’ but what he’s trying to convey is that what is more important than the job I do every day, is that you actually have your life together and that’s something I take from it and it’s something that he tells me just about every day.”

I shared with Mr. Lothian that, during my tabloid days, I often found it difficult to be a Christian in such cynical and secular surroundings, and I wondered if he also found it hard to be a believer in his high-profile job.

“No,” he said. “I mean, I’m not someone who’s going around preaching at people or being a ‘better than thou’ Christian. I go to work to do my job and that’s what I do you when I get ‘on the clock’ and when I get ‘off the clock’. I’m there first and foremost to be a journalist and if people get anything else out of it then that’s something extra.”

Anwar and Jehan Sadat

I concluded by asking Lothian which of his many interviews, really stood out, and he replied, “One that really stands out for me was with Madame Jehan Sadat, Anwar Sadat’s wife. I was working in West Palm Beach and had the opportunity to interview her and it was a wonderful interview. I remember she came up to me afterwards -- after her handlers were getting ready to go, and were moving her away -- and she said, ‘I really enjoyed the questions you asked, but I really like you because you kind of remind me of my husband’.”

With that, Dan Lothian gave out a huge laugh, and then added, “And I remember that I took a picture with her and that’s one of those interviews that I’ll always remember.”

So next time you see him on CNN reporting from the White House, check out to see if you think he looks like Anwar Sadat, but also remember that this highly professional, yet humble journalist, is enjoying his new role as an “Ambassador.”

For more information on Media Fellowship International, please go to: www. www.mediafellowship.org

I would like to thank Robin Frost for transcribing this interview.

Dan Wooding, 71, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 49 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and he hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on the KWVE Radio Network in Southern California and which is also carried throughout the United States and around the world. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries. Dan recently received two top media awards -- the “Passion for the Persecuted” award from Open Doors US, and as one of the top “Newsmakers of 2011” from Plain Truth magazine. He is the author of some 45 books, the latest of which is “Caped Crusader: Rick Wakeman in the 1970s.” To order a copy, go to: http://www.amazon.com/CAPED-CRUSADER-Rick-Wakeman-1970s/dp/1908728302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335474883&sr=1-1 .