The Boston Globe
I started as a stringer, writing from Latin America, Washington and the former
Yugoslavia. I spent more than two years writing narratives and breaking news
about academia in New England, while also covering everything from the
deadlocked presidential election in Florida to the terrorist attacks in New
York. Some scoops made national news, including Harvard professor Cornel West’s
row with Larry Summers, a cheating scandal at Dartmouth and admissions errors
at Northeastern. Later, I launched a new beat at the paper covering poverty
issues. Stories included how the region's largest homeless shelter cut services
after amassing a multimillion-dollar endowment, how a growing number of welfare
dads fare in a system dominated by women and how shelters barred hundreds of
homeless people on the coldest nights. In 2005, I became co-editor of City
Weekly, the equivalent of an urban magazine, which provided in-depth coverage
of the characters and issues that color Boston. Now, I cover the environment,
focusing mainly on climate change. I have covered the accelerating melt of the
Arctic Ocean from the northernmost city in North America and the impact of the
depletion of the ozone layer on Tierra del Fuego. I have covered the damage of
Hurricanes Irma and Maria on the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and the
collapse of the cod fishery in Newfoundland. In New England, I have exposed the
multibillion-dollar problem presented by nitrogen pollution in the waters off
Cape Cod and drew attention to a conflict to clean up sewage that a
Massachusetts wastewater plant is sending into Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay.
I detailed the health risks of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere and
the trials of complying with new requirements to reduce lead poisoning while
the federal government cuts funding. I have also written extensively about the
area’s fishing industry. In 2013, I was the paper's only reporter at the finish
line of the Boston Marathon during the attacks and played a key role covering
the bombings and the aftermath. That work earned the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for
Breaking News. One story, a narrative about the toll of the bombings on one
family, won the 2015 Ernie Pyle Award for Human Interest Storytelling from
Scripps Howard Foundation and the 2015 Sigma Delta Chi Award for Feature
Reporting. (December 1999 to present)
Nieman fellow at Harvard University
I studied a range of issues at Harvard and MIT, including energy and environmental issues, new media and art history, and documentary filmmaking and narrative writing. (August 2012 to June 2013)
Defense Week
I spent a year covering stories such as the conflict in Kosovo, war games aboard an aircraft carrier and the controversy surrounding the military's testing range in Vieques, P.R. Based in Washington, I spent much of my time at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, reporting about problems with submarine warfare and missile defense, the nation's goal of being able to fight two wars at the same time, pork in the defense budget and allegations of fraud among major contractors. (January to December 1999)
Latin America Freelance Correspondent
Before being deported from Cuba on Christmas Eve, I covered dozens of stories there on everything from the 40th anniversary of the revolution to a crackdown on private businesses to the rise of rebel farmer movements. Among other stories in the region, I covered drug-trafficking issues and the last political-status referendum in Puerto Rico, the rise of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, discrimination against Haitians and the spread of AIDS in the Dominican Republic, as well as the economic meltdown in Argentina and the effects of ozone depletion on Tierra del Fuego. As a stringer, I wrote for more than a dozen papers, including The Globe, Baltimore Sun, Christian Science Monitor, Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald, Newsday and San Francisco Chronicle. (May to December 1998)
The Palm Beach Post
I covered shootings, fires, and other breaking news around West Palm Beach. I wrote a variety of features and computer-assisted stories on police issues. Occasionally, I reviewed books and music. (April 1997 to May 1998)
Mexico City Times
From Mexico City, I traveled around the country, often writing several stories a day on subjects including political reform, corruption in the federal police force, environmental mismanagement, kidnappings and U.S.-Mexican relations. I also reviewed films and classical music. (June 1996 to February 1997)
The (Mexico City) News
Through Northwestern's internship program, I spent a semester as the paper's Washington correspondent, writing daily stories about immigration, U.S. drug policy and the State Department's certification process, NAFTA disputes and various pieces on culture. (January to March 1996)
TEACHING
Harvard University Extension School
I teach a course on travel writing. (June 2013 to present)
Boston University and Emerson College
As an adjunct professor, I taught an advanced reporting class that requires students to cover beats, report a range of stories and post them on this website. (January 2007 to 2011)
Northeastern University
I taught Journalism 101 to fledgling majors. My class provided a comprehensive survey of the craft. Students delved into everything from AP style and news writing to the ethical implications of their work. (January 2004 to 2006)
I teach seminars on travel writing, focusing on how to research stories, find compelling angles, pitch to relevant publications, and craft pieces that sustain a reader’s interest from beginning to end. (March 2007)
EDUCATION
Northwestern University
Medill School of Journalism of Science in journalism, Evanston, Ill. (May 1996)
University of Michigan
College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts, Ann Arbor, Mich. Bachelor of Arts in political science. I also wrote for The Michigan Daily. (May 1994)
Université Libre de Bruxelles
Spent junior year in Brussels, studying European history, French and beer, as a bartender. (January to August 1993)
LANGUAGES
Fluent in Spanish and conversational in French.
@davabel
