I am …
- an investigave journalist and freelance writer
- a Moldovan-born Brooklynite living in Pennsylvania Amish country
- an IRE-trained computer-assisted reporter
In my last job, I worked as the chief county government and politics reporter for the evening Lancaster New Era newspaper. The paper boasts a brutal 10:30 a.m. deadline, but in afternoons I could spend a few behind bars, jump out of a plane, and learn what it feels like to shake hands with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
My best stories keep me up at night — they are the conflicted, the tedious and the personal accounts of people who take me into their worlds.
My reporting works off the premise that there is paper trail and a voice in every story, part of my successful indoctrination into the “document state of mind” propogated by the staff at the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE).
So when I am working on a piece — be it a one-day turnaround or a year-long series — I know where to find important data, how to parse it, and how to translate the numbers into poetry (fine, words) that speak to my readers.
It is my practice to call my sources and double-check their facts and quotes before they are published — one of many lessons learned at the Missouri School of Journalism. It builds trust and often yields even richer material from the follow-up call. And it gets things right the first time!
If you want to read my work or see my résumé, check out the links at the top of this page. And drop me a line if you have any questions.
Thanks for visiting.
