Most people know me best as an investigative journalist. However, over the past 4 years I have also filled in as producer and assignment desk editor. This means I am directing staff, finding news to cover, making decisions about how to cover the news all while simultaneously producing our 6pm newscasts.
A recent example of my managerial and producer skills occurred on July 20, 2019. Early that morning, a dam and bridge failed in northern Trumbull County, Ohio, severely flooding the surrounding towns, cutting off an entire neighborhood, stranding 30 families and destroying roads for miles around.
I coordinated strong coverage of this breaking news event on a weekend shift, with minimal staff. I helped our web team cover the event as well, providing phone interviews with people in the area, online videos sent in of damage and bulletins about how people could navigate the area safely. I also jumped in and wrote and tracked a package to expand our coverage.
Here’s a link to the broadcast:
Rust Belt Writers 