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Cathy Bussewitz

 

(510) 495-5826                                               Cell: cathy.bussewitz@gmail.com

PROFILE

An enterprising journalist with breaking news, government, investigative, international, multimedia and database reporting skills.

 

 

PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Legislative reporter, staff writer, freelancer, copy editor and researcher. 

Strengths include: writing tight, clear stories on deadline, developing sources, investigating complex topics, explanatory journalism, narrative feature writing and video production.

 

 

Investigative Journalism

Consistently probe sources and follow through on leads to produce investigative stories.

  • Broke story when a $60,000 state consulting contract for green jobs development was awarded to elected official. Results: The day after the article ran, the official stepped away from the contract.
  • Wrote feature story examining a bill in the Nevada legislature that would have allowed school police officers and law enforcement to seize and read e-mails, text messages and phone records without a warrant. Results: Three days after the article ran, the state attorney general-who sponsored the bill-agreed to withdraw those sections of the bill in a public hearing at the legislature.
  • Probed closed-door meetings between Nevada legislature and business leaders over plunging revenue and tax solutions throughout the ongoing budget crisis. Results: Broke story when state revenue projections fell by 30 percent, beating the competition by a day. Was the first reporter to get the Senate Majority Leader on record saying he would not rule out the largest tax increase in state history.
  • Investigated and wrote story on terrorist databases interviewing police chiefs in cities around the country about access to federal data.  Interviewed top FBI officials, rode along with police to observe traffic stop checks. Mapped an interactive chart showing the flow of terrorism data between federal and local agencies explaining the weaknesses and failures in the system. Results:  Series nominated for Writers Guild Award.
  • Successfully staked out Christopher Hill before his historic visit to North Korea to resume six-party nuclear negotiation talks.  Results: Contributed quotes to story giving AP a presence that other media outlets missed.
  • Helped lead far-flung investigation into more than 100 unions' benefit funds earning a byline for the story in the Village Voice.  Results: Mayor Bloomberg acknowledged the need for oversight into the funds.

 

 

Multimedia Skills

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Produce, shoot and edit video and digital photography. Digitize and transcribe tapes for PBS Frontline/World.

  • Produced video about national trucker shortage and filmed classes at a trucking school, interviewing a graduate in his truck about growing up in an Oakland gang and visiting his neighborhood. Results: Current TV contacted me to acquire the story.
  • Produced local television stories for UCTV on the rising cost of water and an annual quest for love.
  • Cut video montages and sound bytes, wrote teases and short stories for nightly political news program on NY1 News.
  • Contributed research, guest ideas and production assistance to NY1 News coverage of 2004 presidential conventions.
  • Reported, wrote and contributed photos on community gardens, open space and community issues for print and web versions of a monthly newspaper for the Independent Media Center. 

 

 

Reporting

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use strong interviewing skills and analysis to report breaking news and write enterprising features on diverse topics.

  • Covered every aspect of Nevada's state budget, following ongoing questions about how the state will benefit from federal stimulus dollars and the legislature's disputes with the governor.
  • Broke business stories like Nevada's first steps toward congestion pricing, a key lawmaker's plan to roll back tax abatements and a push to attract California businesses on tax day, all of which made the AP business wire and publications like Forbes.com.
  • Covered Harry Potter's first kiss in an article published globally.
  • Wrote feature story on Hiroshima, which was a top AP story worldwide that day.
  • Wrote an exclusive national story about the Nevada's creation of a popular electronic suggestion box for balancing the budget.
  • Wrote business, religion and feature stories for a daily newspaper covering the housing downturn in Solano County.

 

 

Research and Analysis

Conduct research and analyze data for story coverage, political news reports and international marketing study.

  • Researched police and FBI databases for PBS documentary.
  • Merged Excel spreadsheets for CAR project for Associated Press.
  • Coordinated international study of brand personality, analyzing data to report on changes in consumer behavior. 

Journalism Experience

 

2009

Associated Press Reporter, Carson City, NV

2008

Freelance Reporter, San Francisco, CA

2007

Staff Writer, The Reporter, Vacaville, CA

2007

Associated Press Intern, Tokyo, Japan

2006

Researcher/Intern, PBS/Frontline, Berkeley, CA

2004

Politics Intern, NY1 News, New York, NY

2003

Reporting Intern, The Village Voice, New York, NY

2002

Community Reporter, The Indypendent, New York, NY

 

Supporting Jobs

 

2002-2005

1998-2001

Paralegal, Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY

Research Assistant, Young & Rubicam Inc., New York, NY

 

 

EDUCATION

Masters Degree in Journalism, University of California at Berkeley

B.A., English, Syracuse University, Minor, Policy Studies

 

AWARDS

 

 

 

SKILLS

Gobind Behari Lal Award for Most Outstanding Science or Health Related Story, 2007; Yomiuri Shimbun Fellowship, 2007; Departmental Fellowship, UC Berkeley, 2005-2007; Chancellor's Award for Public Service in Community Service Leadership, Syracuse University, 1997

 

Final Cut Pro, Microsoft Excel, Access, Lexis-Nexis