Danielle Shapiro

New York, NY USA
Contact

Professional Experience

I am an experienced print journalist with a background at newspapers and magazines. My writing focuses on human rights, women's rights and children's lives in the developing world. I have recently published pieces about the impact of the war in Libya on children in Sirte, press freedom in Liberia, a matrilineal society in Indonesia, and several covering sexual violence, public health and security in the DR Congo. I am willing to travel to most places around the globe and, with my international reporting skills, I am able to deliver thought-provoking and engaging stories. As an education reporter for two years, I wrote effectively about public officials, local politics, educational innovations and young children. I have two master's degrees -- one in international human rights law and the other in journalism from Columbia University. I am a clear, accurate and thorough writer and I am well-versed at sourcing, fact-checking and meeting (and beating) deadlines.

Expertise

Reporter
5 Years
Writer
5 Years

Specialty

Education
2 Years
Travel
3 Years
Women's Issues
5 Years

Industries


Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines
1 Year
Newspaper - Local/Regional
3 Years
Nonprofit
1 Year

Total Media Industry Experience

5 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Women's Adventure Magazine (1-2), Good Magazine Web site (1-2), Herald News (10+), Planet Jackson Hole (10+), Jackson Hole News and Guide (6-10), Christian Science Monitor (3-5), The Daily Beast (3-5), Women's eNews (3-5), A Small World Magazine (online) (1-2)

Other Work History

Ski Instructor, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Domestic and Dating Violence Educator, Family Violence Law Center, Oakland, CA

Foreign Language Skills

Italian -- highly conversational, French -- conversational, Spanish -- basic

Computer Skills

Word, basic excel, Lexis searches

Equipment

laptop, digital camera, digital recorder

Work Permits & Visas

US Citizen

References

Sandy Padwe, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University Journalism School 212 854 3836 sp9@columbia.edu Merrill Perlman, former copy desk director, New York Times, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University Journalism School meperl@gmail.com Stephen McCarthy, editor, Herald News 973-569-7100 mccarthys@northjersey.com

Awards

Second place, Magazine Reporting, New Jersey Chapter Society Of Professional Journalists Excellence In Journalism Awards; the story, “The Kids Really Are All Right,” appeared in Inside Jersey Magazine. (2012) First place in the Robert P. Kelly Award from the New Jersey Press Association while at the Herald News. Award given to a first-year reporter at a daily paper with a circulation under 60,000. (2007) James A. Wechsler Award for National Affairs Reporting for my Masters project at Columbia about Muslim Americans in the U.S. military. (2006)

Showcase

Herald News Clips

Pomp and consequence
(Herald News 6/20/2008)
Not everyone moves from eighth-grade to high-school. Some students, with failing grades, must re-do the academic year. None are too thrilled.
Fire violations shutter schools
(Herald News 9/7/2007)
After just one day of classes, the Paterson mayor and Fire Department closed 26 schools for fire code violations.
JFK teachers say school is out of control
(Herald News 2/20/2008)
Teachers file a complaint with the state about student violence and profanity and an un-safe work environment.
Lessons in Courage
(Herald News 2/21/2007)
Ron Tuitt doesn't let his disability and discomfort keep him from teaching second-graders reading and math skills, with some life-lessons to boot.
For mothers, daughters, threads knit lasting bond
(Herald News 8/26/2007)
A personal essay on my memories back-to-school shopping with my mother.
The last word on teen lingo
(Herald News 5/15/2008)
More and more, cell phone texting lingo (read: OMG, IDK, L8R) is seeping it's way from the mobile phone screen onto the notebook and exam page -- much to teacher's chagrin.
Come alng and listen to
(Herald News 3/23/2008)
What does it take to put together a high school musical?
Facing a challenge
(Herald News 6/22/2008)
Four teenage mothers describe what it's like to juggle parenthood and homework; diapers and college applications.
Shopping involves fine art of negotiation
(Herald News 8/26/2007)
The back-to-school shopping ritual is not always an easy one for mothers and daughters. Inside the fitting room, lots of haggling ensues.
Love is a slippery slope
(Herald News 3/9/2008)
A personal essay about how to teach a loved one to ski -- without losing their love...

General

Mothers in Congo get help in raising children of rape
(The Christian Science Monitor 5/9/2010)
Group homes and networks are helping mothers in Congo to counter harsh discrimination as well as their frequent reluctance to accept children of rape. Since fighting engulfed eastern Congo in the late 1990s, hundreds of thousands of women have been victims of sexual violence.
Nepal's Wild West
(Women's Adventure magazine 9/1/2010)
On a visit to the rugged rural mountains of western Nepal, writer Danielle Shapiro discovered a land rich in natural beauty and poor in nearly every other way. Meet the three-sister team that is changing the lives of Neplai women one trail, one guide, and one trek at a time
Winter Hot List: The 2009 Ski Report
(A Small World Magazine -- ASmallMagazine 1/29/2009)
What's hot for the 2009 ski season from engineering feats by way of the chairlift, to volcanic skiing, environmentally-friendly gear, and a fabulous European lodge.
Labors of Love
(Good Magazine 4/2/2009)
Every few minutes a woman in India dies as a result of her pregnancy. Suellen Miller and Stacie Geller may have found a low-tech, low-cost and effective way to keep these mothers alive.
People Making a Difference: Nadia Bitar helps Liberian orphans
(The Christian Science Monitor 7/21/2009)
Nadia Bitar works to help her native Liberia recover from a devastating civil war with her non-profit, Haven Missions, an organization aimed at improving the lives of the country's orphans.
Kids of War: Libyan Children Fight a New Battle at School
(The Daily Beast 6/30/2012)
While Libya lurches forward to its landmark parliamentary election, its children face a brutal conflict on the playground.
In Congo, Women Put Power Behind Rejoicing
(Women's eNews 3/14/2010)
On International Women's Day there's no better place to be than Bukavu, in the troubled eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The outfits are spectacular, the dancing is spirited and the horn orchestra keeps playing through the rain.
Congo: UN scrambles to better protect civilians in wake of mass rape
(The Christian Science Monitor 11/13/2010)
The UN's largest peacekeeping force failed to prevent mass rape by Congo rebels in July. Now it's pushing to be more proactive – and more innovative – in its mission to protect civilians.
Inside Congo's Floating Hospital
(The Daily Beast 3/1/2011)
Amy Lehman is working furiously to build a floating hospital that will bring medical care to millions of hard-to-reach people in Congo. Danielle Shapiro reports from the water.
The Kids Really Are All Right
(Inside Jersey 6/1/2011)
It can be difficult, but it's a journey ultimately worth taking, say children with gay parents.
Congo Rape Crisis: Study Reveals Shocking New Numbers
(The Daily Beast 5/11/2011)
According to a new study, the pandemic of sexual violence in war-torn Congo is far worse than previously reported—with four women raped every five minutes. Danielle Shapiro investigates what the numbers mean.
Liberian Writer Mae Azango Forced Into Hiding for Story on Female Genital Cutting
(The Daily Beast 3/23/2012)
Ever since she published a front-page story about female genital cutting within a secret society of women, the Liberian journalist Mae Azango has lived in fear, and threats have sent her into hiding�but she says she will continue to speak out.
Islam's Secret Feminists
(The Daily Beast 9/4/2011)
In an obscure, devoutly Muslim ethnic group in Indonesia, women are revered—and own key land and property. Danielle Shapiro reports on the world’s largest matrilineal society.