About Kevin Wiatrowski

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WIATROWSKI, KEVIN is a reporter at The Tampa Tribune, in Tampa, Fla. He wears several hats at the NewsCenter, covering local government in the suburbs and crunching data for his own and others' computer-assisted reporting projects. He is also the Tribune's 2010 Census reporter, having earned his stripes covering the 2000 Census for The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C. As a member of the Tribune's data circle, he loves to mine massive databases for the human stories hiding inside them. He has won reporting awards for his coverage of education, environmental and other issues. He has a MA from the University of Missouri and a BA from the University of Virginia. He began his reporting career at 16 as the summer intern at the Page News and Courier, the weekly paper in his home town, Luray, Va. In the late 1990s, he spent most of his grad school loans on long roadtrips out West during semester breaks. These days he's more settled, raising two small boys and a garden in suburbia.

Stories

Digital media stories published elsewhere by Kevin Wiatrowski:

  • Federal Money Accounts for a Quarter of Florida's Economy [edit]
    Examination of 2009 federal spending in Florida and Tampa Bay area shows who's likely to feel the pinch the most when and if newly elected members of Congress keep their pledges to rein in the budget deficit. With interactive map showing per-capita spending by Florida county, Flash-based graphics showing spending over time and breakdown by category, and searchable database of spending at all levels statewide.
  • Where the lottery takes the biggest bite [edit]
    Flash map showing analysis of lottery ticket sales and Bright Futures scholarship awards by ZIP code in Hillsborough County, Fla.
  • Tampa Bay area's Hispanic population is growing [edit]
    A print story based on new Census population estimates was tied to an online story that included a Flash map showing the change in Hispanic population by county for the Tampa Bay region.
  • Pasco County hopes for high-tech jobs [edit]
    A story about Pasco County's effort to lure high-tech job and transform the local bedroom community featured a front-page print story, a local section print story, a television package and a TBO Flash graphic detailing the county's employment base.
  • "Hearts are broken" in toddler's death [edit]
    A day-long search for a missing 2-year-old demanded frequent updates online throughout the day, including still photos I shot and uploaded to TBO.com. I also did a live on-air talkback with the weekend anchor after the sheriff's press conference. Finally, I wrote a story for the next day's print edition built around a second-day lead.
  • Birds shift in annual migration [edit]
    The print story on spring migration had a companion online story that linked readers to a Caspio database where they could input bird sightings around the Tampa Bay area. Sightings were tied to a Google map that plotted sightings by address or intersection. A separate photo gallery let birdwatchers upload photos of birds they had seen during the spring migration.

Writing

Content on this site written by Kevin Wiatrowski (includes contributory writing):