Richmond, Virginia, United States
I'm an award winning news reporter/editor with more than 25 years of professional experience in the news media, including two years as a reporter for BILD, the largest national daily publication in my native Germany, and more than four years with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. I'm currently the senior Virginia politics reporter and deputy editor at The Virginia Mercury, one of the most read non-profit online news platforms in the commonwealth. Since moving to Virginia I have won a total of 20 Virginia Press Association Awards. I am the current President of the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association and I have served as the Vice President of the VCCA from 2023 - 2024. Among my skills and qualifications: • Tenacious and thorough researcher with good instinct and passion for snooping out the story behind the story • Adept storyteller, fast typist with a clean and creative writing style and the capacity to meet tough deadlines • Professional demeanor and ability to collaborate well with supervisors and colleagues • Uncompromising interviewer who doesn’t shy away from asking tough questions • Social media savvy and avid multi-tasker • Strong work ethic • Bilingual (English and German) • Skillful photographer/videographer/video editor (iPhone/iPad/iMovie).
My role as the senior Virginia politics reporter and deputy editor for The Virginia Mercury includes covering - The executive branch (Governor) - The legislative branch (Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia State Senate) - Virginia's congressional delegation - elections coverage (state and federal) - Investigative reporting
My role as the Virginia politics reporter for Cardinal News includes covering - The executive branch (Governor) - The legislative branch (Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia State Senate) - Virginia's congressional delegation with a primary focus on the 5th, 6th and 9th Districts - Elections coverage (state and federal) - Investigative reporting
- Conceptualize, write and edit stories of varying length for all Virginia Living issues and all special supplements - Copy edit and fact check stories and layouts and enter changes in inCopy - Work with editorial team to develop innovative approaches for digitally showcasing content from the print magazine, including conceptualization and production of multimedia material, and contribute to overall digital publishing strategy - Maintain digital media sites, monitor and update all social marketing platforms - Promote print and digital content and maintain brand voice across all platforms - Coordinate with staff to effectively promote special projects and supplement issues
From 2013 to 2015, I covered state and national politics for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, including the Virginia House of Delegates legislative sessions and elections, Attorney General Mark R. Herring and Virginia's two United States Senators Mark R. Warner and Timothy M. Kaine. I also spent much time covering the congressional and House of Delegates redistricting cases and Virginia's path to the legalization of same-sex marriage. From 2015-2016 I focused primarily on in-depth coverage of the Petersburg finance crisis as well as Chesterfield County government and schools. In more recent months I covered Richmond's thriving arts community for the RTD's Features team, putting the spotlight on local artists and international stars coming through the city. My weekly print column and video chat "Cornered - with Markus Schmidt" have become a staple of the paper's culture coverage.
I covered local government, crime and courts and wrote features.