MIKE HIXENBAUGH
EXPERIENCE
Reporter — The Virginian-Pilot — Norfolk, Va.
March 2011-present
•Beat writer covering Virginia Beach City Hall, the state’s largest city.
Reporter — Fayetteville Observer — Fayetteville, N.C.
April 2010-March 2011
•Worked a county government beat while also honing skills in watchdog and enterprise reporting. Awarded first place in general news reporting among state’s largest newspapers for coverage of unexplained infant deaths at Fort Bragg.
Reporter — Rocky Mount Telegram — Rocky Mount, N.C.
November 2007-April 2010
•Covered an array of topics, including the N.C. General Assembly, politics, military issues, county government and business en route to winning six statewide journalism awards. Worked extensively telling stories through multimedia, blogging, and immediate Web updates while still honing stories for final publication. Work covering suspected serial murders drew national attention.
Reporter — The Record-Courier — Ravenna, Ohio
February 2007-November 2007
•Put to use deadline writing skills while working as the Ravenna city beat writer at Portage County’s largest daily newspaper. Covered dozens of government meetings and reported controversial stories.
EDUCATION
College — The University of Akron — Akron, Ohio
August 2003-May 2007
•Direct admit – 3.828 GPA
•Communications: news media major, sociology minor
•Graduated with honors
COMPUTER SKILLS
•Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Quark, News Edit Pro, video editing software, and all internet Web browsers. Familiar with Apple and Microsoft operating systems.
REFERENCES
•Please contact me for references and further contact information.
