Cara McCoy

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Bio


 
 Cara, left, at a news conference following the Jan. 4, 2010, shooting at the Lloyd D. George Federal District Courthouse in Las Vegas. Photo by Sam Morris/Las Vegas Sun.

Cara graduated with honors from Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism in 2006. She was named top graduating senior in her class.

While in school, founded SpeakeasyMag.com, a student-run publication aimed at giving students an opportunity to gain Web skills while at the same time, offering students an alternative to the campus newspaper. She also spent eight months as an intern at the Naples (Fla.) Daily News with Rob Curley. 

She worked on just about every project the Naples Daily News new media team undertook, whether she was writing, gathering data, coding pages or shooting and uploading video. 

She was also the home page editor for "Studio 55," an innovative daily video news podcast.

By the time she finished college, Cara had studied abroad in Germany, Québec and Thailand. In addition to her journalism degree, she has a specialization in French and a certificate in Global Leadership.

Her first job out of school was at The Washington Post. She helped build and maintain LoudounExtra.com, the Post's first foray into hyperlocal journalism.

She also worked on several projects with the Post's business desk, including an in-depth analysis of teen consumers, and produced a daily video podcast about the Washington Nationals.

Cara during a recent hike up Angel's Landing, elevation 5,785 feet, at Zion National Park near Springdale, Utah.
 Cara was recruited to the award-winning Las Vegas Sun in 2008. She is a leader in a "digital-first" newsroom. Her duties include managing a team of reporters, running the local news section,  editing stories (for online and print publication) that range from breaking news to enterprise journalism and coordinating story play both online and in the print edition.

Cara is an ambassador between print and online staffs and is responsible for training others in Web publishing skills, which includes instruction in HTML coding and use of a content management system.
She also is responsible for a daily email newsletter and frequently engages with the local audience through comments moderating and social media sites.

The Las Vegas Sun has won numerous awards for its online journalism, including being judged by the Online News Association and Editor & Publisher as the best news website in its class. It also won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2009 and in 2010, received honorable mention. (Both times, Pulitzer judges lauded the online components of submitted projects.)

Cara is a nimble journalist. She's comfortable as a homepage editor, copy editor and writing coach. She can edit video and moderate comments. She also has experience as a reporter and loves chasing breaking news. 

Additionally, at both The Washington Post and the Las Vegas Sun, Cara has been charged with coordinating college intern programs, in total working with more than two dozen interns over the years.

If you would like to speak with references who can attest to Cara's skills, please email her for a list.

In her free time, Cara enjoys spending time outdoors -- especially at the national parks that pepper the desert Southwest. She recently backpacked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and has enjoyed trips to Zion and Death Valley national parks.