THOMAS FRANCIS

(954) 802-7600 2618 N Spaulding No. 3W Chicago IL 60647 trfrancis27@gmail.com

Objective
Writing and / or editing news content for a media source or nonprot organization.

Experience
2010 - 12 | Freelance Reporter MSNBC / Salon / The Daily / New York Post / Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
In May 2012, I wrote a lengthy feature story for MSNBC about the nations largest painkiller trafficking organization. I teamed with an MSNBC.com multimedia crew for this piece on the repeal of dont ask dont tell. I published an article about the Occupy movement for Salon. For The Daily, I was the lead reporter for a feature package about former French spy Herve Jaubert. For FCIR, a nonprot organization, I wrote an article that singled out Republican members of Congress who were ercely critical of the federal stimulus package but who quietly lobbied for pet projects in their districts. I also investigated Secure Communities, a controversial immigration enforcement program that has enraged community activists in Florida. For the Post, I covered the DUI manslaughter trial of former New York Yankee Jim Leyritz.

2006 2010 | Blog Editor / Staff Writer New Times, Broward-Palm Beach | Fort Lauderdale FL
As a staff writer at this Village Voice Media newspaper, I tackled investigative projects, like this feature piece on the most abusive priest in the history of the Miami Archdiocese. In 2008 I was tapped to be editor of Juice, the papers rst staff news

blog. I composed between ve and ten blog posts per day, the majority of which contained original reporting. Despite the challenge of attracting an audience in a commuter region, we saw rapid growth in pageviews. In just our rst year we placed second and third in the states two major journalism contests. In 2010 the blog was judged third best among media outlets in the Southeast.

2005 06 | Staff Writer The Stranger | Seattle WA

At this weekly paper edited by Dan Savage, I contributed regularly to the staff blog, called Slog, including the central role in reporting what was the years biggest news story: the Capitol Hill Massacre. That article and the blog posts that came before it earned an international readership and were cited as far away as the New York Times. I was interviewed live in studio for a Fox News program. I also developed a blog series called Boom, for tracking Seattle real estate development, which quickly became a popular feature among locals.

2004 05 | Contributing Writer Radar magazine / Chicago Times

My reporting played a key role in raising questions about the scientic legitimacy of Dr. Henry Heimlichs ideas. For this major freelance project, I was racing against a writer who was working on a similar project for the New Yorker. My article published rst, here in Radar magazine, before it became a celebrity news site.

2000 04 | Staff Writer Cleveland Scene | Cleveland OH

At this former Village Voice Media newspaper, I wrote about Maa cases, nancial fraudsters and obscure businesses that had elements of both, like re-chasing. I had a knack for nding the regions most enigmatic personalities, such as a guitar legend whose career was hijacked by a religious cult and a 16-year-old basketball phenom from Akron named LeBron James.

1999 00 | Staff Writer Antelope Valley Press | Palmdale CA

For this daily paper I covered Los Angeles County politics, the California legislature and the federal government, attending both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in 2000.
THOMAS FRANCIS

Skills
Procient in HTML, including use of video, audio and still photo. Knowledge of how to seed editorial content in a way to maximize its exposure on the web.

Experience writing and editing articles quickly and accurately, under deadline pressure.

Education
1995 - 99 | University of Wisconsin Bachelor of Arts Journalism, Political Science
3.6 GPA; published articles in college newspapers, then in local publications during all four years

Recent Awards
2011 Sunshine State Awards SPJ; Second Place; Multimedia Package; Fiscal Duplicity 2010 SPJ Green Eyeshade Awards for Excellence in Journalism; Finalist; Best Blog; Juice 2009 SPJ Green Eyeshade Awards for Excellence in Journalism; Third Place; Public Affairs Reporting' Print-Nondaily; "With a Bullet" 2009 Sunshine State Awards SPJ; Second Place Blog-Affiliated; Juice 2008 SPJ Green Eyeshade Awards; First Place Sports Reporting; Print-Non-Daily; "Bullies With Badges" 2008 Sunshine State Awards SPJ; Non-Deadline Business Reporting; First Place 2008 Florida Press Club; First Place; Religion Reporting; Speak No Evil
2007 Florida Press Association; Business Writing over 15,000 Circulation; First Place; Lab Rats 2007 National Association of Black Journalists Award; Best Feature; Honorable Mention; Mr. Snyders Opus

References
Available upon request
THOMAS FRANCIS