Safiya Merchant www.safiyamerchant.wordpress.

com
(773) 879-2212
Experience
Daily Herald, Reporter (May 2014-present)
Beat reporter covering Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, College of DuPage and several school districts. Work on daily
deadlines to write news stories, features and profles. Take photos and shoot and edit video for stories. Report on
breaking news for newspapers entire coverage area once a week. Use social media to promote articles.
The Seattle Times, Reporting Intern (Jan. 2014-March 2014)
Wrote stories and blog posts for print and online editions of the Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper, covering various
topics such as education, transportation, crime and sports. Contributed coverage to breaking news, and promoted
articles through social media.
Chicago Sun-Times, Homicide Watch Chicago Intern (Sept. 2013-Dec. 2013)
Wrote stories profling victims of Chicago violence by visiting the homes of family members for interviews. Obtained
court documents to write stories when suspects were charged with murders. Helped maintain Homicide Watch
WordPress website, and promoted stories through social media accounts.
San Antonio Express-News, Reporting Intern (June 2013-Aug. 2013)
Wrote breaking news stories for the newspapers website throughout the day, on topics such as shootings,
accidents and fres. Traveled to crime scenes, and completed reporting for general assignments on weekend shifts.
Some stories appeared on A1 and the front page of the Metro section. Used LexisNexis and public records
websites to track down sources and gather more information.
The Chicago Reporter, Investigative Reporting Intern (June 2012-Dec. 2012)
Interned for the Reporters criminal justice and public housing writer, Angela Caputo. Helped with research and
sourcing for her Nov/Dec. 2012 cover story on 17-year-olds in the Illinois criminal justice system, and attended
interviews for multiple stories. Authored blog posts for the website, and wrote articles for the magazine, including an
in-depth look into how a policy change affected Mississippis juvenile justice system. Analyzed Cook County court
data in Microsoft Excel, fact-checked articles, and transcribed interviews.
Medill Justice Project, Student Reporter (Sept. 2012-Dec. 2012)
Reported in a team with other student journalists on the case of Pamela Jacobazzi, a woman jailed for
supposedly shaking an infant to death in 1994.
Education
Northwestern University; Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications
Majors: Journalism and International Studies; 2010-2014
Skills
Profcient in Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe Premiere, social media, iMovie and Microsoft Offce programs including
database analysis tools in Excel. Strong knowledge of LexisNexis and WordPress. Can shoot and edit video and
photos.
Awards
-Peter Lisagor Award, 2013, awarded to a team from The Chicago Reporter for the story Minor misconduct
-Rick Wamre Hyper-Local Fellowship Award, 2013, awarded by the Medill School of Journalism to fund an unpaid
internship