ESTHER

BERGDAHL
WRITER, REPORTER and EDITOR, BROOKLYN, N.Y.
esther.bergdahl@gmail.com www.estherbergdahl.com @ejbergdahl

Wide-ranging and curious reporter exploring everything from culture, psychology and tech to politics,
science and arts; specializes in profiles, features, narrative, essays; excited about new formats
Bylines include CityLab, Mental Floss, Vice Health; multimedia cover story for Chicago RedEye
THREAD at Yale: Storytelling in Modern Media, Class of 2016; creative and interdisciplinary
storytelling conference, New Haven, Conn.
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Joined workshops with media leaders and peers, including small-group session led by Linda Gradstein;
provided detailed feedback and led discussions on text, audio and video work; presented comics
adaptation of long-form prose story about the heavy metal of folk

Relevant skills: Making comics, DSLR photography, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Audition,
Premiere, InCopy), social media (Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook), Microsoft Office Suite

JOURNALISM, RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATION EXPERIENCE
MIC
March 2014 Nov. 2015
New York, N.Y.

COPY CHIEF
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

Reported and published popular features on tech, pop culture criticism

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

Masterful command of AP style; journalism ethics, usage rights, shareable writing,

article and site quality

MEDILL NEWS
SERVICE
April June 2013
Chicago, Ill.

URBAN AFFAIRS REPORTER, VETERANS & MILITARY FAMILIES

CENTER FOR
JEWISH GENETICS
May 2009 Dec. 2012
Chicago, Ill.

SENIOR PROGRAM ASSOCIATE

Created beat on veterans and military families; covered military suicide, veteran
homelessness, art therapy, active-duty single mothers and more with print, audio,
video and photo

Conceived, created, edited and promoted original online, video and print content
explaining complex genetic and religious concepts for lay audiences

EDUCATION
NORTHWESTERN
UNIVERSITY
2013
UNIVERSITY OF
CHICAGO
2002 2006

MEDILL SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM

Master of Science in Journalism, Magazine Writing and Editing
NEW COLLEGIATE DIVISION
Bachelor of Arts in Fundamentals: Issues and 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