Resume

Justin Sayers
justin.sm.sayers@gmail.com

Experience

Local Government Reporter (August 2019-present)
Contribute enterprise, features and daily news stories as a watchdog for Pima County, Marana, Oro Valley and the University of Arizona.

Freelance Reporter (January 2015-June 2015)
Reported stories for the newspaper’s food and home and life sections, including feature articles as well as a weekly Q&A with local chefs.

Features Apprentice (August 2014-Dec. 2014)
Reported feature stories for Caliente, the newspaper’s food and entertainment guide, including Chef du Jour, a weekly profile and Q&A with local chefs.

Food and Business Apprentice (June 2013-August 2013)
Profiled local businesses and restaurants.

The Courier Journal, Louisville, Kentucky.

Sports Reporter (May 2018-May 2019)
Published breaking news reports, trending stories and enterprise features about the area’s sports teams, athletes and coaches.

General Assignment Reporter (Dec. 2017-April 2018)
Cover trends and issues in the Louisville Metro area, with a focus on the opioid crisis and the FBI’s investigation into college basketball.

Southern Indiana Communities (May 2017-Nov. 2017)
Cover trends and issues as a watchdog for Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana.

Breaking News Reporter (May 2016-May 2017)
Published articles on arrests, press conferences, court cases, accidents and fires.

The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona.

Pulliam Fellow (June 2015-Dec. 2015)
Covered business and public safety for Arizona’s largest daily newspaper.

Arizona Sonora News Service, Tucson, Arizona.

Public Affairs Reporter/Data Team (Sept. 2014-Dec. 2014)
Covered crime, business and government for journalism school’s news service.

The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.

Teacher’s Assistant (Aug. 2014-Dec. 2014)
Graded papers and assisted with teaching for Journalism 150C1: News in a Digital Age.

The Hartford Courant, Hartford, Connecticut.

Dow Jones News Fund Sports Editing Intern (June 2014-Aug. 2014)
One of 85 interns selected from more than 600 applicants. Attended daily sports budget meetings to discuss story placement and copy edited sports stories.

Inside Tucson Business, Tucson, Arizona.

Intern (Jan. 2014-May 2014)
Wrote feature stories and hard news articles about public affairs in downtown Tucson, specifically about downtown revitalization.

UATV, Tucson, Arizona.

Sports Director (Aug. 2013-May 2014)
Contacted public information officers, coordinated reporters and reported from local sporting events.

Executive Producer (Jan. 2013-May 2013)
Wrote scripts for the weekly news broadcast. Communicated weekly with anchors and reporters to obtain information for the script. Ran the teleprompter during newscasts.

Zona Zealots, online.

Lead Editor/Contributing Writer (July 2013-Dec. 2013)
Wrote articles for the Arizona Wildcats affiliate of Sports Illustrated’s FanSided.com network. Managed staff of writers, the blog’s website and social media accounts.

Tombstone Epitaph, Tombstone, Arizona.

Editor in Chief (Aug. 2013-Dec. 2013)
Supervised editing shifts and took first reads on all stories. Led budget meetings. Mediated disputes about content, story placement or story publication in print and online versions.

Tomahawk Talk, online.

Founder/Publisher (July 2012-July 2013)
Created and managed blog about the Atlanta Braves. Wrote articles and opinions about the team.

Examiner.com, online.

Glendale and Tucson Sports Examiner (June 2011-June 2013)
Contributed sports stories for the Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona, areas.

Wagerocity.com, online.

Intern (Sept. 2012-Jan. 2013)
Wrote game previews for NFL, NBA, NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball for Arizona teams. Provided readers with betting recommendations based on Vegas odds.

College Grub Hub, online.

Founder/Publisher (Oct. 2012-Dec. 2012)
Designed and launched website providing recipes aimed at college students. Profiled students with unique recipes. Voted most sustainable idea in entrepreneurial journalism class.

Education

University of Arizona, School of Journalism, Tucson, Ariz.

Journalism with minor in Psychology. Graduated cum laude. (May 2014)

M.A. in Journalism as part of an Accelerated Master’s Program. (Dec. 2019)

Skills

Conversant in Hebrew and Spanish.
Proficient in Final Cut Pro X, iMovie, Adobe Photoshop CS6, QuarkCopyDesk, CCI NewsDesk, CCI NewsGate, Presto, Microsoft Office, WordPress, Blogger and many social media tools, including Facebook and Twitter

Awards and Affiliations

Dean’s List With Distinction, Spring 2012 and Fall 2012
Dean’s List, Spring 2011, Fall 2013 and Spring 2014
Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievement, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2011-2014
Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Achievement in Journalism, 2014 and 2015
Arizona Excellence Tuition Award, 2011-2014
The D.C. “Darn Cat” Scholarship and The SPJ Endowed Scholarship, 2014
Member: Society of Professional Journalists, Investigative Reports and Editors, Online News Association

*References available upon request