Ayan Mittra Email & Phone Number

Austin, Texas Area

I lead a local news initiative that is creating a network of local newsrooms across Texas that focus on addressing key issues affecting communities. A deeply experienced newsroom leader, I have overseen a state-focused newsroom that covers government and politics. I have directed comprehensive coverage of breaking news, legislative sessions and elections, as well as leading deep investigations. My leadership has shaped teams focused on in-depth policy analysis, investigative journalism and regional issues, fostering a newsroom environment that prioritizes context, accountability, and public service.

Supervise a team of reporters to cover breaking news and enterprising projectsHelp reporters rewrite stories to ensure they are informative and engagingEdit stories to ensure quality reports amid daily deadline pressureTake feeds from reporters in the field and rework them into live web storiesUse web publishing software to post and update online reports, keeping our coverage ahead of the competitionPost breaking news alerts on Twitter with links to online reportsSelect and crop photos for use in online packagesMaximize the use of search-friendly words in headlines and story summaries on our website Post staff videos to the paper's websiteEdit and publish blog posts, which are written in a conversational style to connect with our audienceDetermine the presentation of print and Web stories based on importance and visual attributesLead meetings to determine what our daily presentation will includeMonitor local, state, national and international news services to ensure our presentation includes all relevant news

*Helped supervise an experienced political team to carve its own reporting niche in a national election*Expanded the web presence of our political coverage*Combined staff stories with reports from wire services and photos to offer compelling daily presentations* Directed reporters in the field to adjust to breaking news*Compiled daily fact checks on candidate statements to help inform our readers*Edited stories for grammar, style, usage, accuracy, fairness and balance.*Edit a variety of content, including major sports stories*Edit and post stories to our Web site and attach photos, videos, graphics and links. I also monitor user comments to help maintain a respectful forum for the exchange of ideas.*Post breaking news to the home page as well as stories that would attract heavy audience interest*Proofread stories for errors amid tight print deadlines*Ensure stories have engaging headlines and captions for the paper and search-friendly headlines on the web.*Supervised copy editors, ensuring they wrote top-quality and accurate headlines and offering feedback on their work.*Mentored up-and-coming co-workers and interns.*Skillfully communicated with reporters, editors, designers and managers to ensure quality presentations are published on schedule.

Copy edit metro, state, business, national and international stories Published news stories on paper's Web siteSelected to take part in Dow Jones Newspaper Fund training session at the University of Missouri

Reported on variety of campus eventsGenerated stories that ran on the cover of the newspaperCreated a cultural events beat