Elliott Blackburn

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Argus Media
August 2011 — present

  • Downstream reporter covering US independent refiners corporate and operational news for an international audience of traders, analysts and executives
  • Comfortable with market fundamentals for crude and refined products, refinery operations, global downstream trends, federal regulation and biofuels policy
  • Extensive work in competitive wire journalism, statistics-based analysis, and executive-level interviews

Lubbock Avalanche-JournalMarch 2005 – August 2011

  • Responsible for series exposing the 1986 wrongful conviction of a man who died in prison. Series led to the Texas’s first posthumous pardon and changes in state law including increases to compensation for exonerated inmates.
  • Covered water politics and agriculture in the world’s largest cotton patch, higher education reporter in a town dependent on the university, government and utilities, and metro staples of courts and crime.
  • First Place, Feature Reporting, 2010 Texas Press Association
    First Place, Specialty Reporting, Class AAA, 2009 Texas APME
    First Place, Community Service, 2009 Texas Press Association
    Gavel Award, 2009
    Second Place, News writing, 2011 Texas Press Association
    Second Place, Community Service Journalism, Class AAA, 2008 Texas APME
    Honorable mention, Star Breaking News Report of the Year, Class AAA, 2007 Texas APME Awards
    Honorable mention, Science Writing, Class AAA, 2006 New Mexico APME Awards

Reuters America Service, Stringer
Feb. 2011 – August 2011

  • West Texas stringer, covering wildfires, agriculture and the first stages of a suspected terrorist. Dispatched to Joplin to cover the tornado disaster, with stories receiving prominent treatment in the Chicago Tribune. At least three stories for Reuters went international.

The Facts, Clute, Texas
June 2004 – March 2005; Texas Associated Press and Managing Editors Class AA Paper of the Year, 2005

  • Cut my teeth on for crime coverage, several city and village councils, energy and industry at an aggressive small circulation paper. Promoted after a matter of months to cover the chemical industry, the largest employer in the coverage area
  • Second place, team investigative reporting, Class AA, 2005 for work on environmental contamination on a proposed school site.

Austin American-Statesman, Williamson County Bureau
May 2003 – July 2003

  • General assignments reporter, covering city issues and contributing to features and profiles to the county and metro editions and contributing a 30-inch, above-the-fold front page story in the all-editions daily

EDUCATION

University of Texas at Austin print journalism program, May 2004

Senior reporter, Daily Texan, 2003-2004
Freelancer, Taylor Daily Press, 2002-2003

Eagle Scout

REFERENCES
Please contact me for reference information