A newly created position with oversight over the Sun-Times Media Desk, the groupwide copy, layout and production assets – roughly 90 editors and designers – for eight daily newspapers, one weekly chain of 30 titles and the corresponding websites. Also responsible for training and deployment of cloud-based DTI production system and CMS.

• Report to the Publisher regarding ongoing projects and logistical, editing and personnel assignments.
• Coordinate group publications and projects – including special sections and coverage implementation.
• Sit on senior editor council for strategy and planning for Chicago Sun-Times initiatives and group coordination for the Media Desk.
• Work on strategic planning for iPad and other mobile platform and app development.
• Edit and develop for social media initiatives.

Working at the Medill School of Journalism’s Downtown Chicago newsroom campus, I lead a class concentrating on reporting in multimedia and building Web sites for candidates in the Medill Graduate School.

What began as a focus on sitebuilding using HTML and CSS with Dreamweaver has evolved into a concentration on preparing journalists for the modern newsroom – real, virtual or on the move – using a WordPress-based content management system in a DreamHost hosting environment.

Tools and techniques include:

• Social media – Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr – including a class Tumblr – and other platforms are explored as content tools.
• Mapping – using Google Maps and uMapper and beginning to explore data mapping.
• Timelines – using Dipity, VuVox, Capzles, Timetoast and other apps
• Video – using YouTube and Vimeo
• Site management – using a hosted WordPress account as a dashboard-enabled CMS to create a reported site, explore Search Engine Optimization and best practices for blogging and online journalism.

A dedicated class website with a blog, curriculum and digital journalism information and thoughts is at medill.craigmnewman.com.

Create and manage projects dealing with innovation, strategy and the journalism of the Sun-Times – for print publication and new media.

Projects included:

• Editing our presence on Twitter @suntimes consistently a Top 10-ranked effort in the Chicago Twitter community, which is the third-largest Twitter community in the world, according to TwitterGrader.
• Pushing site traffic using Google Trends and news analysis to report and post stories beyond the usual news reporting cycle and increase our SEO ranking through timeliness.
• New blogging initiatives, including our new pop culture and news blog – blogs.suntimes.com/shinyobjects – to further push SEO presence.
• Editing special sections, Extra editions and books. Develop strategies for breaking coverage, schedule and edit space for publications and coordinate book development, most recently on the Sun-Times commemorative book for the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup championship. and historical commemoration of Mayor Richard J. Daley as he left office.
• New media delivery strategies. Working group devising app development – iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, etc. – looking at current trends and coming demand and technologies for content presentation.

Other duties:

• Continued multimedia and video editing
• Business news content and assignment desk editing
• Budgeting editorial space for the daily print edition
• News editing and coordination for special sections and reports

Charged with producing video reports, live chats and online graphics using various technologies. Work to bridge traditional newsroom information gathering with the Web and New Media staffs.

• Edit and shoot video for Web for a variety of assignments, which have included daily video blogging for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Chicago Cubs and White Sox season coverage, and newsmaker and man-on-the-street interviews. Audio and video editing done in Final Cut Pro, iMovie and Garageband.
• Innovate Web video uses, including streaming Web cams, live video chats and other technologies.
• Graphic reporting and presentation making use of video, Flash and other software and Web solutions – Mogulus, Vuvox, Ustream, Seesmic and others – to create informational graphics and multimedia presentations with photos, video and animation.
• Social networking using Twitter, blogging, Seesmic and other emerging methods to create and maintain a dialog with Sun-Times readers and suntimes.com viewers.
• Conceive and edit hybrid publications that fit between Web and print disciplines, including the P.M. Edition, a downloadable PDF news product, and other publications.
• Web editing and posting of news and sports stories, videos, photos and graphics as needed within the Sun-Times content management system.

With the design director, my responsibilities include oversight of all aspects of visual communication for the 320,000 daily newspaper, concentrating on news, sports, business and graphics.

Additional responsibilities included:

• Innovation and strategy, serve on general manager’s weekly senior staff roundtable among advertising, new media, circulation and editorial departments to brainstorm new initiatives across the print product, Web sites and marketing.
• News and business daily design.
• News Editor for Saturday and Sunday edition, making Page 1 news judgment calls, editing copy for relevance and writing headlines, working on assignment decisions with the Metro desk and managing the copy desk and edition deadline needs.
• Graphics editing and reporting.
• Additional duties include Business Editor on a fill-in basis and morning Sports Assignment Editor as needed.

Art director, designer and editor for news, sports and business sections. Helped create Technology&Innovation section, a weekly business publication focused on the Boston technology sector. Coordinated freelance illustrators and photographers for section front assignments in business and sports. Coordinated the Click publication, a quarterly consumer and business technology publication.

Responsible for planning, design and photography as well as staff management. Oversaw all visual aspects for the award-winning 90,000-circulation newspaper covering Northwest Indiana and the South Side of Chicago and suburbs.

Additional duties and positions at The Times:

• Corporate redesign and technology consultant, charged with reaching out to other properties for the then-Howard Publications chain to work on new product innovation and front-end software training.
• Projects editor, worked in rotation with other senior editing staff to direct coverage of special reports and packages.

Daily news desk design and editing. Daily deadline work editing copy for style and clarity.

Themed features section editor.