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Journalist resumes are read by editors who want to know what was reported, what it led to, and whether it was accurate, so the resume has to name stories, records, audiences, and outcomes rather than describing a passion for storytelling. The 5 examples below cover a staff reporter on a metro desk, a student journalist editing a campus daily, a broadcast journalist anchoring weekend newscasts, a multimedia journalist producing documentary and vertical video, and a freelance journalist running a reporting business. Each one shows how to present investigations, audience growth, awards, and reliability so an ATS and a hiring editor both see a reporter who delivers.
Consequence is the organising idea, with stories described by what followed them, an audit, resignations, a rewritten ordinance, rather than by where they ran. The records practice is the more instructive part. Turning requests into a standing routine across several agencies produced dozens of stories over three years, presenting sourcing as something built rather than stumbled upon. Placing a correction rate next to annual story volume answers the accuracy question an editor would otherwise have to ask, and it does so without sounding defensive.
(312) 555-0149 ◇ Chicago, IL
nathaniel.coombs@example.com ◇ linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-coombs ◇ nathanielcoombs.com
Journalist with 8 years covering city government and public accountability, currently a staff reporter on the metro desk of a daily newspaper with 380,000 print and digital subscribers. Broke a 14-part investigation into city contracting that led to 2 resignations and a $9M audit, files about 220 stories a year with a correction rate under 0.5%, and built a public records request practice that produced 60 documented stories in 3 years. Recognised with 3 regional reporting awards. Reports on the principle that the documents are usually more honest than the press release.
Concentration in investigative and public affairs reporting. Coursework in Media Law, Data Journalism, Public Records, and Long-Form Narrative.
Editor in chief of the student newspaper for 2 years. Also completed an investigative reporters and editors data bootcamp in 2020.
City Contracting Investigation. Led a 10-month investigation reviewing 4,000 pages of contracts, invoices, and emails obtained through 30 public records requests, building a database of 1,200 contract awards, and interviewing 45 sources, published as a 14-part series, which led to 2 resignations, a $9M city audit, a change to the procurement ordinance, and 3 regional reporting awards.
Public Records Practice. Built a systematic records practice with a request tracker, standing monthly requests to 8 agencies, a template library for 12 record types, and 2 successful appeals to the state attorney general, which produced 60 documented stories in 3 years and became the model for a newsroom records guide used by 40 reporters.
Budget Shortfall Series. Reported a 6-part series on a $40M municipal budget shortfall with an analysis of 5 years of budget data, interviews with 30 officials and residents, and an interactive chart of spending by department, which drew 210,000 page views, prompted 2 public hearings, and was cited in the subsequent budget reform.
Campus journalism often appears on a resume as a title and a date. Here it carries the full reporting sequence, records obtained, a repair database built, interviews conducted, publication, and the university response that followed, which is the same shape as professional work. The editing responsibility is the other substantial element, since running a desk of student reporters develops judgement about what to assign and how to check it. Internships and campus work are given the same level of detail, so neither is treated as the serious one.
(612) 555-0136 ◇ Minneapolis, MN
maya.sjoberg@example.com ◇ linkedin.com/in/maya-sjoberg ◇ mayasjoberg.com
Student journalist and final-year journalism major graduating in May 2026, currently news editor of a campus daily with 12,000 readers and 2 completed newsroom internships. Published about 140 stories across campus and professional outlets, led a student investigation into campus housing conditions that prompted a $2M repair commitment, and grew the campus paper newsletter from 1,800 to 6,500 subscribers. Comfortable on deadline, with records, and in front of a source who would rather not talk. Seeking a reporting internship or entry-level reporter role at a daily newsroom.
GPA 3.7. Coursework in News Reporting, Media Law and Ethics, Data Journalism, Multimedia Storytelling, Feature Writing, and Public Affairs Reporting.
Also completed a public records workshop in 2024 and a mobile video journalism course in 2025.
Campus Housing Investigation. Led a 4-month student investigation obtaining 300 maintenance records through university records requests, building a spreadsheet of 1,100 repair tickets by building and response time, and interviewing 40 residents and staff, published as a 5-part series, which prompted a $2M repair commitment, a public forum with 200 attendees, and a state college journalism award.
Newsletter Growth. Redesigned the campus daily newsletter with a morning send time, a 5-story format, a weekly explainer, and a sign-up campaign across 20 campus events, which grew subscribers from 1,800 to 6,500 in 18 months and holds a 45% open rate.
Student Government Spending Tracker. Built a public spreadsheet and chart tracking $1.4M in student government spending across 3 years from 90 budget documents, updated monthly with a short story on notable items, which drew 15,000 views and prompted the student government to publish its own budget dashboard.
Three quite different abilities are evidenced, and keeping them distinct is a sensible choice. Sustained live coverage during a storm requires decisions made on air that cannot be corrected afterwards, the awarded series required months of records work, and the daily turns require neither. Years spent shooting and editing as a one-person crew explain the technical range behind all of it. The explainer format later picked up by other stations points to someone contributing to how a newsroom operates, not only to what goes to air.
(404) 555-0121 ◇ Atlanta, GA
jerome.adebisi@example.com ◇ linkedin.com/in/jerome-adebisi ◇ jeromeadebisi.com
Broadcast journalist with 9 years in television news, currently a reporter and weekend anchor at a network affiliate in the 7th largest television market reaching 2.4 million households. Reports about 4 packages a week, anchors 6 weekend newscasts, and led live coverage of a 3-day hurricane event that drew the highest weekend ratings of the station in 5 years. Won 2 regional Emmy awards for a series on nursing home staffing, and grew the station digital video audience 60% through a daily explainer format. Tells stories that are accurate first, clear second, and memorable third.
Anchor and reporter for the campus television newscast for 3 years. Coursework in Television Reporting, News Producing, Media Law, and Video Editing.
Also completed a drone pilot certification in 2022 and a severe weather reporting course in 2020.
Nursing Home Staffing Investigation. Produced a 6-part television series over 5 months analysing 1,800 state inspection records, building a staffing database for 210 facilities, interviewing 35 families, workers, and officials, and confronting 4 operators on camera, which won 2 regional Emmy awards, drew 2.1 million digital views, and was cited in a state legislative hearing on staffing standards.
Hurricane Live Coverage. Anchored and reported 22 hours of live coverage across 3 days from the studio and 2 field locations, coordinating 6 reporters, live shot logistics with 4 transmission units, and continuous digital streaming, which drew the highest weekend ratings of the station in 5 years and 3 million digital video views.
Daily Digital Explainer. Created a 90-second daily explainer format shot and edited for vertical video, covering 1 local issue a day with graphics and a clear question and answer structure, published across the station website and 3 social platforms, which grew digital video views 60% in 1 year and was adopted by 5 sister stations.
Formats are tied to what they achieved with an audience, so video, audio, and text read as one practice rather than a list of capabilities. A documentary series and a short vertical format reach different viewers for different reasons, and reporting the outcome of each suggests the medium was chosen deliberately. Testing several versions of the video format before settling on one reinforces that impression. Training other reporters is a small entry that changes the reading of the rest, since the formats were built to be used by more than one person.
(303) 555-0168 ◇ Denver, CO
leila.tahiri@example.com ◇ linkedin.com/in/leila-tahiri ◇ leilatahiri.com
Multimedia journalist with 6 years producing stories in text, video, audio, and visuals, currently a multimedia journalist at a digital-first regional news outlet with 4 million monthly readers. Produces about 12 stories a month across formats, built a short documentary series on rural healthcare that drew 5 million views and a national award, and grew the outlet video audience 3 times over in 2 years. Shoots, edits, writes, and publishes without a crew, and picks the format that fits the story rather than the other way round. Believes a good story deserves to be told in whatever medium the audience is actually using.
Coursework in Multimedia Reporting, Documentary Production, Photojournalism, Audio Storytelling, Media Ethics, and Data Visualisation.
Also completed a documentary editing masterclass in 2023 and a podcast production course in 2020.
Rural Healthcare Documentary Series. Reported, shot, and edited a 6-part short documentary series over 8 months across 12 rural counties, with 50 interviews, drone and handheld footage, an accompanying text explainer for each episode, and a data graphic on hospital closures, which drew 5 million views across platforms, won a national online journalism award, and was screened for a state legislative committee.
Vertical Video Explainer Series. Designed a weekly 2-minute vertical video explainer format with a scripted structure, on-screen captions, and a 3-platform publishing plan, tested across 4 format variations in the first 3 months, which grew the outlet video audience from 600,000 to 1.8 million monthly views in 2 years and holds an average completion rate of 62%.
State Politics Podcast. Launched and produced a weekly 8-minute podcast covering state politics with a 2-guest format, a companion newsletter, and a promotion plan across the newsroom, producing 50 episodes in the first year, which reached 40,000 downloads a month and was renewed for 3 further seasons.
Independence raises a question staff work does not, which is whether the reporting holds up without a newsroom structure around it. An on-time record across several hundred assignments answers that plainly, and the mix of retainers, commissions, and a subscriber-funded newsletter describes a practice that does not rest on one editor staying in post. Funding an investigation through a reporting grant belongs to the same reading, since resourcing ambitious work independently is part of the job. The business detail sits alongside the bylines rather than crowding them out.
(503) 555-0175 ◇ Portland, OR
conor.meagher@example.com ◇ linkedin.com/in/conor-meagher ◇ conormeagher.com
Freelance journalist with 7 years reporting on environment, climate, and natural resources, published in 22 national and regional outlets with about 90 bylines a year. Built a freelance practice generating $84,000 a year through retainers with 3 outlets and a self-published newsletter with 9,000 paying and free subscribers, reported a 4-part investigation into water rights trading that won a national environmental journalism award, and holds a 100% on-time delivery record across 400 assignments. Manages pitching, reporting, invoicing, and rights as a business, and reports each story as if it were the only one.
Coursework in Environmental Policy, Science Writing, Investigative Reporting, Natural Resource Economics, and Media Law.
Also completed a data journalism course in 2021 and a wilderness first aid certification for field reporting in 2023.
Water Rights Trading Investigation. Reported a 4-part investigation over 9 months, funded by a $12,000 reporting grant, analysing 2,000 water rights transactions from state records, mapping transfers across 3 river basins, and interviewing 60 farmers, officials, and investors, published by a national outlet, which won a national environmental journalism award and prompted a state audit of the transfer programme.
Environment Newsletter. Launched a weekly newsletter on regional environmental news with an original story, a roundup of 10 links, and a monthly subscriber question feature, grown through cross-promotion with 6 outlets and 3 podcast appearances, which reached 9,000 subscribers including 800 paying members and provides about $28,000 a year in recurring income.
Freelance Business System. Built a freelance operation with a pitch tracker of 40 editors, a retainer structure with 3 outlets covering 45% of income, a rights and licensing policy that resold 30 stories to secondary outlets, and monthly invoicing and cash flow review, which grew income from $41,000 to $84,000 in 4 years with a 100% on-time delivery record.
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