Welcome

As a reporter I made a name for myself by finding news in places other reporters wouldn't think to look. As a result I won several awards and my original reports were picked up by the national media twice.

This is the approach I will bring to your organization.

I'm in touch with the future of journalism. I have experience with both print and online organizations, and I have reported on a wide range of issues, specializing in politics. I'm a tough reporter, but can also take and edit photos, audio and video, and I have expanding design skills.

I am also interested in public relations and jobs with campaigns or political organizations. I spent 2008 plunging deep into politics while writing for a political news Web site in Maine. I learned a lot about the system and feel I would be qualified for a number of positions. I have a deep understanding of campaign finance laws as I have closely followed Maine's Clean Elections system. I have a great interest in the role money and lobbying plays in elections and government.

Successes

I avoided press conferences in 2008. Instead I looked for news in the smallest of towns and in the most obscure places. For example, on one occasion I skipped a Senate candidate's press conference detailing his economic plan. Instead I followed him as he visited displaced mill workers in a rural town.

Here are some of the successes I've had by taking this approach:

In 2004 while interning for a small paper in central Ohio I covered President Bush's visit to the area. He was supposed to just drive through, but acting on a tip from a police officer I staked out a candy store and had a front row seat to his "unplanned" stop.
In 2006 I interned for The Hill in Washington, DC. I surveyed every senator and wrote a story about which ones had visited the Gulf Coast post-Katrina. The story landed on the front page – a rare accomplishment for an intern there -- and the story was mentioned by Tim Russert on Meet The Press. Later that year I won an SPJ Dateline Award for local excellence in journalism for the piece.
In 2008 I ran a prominent political news Web site in Maine, and twice my stories were picked up by the national media. At a breakfast of the Maine delegation at the Republican National Convention, Karl Rove stopped by. I was the only reporter in the room. He badmouthed Joe Biden after both campaigns promised to ease off the politics following Hurricane Gustov. His comments spiraled through the national media – credited to my site.
Later that year, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) denounced John McCain's negative robocalls as a result of my questioning while I was riding on her campaign bus through a rural part of the state. This also resulted in pickups by some major national news outlets.