Esther

Bergdahl
esther.bergdahl@gmail.com (917) 733-2714 www.estherbergdahl.com @ejbergdahl

Copy chief, Mic (Sept. 2014Nov. 2015)
Managed team of five copy editors, set standards for fast-paced online newsroom of 45; supervised and
participated in editing, fact-checking, refining and formatting 50-plus daily stories, from breaking news
to deeply reported long features, seen by 25 million monthly readers

Masterful command of AP style; journalism ethics, usage rights, shareable writing, article and site quality
Developed and led company-wide and new employee trainings (style, ethics, fact-checking, readability)
Created daily style guide based on morning news budget for entire editorial team
Collaborated with section editors on writer improvement measures through detailed individual weekly
feedback; worked one-on-one with writers to troubleshoot and improve writing and reporting
Led fact-checking and research initiatives to improve site reporting, including presentations and resources
from the American Press Institute and the American Copy Editor Society
Reported and published popular features on tech, pop culture criticism
Began as dedicated freelance copy editor, MarchSept. 2014

Other Journalism, Writing and Digital Experience
Medill News Service, Urban Affairs Reporter, Chicago (AprilJune 2013)
Reported on veterans and military families; covered military suicide, veteran homelessness, art therapy,
active duty single mothers and more with print, audio, video and photo
Produced Medill News Service website; determined editorial direction; composed and scheduled
promotion of MNS social media; worked with reporters to improve stories and follow AP style guidelines;
oversaw newsroom and managed budget, reporter schedules
Picked up by Austin Weekly News, Alliance of Hope for Suicide Survivors, National Veterans Art Museum

Magpie & Whale, www.magpieandwhale.com (Jan. 2011present)
Create and promote original essays, reviews, photography and fiction
Engage and expand audiences through Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook

Center for Jewish Genetics, Senior Program Associate, Chicago (May 2009Dec. 2012)
Created, edited and promoted original online, video and print content explaining complex genetics and
religious concepts for lay audiences
Led website redesign campaign and introduced Twitter, blog, Facebook integration to modernize brand,
resulting in increased traffic and heightened awareness of issue among target populations

Education
Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University (Jan.Dec. 2013)
Master of Science in Journalism, Magazine Writing and Editing
Magazine track representative, Medill Graduate Student Advisory Council

University of Chicago (Sept. 2002June 2006)
Bachelor of Arts in Fundamentals: Issues & Texts
A Great Books program focused on original close reading, research and analysis
First place, David Blair McLaughlin Prize for essays demonstrating special skill and sense of
form in the writing of English prose, June 2006

Relevant Skills: Social media (Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook), content management systems (WordPress,
Drupal, custom/other), Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Audition, Premiere), Basecamp,
Asana, coding (HTML, CSS, jQuery, Javascript)