Caitlin Burgess, Patch Staff

Email: caitlin.burgess@patch.com

Phone: 612-965-5715

Hometown: Richfield, MN

Birthday: May 15, 1985

Caitlin Burgess comes to Richfield Patch with community journalism and social media background.

Caitlin is a Richfield native and graduated from Richfield High School in 2003. She went on to study print journalism and Spanish at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. While in college, Caitlin wrote for the school newspaper and had a handful of internships, including writing script for an educational documentary.

After college, Caitlin managed a retail store before becoming a freelance writer for the Twin Cities Daily Planet, a nonprofit community newspaper. She wrote on a variety of topics including: The U.S. Census, community events, nonprofits receiving grants and books. It was here where she learned about citizen journalism and the importance of "covering the uncovered" issues and people in the community.

While writing for the Daily Planet, Caitlin became the editorial intern for FenderBender magazine, a collision repair trade publication in St. Paul. Here she was charged with establishing a presence on social media platforms. She also wrote daily content for the Web and monthly content for the printed version.

Now, Caitlin is responsible for anything and everything that goes on with Richfield Patch. She edits reports, and manages freelancers and Web content.

When Caitlin isn't working, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She likes shopping, watching old movies, going out to eat and attending social events.

At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for them to inject their beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: We hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.

Politics

I have never been one to follow politics very closely. I grew up in a liberal household where I was told to vote based on issues.

Religion

I was baptized Episcopalian, confirmed Lutheran and given a degree from a Catholic university. I would say I am more "spiritual" than one thing or another.

Local Hot Button Issues

I've been impressed with how well informed people in the community are. In these times, jobs, schools and taxes are the main concerns of the community. However, I also think arts and leisure are extremely important to Richfield residents.