Michelle Walbaum, Patch Staff

<b>Email:</b> Michelle&#64;patch.com 

<b>Phone</b>: 908-887-4319

908-343-9791

<b>Originally From: </b>Long Valley, NJ.

<b>Birthday: </b>January 10

<b>Bio: </b>Michelle graduated from the journalism department at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, and served as an editor at the newspaper there, The Daily Targum. During her college years, she also wrote for several community newspaper groups including Recorder Newspapers, Packet Publications and Gannett&#39;s Home News Tribune. After that she completed an internship at USA Today before coming back to Jersey for an editor position at Packet Publications. She&#39;s thrilled to fill the editor position here at Cranford Patch, as she loves community journalism and the new, interactive tools the Internet offers in terms of local coverage.

Besides writing, Michelle loves music, reading, and pawing through stacks of old LPs at record stores.

<b>Our Beliefs</b><br><br><i>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.</i><br><br><i>This disclosure is not a license for our editors 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 their beliefs are on the record will cause them 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.</i><br><br><b>Politics</b><br><br>    * <i>How would you describe your political beliefs?</i> I am a moderate voter for the most part and don&#39;t belong to a political party. However I tend to lean to the left on many issues.<br><br><b>Religion</b><br><br>    *<i> How religious would you say you are?</i> Although my parents are Methodist, I am still trying to figure out what I believe in terms of religion.<br><br><b>Local Hot Button Issues</b><br><br>    * <i>What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? </i><i>Where do you stand on each of these issues?</i>

As a newcomer to Cranford, I welcome your feedback and suggestions on what issues are important to you. Feel free to e-mail me: Michelle&#64;patch.com.