Alex

RUPPENTHAL
Journalist

EXPERIENCE
JANUARY 2014 - PRESENT

Boston

Assistant Editor & Reporter, Medford Transcript/Wicked Local North of Boston

Second in command at paper of record for proud, 385-year-old community of 57,000
five miles from Boston. Earned trust of readers with thorough
and watchdog reporting. Uncovered disciplinary record of 30-year police officer who
threatened to shoot a driver, leading to officers resignation and community dialogue

APRIL 2013 - JANUARY 2014

Chicago

Reporter, Suburban Life LaGrange & Western Springs

Covered five municipalities in western Cook County for publication group with
circulation exceeding 90,000. Broke story of earthquake that rattled Chicagoland
following McCook quarry blast.

MAY - AUGUST 2011

Chicago

Associate Reporter, MLB.com

WHY ME?
My reporting style is similar to my attitude toward
filling out medical history forms: If Im going to add
an entry, I might as well make it count.
At 14, I ran into a brick wall trying to catch a fly ball
during a game of Wiffle ball and wound up needing
three-hour brain surgery.
At 22, I traveled to Germany for a year abroad and
wound up bedridden for eight days in a Munich
hospital infected with the E. Coli bacteria.
The list includes a few more notable bullet points.
But the same ambition and fearlessness is also found
in my reporting.
As my clips demonstrate, I take routine meeting
stories about water rates and turn them into
watchdog reports on a citys 15-year run deflecting
water bills to residents; or use a discussion about
a dilapidated police station as a segue to a story
about a $175,000 architectural study that city
administrators withheld from the City Council; or
follow a tip from a resident fed up with the lack of
support for a public library until it becomes a report
exposing the citys six-year stretch of underfunding
the library, by as much as $250,000 per year.
Ive never been any good at doing things halfheartedly, and I approach stories with the same
determination as deep flies to right field.

Burnt approximately 12,000 calories hiking up and down concourse at Wrigley Field
during summer covering Cubs for Major League Baseballs online media outlet.
Reported and wrote on tight (30-, 60-minute) deadlines.

MAY - AUGUST 2010

Chicago

Editorial Intern, ESPNChicago.com

Part of three-person daytime editorial team running Chicagos most visited sports site.
Interviewed singer Jon Fratelli for feature on United Center anthem during Blackhawks
Stanley Cup run. Published prep sports stories.

AUGUST 2009 - MARCH 2010

Columbia, Mo.

Reporter & Copy Editor, Columbia Missourian

Embarrassed myself in one-on-one matchup with star guard for feature story during
season as beat writer covering University of Missouri mens basketball team. Also,
headline writer, fact checker and last set of eyes for daily paper serving city of 113,000.

MAY - AUGUST 2008

Chicago

Editorial Intern, RedEye

Managed website and web-based projects for daily young-adult tabloid. Reported
multiple sports stories for ChicagoTribune.com and RedEye print publication. Coplanner of online superhero contest marking debut of Marvel Universe movie.

EDUCATION
2007-2011

Columbia, Mo.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
Bachelor of Journalism in Print/Digital Media; Bachelor of Arts in German
Munich, Germany

2011-2012
LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITT MNCHEN

Fellow, Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (program of U.S.

Department of State and German Bundestag)

Alex.Ruppenthal@gmail.com
630-270-6896
www.clippings.me/alexruppenthal.com
81 Newbury St. Apt 1
Somerville, MA 02144
facebook.com/alex.ruppenthal.1
@aruppenthal_MT

linkedin.com/AlexRuppenthal

HONORS
New England First
Amendment Insitute

New England Newspaper &

Press Association

Among 25 journalist fellows selected by

New England First Amendment Coalition
for 2014 workshop on freedom of
information law, public records access and
investigative reporting techniques.

First Place, Transportation Reporting

Second Place, Science/Technology Reporting
Second Place, Sports Story (all 2014)

Associated Press Sports Editors

Hearst Foundation

Second Place, Explanatory Reporting, 2010

Top Ten, Explanatory Reporting, 2009

Fifth Place, In-Depth Writing, 2011