FREELANCE INVESTIGATIVE DATA JOURNALIST
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Zack Newman
Journalistic Experience
9NEWS (KUSA-TV) February 2019 - Present
Investigative Data Producer, 9Wants to Know; Colorado
• Employ R, SQL, Excel, Flourish, ArcGIS and Google Sheets to analyze data obtained through open records requests and visualize that analysis.
• Act as an off-air reporter to pursue long and short-term stories across digital and broadcast platforms independently and alongside other members of 9Wants to Know.
• Execute comprehensive undercover investigations, such as in Colorado gun stores.
• Winner of national 2020 Edward R. Murrow Award for data work on “A Vivitrol ‘Success’ Story.”
• Winner of a 2022 Heartland Regional Emmy for reporting on nursing homes that were both paid and punished for doing both a good and bad job
during the pandemic.
• Teach principles of data journalism to professionals and students through sessions hosted by Investigative Reporters and Editors, The Colorado Sun and the Colorado Broadcasters Association.
MSNBC February 2018 - February 2019
Anchor producer and digital producer, MSNBC Live; New York
• Fact-checked statistics and produce various deep-dive segments to explain the nuances of the news cycle.
• Contributed research for MSNBC Legal Unit digital and broadcast pieces.
• Cut video for the web with Wildmoka and write accompanying SEO headlines and descriptions.
• Administered social newsgathering techniques to identify and clear compelling user generated content. Pre-interviewed guests before going on-air.
Sky Blossom July 2018 - November 2020
Investigative Field Producer, Long-Form Documentary; Nationwide
• The documentary is streaming on Peacock, a NBCUniversal platform.
• Rough cut of the documentary aired in the Kennedy Center in November 2019.
• Built sources within vulnerable communities.
• Handled logistics for two ongoing national documentaries with cross-country travel.
• Requested and managed Freedom of Information Act requests with numerous government entities.
ABC News September 2017 - January 2018
Investigative Fellow, Investigative Unit; New York
• Built complex data sets using Freedom of Information Act requests. An investigation on ankle bracelets embraced these skills. My digging aired on the newsmagazine program “20/20.”
• Employed editorial skills and knowledge of public documents to compile deep-dive and quick-turn research packets.
• Assisted producers during breaking news and long-term projects by finding suitable content for broadcasts.
NBC News January 2017 - April 2017
Intern, Andrea Mitchell and Foreign Affairs Unit; Washington D.C.
• Investigated technical aspects of world politics using deep web tools for “Nightly News” pieces on NBC and “Andrea Mitchell Reports” on MSNBC.
• Used research to develop questions for interviews with news-making politicians such as former Vice President Joe Biden.
• Identified quotes to live-tweet to more than one million followers.
CBS News June 2016 - August 2016
Intern, Radio News; New York
• Winner of the CBS News Intern Project. Field produced a story chosen by senior executives to air nationally on CBSN.
• Produced a 360-degree video published on CBS Radio’s Facebook page.
• Booked sources and gathered sound used on-air in national broadcasts.
• Worked with a team to produce “America Works,” a radio documentary that won a national 2016 Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Mizzou Virtual Reality January 2016 - December 2016
Research Assistant and Reporter; Missouri
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Installed unit of 360-degree content producers into “The Columbia Missourian.”
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Shot and edited videos in 360 degrees and virtual reality.
Fox News Channel June 2015 - May 2016
Campus Associate and College Associate; Missouri and New York
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Field produced and coordinated coverage for network correspondents.
KOMU-TV August 2013 - December 2016
Investigative and General Assignment Reporter; Missouri
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Utilized computer assisted reporting tools, such as PivotTables, to compile long-form investigations for sweeps.
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One-man-band responsible for video capture, editing using Avid, breaking news, using Twitter and Vine, and writing web stories/television scripts with iNews.
Education
University of Missouri
Bachelor of Journalism, Convergence Journalism | Emphasis in radio and television | Completed in July 2017
• Chosen to be a member of the honor society Omicron Delta Kappa in April 2016.
Extracurricular Activities
Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout; March 2006 - March 2013
• Communications Merit Badge Instructor; Spring 2018
• Eagle Scout; March 2013
Zaching Against Cancer Foundation, Ambassador; 2013 - Present
• Helping to keep the memory of Zachary Michael Lederer alive and raise cancer awareness via photography events and fundraisers.
ThirdKind Improv; May 2019 - Present, Improv Performer
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Member of a comedy team performing across Colorado.
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Latest home in eight years of doing improv comedy nationwide.
MU Improv; September 2013 - December 2016
• Performing member of the premiere long-form comedy group on Mizzou’s campus.
• Continue improv education through classes at the Washington Improv Theater and Peoples Improv Theater.
Skills
Computer Assisted Reporting
• R, SQL, Excel, Google Sheets and Tabula to clean and analyze data.
• Comprehensive understanding of methods used to obtain documents and data through Colorado's open records laws and Freedom of Information Act requests.
• Map creation with ArcGIS, Google Maps and geocaching.
• Dossier creation with criminal and civil records with Nexis, PACER and advanced Google search.
Video Editing
• Edius
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Avid
• Final Cut Pro X
• Viz EazyCut
• Pinnacle
Audio Editing
• Adobe Audition
• Quick Edit Pro
Design
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Photoshop
• Web design
Other
• Mobile journalism on iPhone and iPad.
• Social media: Proficient with Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram.
• Photography and videography using 360-degree cameras, Sony XD’s, DSLR’s and iPhones.
• Newsroom processors: iNews and ENPS.
• Certified in mental health first aid by the National Council for Behavioral Health.
References
Nicole Vap
ex-9NEWS, Director of Investigative Journalism
Bridget Flanagan
MSNBC, Executive Producer
Rhonda Schwartz
ex-ABC News Investigative Unit, Executive Producer
Andrea Mitchell
NBC News, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent