Tom Ackerman Email & Phone Number

Springfield, Illinois, United States

Covering breaking and trending news

Greater Chicago Area

• Contribute articles and shoot photos for The Chicago Tribune Media Group that includes its suburban divisions.
• Most recently helped to cover local government in Oak Park.
• Full list of articles here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/author/tom-ackerman/

Sullivan, Wisconsin, United States

Southern Wisconsin Region

• News editor at Jefferson County Daily Union, Watertown Daily Times, Lake Mills Leader and Antigo Daily Journal.
• Among four editors who oversaw 35 reporters working throughout region.
• Led the education team for the region (led weekly meetings, assigned stories, coached younger reporters and facilitated collaboration between the more veteran reporters and the younger ones).
• Laid out pages and proofed articles.
• Always sought relevant articles from partners or contributors — one of our news organizations had no reporters for a time, and we made it work.
• Social media/website manager (Engaged with digital readers, monitored what stories performed well and sought to implement coverage based on this feedback).

Hardin, Montana, United States

• Promoted from reporter.
• Coordinated sports and news coverage at weekly newspaper/website.
• Wrote most of the news stories/took most of the photos, while overseeing a news reporter, a sports reporter and another reporter who covered both sports and Native American affairs.
• Reported a broad range of news and sometimes sports stories out of necessity to keep readers informed, but I enjoyed and thrived on the challenge.
• Social media manager (strove to engage digital and print readers via observing/monitoring what readers wanted and on what platform, incorporated QR codes to fully utilize content).
• Shot photos and video to aid stories or to serve as standalone pieces.

Billings, Montana, United States

• Covered a politically contentious school board race.
• Covered a protesting/campaign by student/community members who sought to end boards’ then-policy that restricted a 19-year-old from attending her senior year, which turned into a sizable story. They did change the.
• Produced videos to aid articles in addition to standalone videos.

Palatine, Illinois, United States

• Exposed me to storytelling with software and digital tools.
• Covered a graduate student strike over wages with colleagues. This regrettably can no longer be found online, but we covered the protests with video, articles, and also promoted it on social media.
• Wrote feature stories, mainly, for UIC Radio as a platform for articles.
• Produced videos, articles for the Redline Project, which is an online publication founded by a Senior Lecturer at UIC.

Greater Chicago Area

• Worked on the city desk as well as the wire desk at times that reports crimes and breaks news based on radio scanners and social media alerts.
• Developed story pitches in addition to receiving assignments (the highlight may have been covering an alligator that was loose in Humboldt Park).
• Assisted editors/senior reporters in the newsroom on special projects such as the Murals and Mosaics project; I entered data into excel to help produce the interactive map in addition to writing articles featuring.

Cornwall, Connecticut

• Taught beginner skiing lessons to people of all ages.
• Expanded on customer-interaction experience.
• Regularly practiced with other instructors, attending off-work training sessions.
• Volunteered to assist other departments with tasks such as race course assembly/disassembly.

Connecticut, United States

• Assisted veteran carpenter with tasks such as tile cutting and installation, installation of stairs and decks, manufacturing of custom parts, installation of drywall and general woodworking.
• Also intermittently worked with Arboreta landscapes during this time, depending on both employers' needs/projects.

Milford, Connecticut, United States

• Worked in summer and winter months, at times, to assist in completing residential and commercial contracts.
• Pruning, planting, mulching, and more that will come to mind later.

New Haven, Connecticut, United States

• Covered general assignment and community stories for The Milford Mirror/The New Haven Register.
• During this time, also reported for student publication The Tamarack at Naugatuck Valley Community College, covering topics such as higher education and features.

Iowa City, Iowa

• Covered crime and law enforcement (county, city, and university police departments).
• Wrote the daily blotter.
• Assisted in coverage of caucus events. Was immersed in politics, both reporting on and observing rallies such as for Bernie Sanders.
• Interviewed with high-level political figures including Sen. Chuck Grassley.
• Coverage also notably included what was uncovered to be a mock vote among university presidential candidates that led to a hiring.

Libertyville, Illinois, United States

• Sold home-audio equipment and record albums to customers.
• Assisted at installations of audio equipment for clients.
• Explored the art/technology of sound and stereo equipment.

Libertyville, Illinois, United States

• Applied for position
• Learned ropes of reporting and journalism from a credible advisor/teacher.
• Covered news, features, and opinions.
• Opinions Editor Senior year.

Mass Communications, Journalism

Activities and Societies: Blogger at UIC Radio and student of digital journalism

Associate'S Degree, Liberal Arts

Activities and Societies: Phi Theta Kappa honors society and reporter at student newspaper: The Tamarack

Journalism

Activities and Societies: Daily Iowan newspaper: Bill Mertens memorial scholar