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kandel.jason@gmail.com
I’m a journalist who has used database skills and public records requests to reveal rising police and fire overtime costs. A former cops reporter, I uncovered murder plots and fraud by Armenian organized crime gangs. As an online editor, I helped raise the profile of two news websites by driving record traffic and winning awards for breaking news, multimedia, and social media.
Experience
Thomson Reuters
Freelance Reporter — July 2011-Present
Writing spot news, covering court cases, entertainment stories and enterprising new trends in Los Angeles for a national audience.
San Fernando Valley Business Journal
Contributing Reporter — July 2011-Present
Writing about new business trends and profiles.
Southern California Public Radio
Online Managing Editor — Aug. 2009-July 2011
Directed the website’s first six projects to win online awards. Directed the coverage of the November 2010 state and national elections, which broke site traffic records.
Dailynews.com
Online Editor — Oct. 2008-Aug. 2009
Produced an L.A. city firefighter overtime salary database that broke website traffic records. Drew record traffic to a multimedia series about survivors of the Sayre Fire.
Dailynews.com
Senior Web Reporter — May 2007-Oct. 2008
Launched many of the biggest projects during a record-breaking year of Web traffic. Led the coverage of the killing of a Los Angeles police officer and major brush fires.
Los Angeles Daily News
Staff Writer — Oct. 1999-May 2007
Exposed Russian and Armenian organized crime figures running health insurance scams and murder plots. Uncovered stories about firefighter hazing incidents.
Los Angeles Times
Reporter —1998-1999
Contributed to an award-winning series about a Disneyland ride accident that left a man dead and his wife paralyzed after they were hit by a metal boat cleat.
Education
California State University, Fullerton
Bachelor’s degree, communications.
Honors
Southern California Journalism Award – 2011
Second place, Best Facebook Presence by an Organization.
Southern California Journalism Award – 2010
First place, Online, “Pumps Under Pressure: A story of risk and reliability after Katrina.”
Southern California Journalism Award – 2010
First place, Best Blog, “Station Fire Coverage.”
Digital Leadership Summit for Public Radio Stations – 2009
Fellowship for public radio stations adapting in the digital age.
Southern California Journalism Award – 2009
Second place, Online News, “Coverage of Brush Fires,” dailynews.com.
California Newspaper Publisher’s Association – 2008
Second place, Best Website, dailynews.com.
Knight Digital Media Center Fellow – 2008
Selected for database training at the University of California, Berkeley.
U.S. State Department Speaker and Specialist Program – 2007
Recruited to speak to journalists in Colombia about crime reporting.
U.S. State Department Speaker and Specialist Program – 2006
Recruited to lead a workshop for Albanian reporters on crime reporting.
Skills
Microsoft Excel and Access, computer assisted reporting, HTML, Caspio, blogging, SEO, social media, WordPress, content management systems, Web layout, digital video and still cameras, Final Cut, Adobe Photoshop, project management, Google Analytics, Omniture, Brightcove.