Simone Sebastian has reported for professional daily newspapers since she was 17. Since then, she has worked in newsrooms in every major region of the United States and in various media platforms. Her byline has appeared in top-tier publications (including The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle) and she has filed national news stories from the scenes of wildfires, the Democratic and Republican national conventions and California’s first gay marriages. As city news editor of Columbia University’s independent student newspaper in 2001, Simone interviewed witnesses and victims of the September 11 attacks and oversaw the Columbia Spectator’s coverage of its aftermath. As a staff writer, she interviewed presidential candidate John McCain in 2000.

Simone discovered her passion for journalism by accident. Seeking an easy class to balance her rigorous junior-year schedule, Simone signed up for her high school’s newspaper staff.  Within weeks, she was working overtime to publish The Shield and became news editor her senior year. Days after her high school graduation, she began working as a summer intern for the Detroit Free Press. Ten weeks later, she wrote her first A1 story.

Ten years of experience have made Simone a passionate proponent of open government and the public’s right to know.  She is excited to be a reporter during a critical period in the history of professional media. She believes a firm commitment to  journalistic ethics and accuracy, while embracing multimedia news delivery, are key to maintaining the news media's relevance and audience.

Simone combines experience with enthusiasm to produce high-quality journalism. She has proven her ability to transcend print media by delivering news through video, audio and still photography. Via live blog in 2010, Simone broke news of a melee that resulted in multiple arrests at a Brooklyn transit public hearing.

Simone recently earned a master's degree in multimedia journalism from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism, where she concentrated in business reporting.

Photo (top) by Aashish Jethra