Dave Newbart Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Chicago, Illinois

-Oversaw coverage of nation’s third-largest school district. Edited extensive coverage of the longest teachers strike in 30 years as well as continuing battles over reopening schools during the pandemic. Sun-Times schools reporter won a 2nd place National Headliner Award for beat reporting in 2020. -Guided coverage of marijuana legalization in Illinois, including the launch of recreational sales in Illinois as well as analysis of the state’s troubled program to create equity among owners. Cannabis writer won 1st place in government beat reporting from the Illinois Press Association. -Helped run crime coverage, including multiple stories on the growing safety gap between the city’s safest and most dangerous neighborhoods and the spike in Downtown crime. Story on the impact of violence on children in Chicago won 1st place from Illinois Press Association in 2021.-Lead editor on multiple collaborations with other news organizations, including WBEZ and the Brown Institute for Media Innovation at Columbia University. Stories included an analysis of air pollution levels by neighborhood, an examination of the very first deaths from COVID-19 in Cook County and original research on excess deaths during the pandemic. -Proposed, assigned and oversaw stories that generated both the most new subscriber conversions and most traffic in 2020 for the Sun-Times website, including a story on Chicago’s deadliest day in 60 years. Worked closely with our audience team to ensure widest reach for online stories, including brainstorming headlines and email alerts.-Represented editorial staff during intensive Facebook Accelerator training program on growing digital subscriptions. The months-long effort led to a price increase, improved checkout flow, tightened paywall and improved retention, leading to paper’s best 6-month stretch in online subscriptions (from June-Dec. 2021) since paywall was added in April 2018.

Chicago, Illinois

-Brought in during crisis situation to manage all aspects of the well-known alternative weekly while overseeing transition to new ownership during turbulent period. -Edited magazine-length features on the suicide of a Chicago police officer’s daughter and mismanagement in the Cook County Clerk’s Office, which won 1st place in feature writing by the Association of Alternative News Media in 2019.-Introduced daily email newsletters for 50,000 readers. Launched paper’s first-ever email alert system for breaking and feature news. Total monthly sessions to website spiked to highest level in 15 months in June 2018 (and the 8th highest figure in 4 years) during the last full month I oversaw the newsroom despite cuts to staffing and budget. -In coordination with advertising staff, shepharded first-ever biking issue, as well as popular local travel and cannabis-themed issues.

-An original editor of DNAinfo Chicago. Helped recruit and hire editors and reporters; establish coverage priorities and assignments; determine digital story flow and publishing guidelines; and prepare the site for launch in late 2012. Site became one of city’s most trusted news sources with 8.3 million monthly pageviews, 120,000 email subscribers and 150,000 Facebook fans. -Oversaw a team of reporters covering schools, crime, politics, development, new businesses, arts, entertainment and restaurants for neighborhoods across Chicago, including Hyde Park, the West Loop, Englewood, Auburn-Gresham, Rogers Park, Edgewater, North Lawndale, Chatham, South Shore and Little Italy.-Assigned and developed long-term stories with reporters, including an analysis of mixed-income housing built at the site of the oldest public housing project in the city; an examination of a corporate-training program being taught to public school students; and a profile of a teen rapper killed by a rival gang after an online feud.-Wrote headlines and breaking news alerts for website, email newsletters and push notifications to maximize click-through rates and SEO. Took and edited photos for placement with stories to increase readership.-Among team of editors who analyzed daily and monthly traffic reports to boost web traffic, Facebook reach and newsletter subscriber and click-through rates as well as visitors to sister website, Neighborhood Square. -Editor of more than 20 monthly titles in “reverse publishing” effort that sent hard-copy newspapers to every household in Chicago.

Greater Chicago Area

Edited breaking news and longer form stories for Sun-Times newspaper and website. Assigned stories to reporters, fielded breaking news updates and helped oversee coverage. Wrote headlines for website, breaking news alerts and social media. Helped run city desk on night and weekend shifts.

Greater Chicago Area

Award-winning reporter covering a variety of beats, including higher education, museums and technology. Broke story on a college administrator who plagiarized her dissertation and punished a student who reported her; story won the Peter Lisagor Award for Education Reporting. Wrote five-part, 10-page series on the filming of "The Blues Brothers" and its impact on Chicago. Also worked as general assignment reporter covering crime, technology and elementary education, among other assignments.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Traveled to China for in-depth reporting project. Wrote stories on international adoption, invasive species and micro-lending program that protected rare cranes.

Chicago, Illinois

General assignment and courts reporter. Broke stories on a controversy at the city’s most prestigious Catholic school that led to the removal of a top administrator and on turmoil at a model inner-city school that led to a staff exodus. Uncovered story of a terminally ill inmate who died as a review board bungled his plea for early release, leading to a review of state procedures. Revealed dangerous overcrowding in county lockup facilities after a change in domestic violence laws.

Madison, Wisconsin Area

Covered the University of Wisconsin and higher education in Wisconsin. Traveled to Vietnam and Montana for stories on UW research. Wrote an award-winning series on special-interest influence on the state Legislature. Lead reporter on the 1994 campaign for governor.

Phoenix, Arizona Area

Wrote magazine-length features on a suicide at a for-profit psychiatric hospital; a federal employee who was the subject of extensive discrimination; and on racial profiling and false arrests of African-American shoppers at Dillard’s, an upscale department store chain.

Master'S Degree, Journalism

Bachelor'S Degree, Political Science