Francie Swidler joined NBC 5 Chicago in November of 2021 as a morning digital news and social producer. In addition to managing digital content, social media and breaking news for Chicago in the mornings, Francie writes and reports on everything from Chicago’s best bars and burgers, to COVID rules and restrictions, to hyperlocal and suburban Chicago stories.
From 2018-2021, Francie was an Audience Editor at Colorado Public Radio, where she initially served as the news organization’s Social Media Editor. In her tenure at CPR, she led and moderated workshops on journalist social media use and best practices, audience development and trust and reader conversion through newsletters and more.
Francie also produced several large scale pieces, including curating easy-to-read and easy-to-find information about Colorado elections, COVID vaccinations in the Denver area, timelines of major breaking news events like wildfires and more.
Prior to joining CPR, Francie was a digital and social producer for The Denver Post. Starting as an Editorial Assistant in 2012, Francie was on the team that won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of the Aurora Theater shooting. She produced dozens of Facebook Live videos, countless Twitter threads and wrote travel, culture and lifestyle stories.
Francie took a step away from journalism briefly in 2017 to work in public relations at Angi Home Services (formerly HomeAdivsor and Angie’s List), but couldn’t stay away long. She returned to the industry after less than a year.
The Latest
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Portillo's breakfast? 5 locations to offer new pilot menu. See what's on it
Five Portillo’s locations in the Chicago area will soon offer a first-ever breakfast menu under a new pilot — and the menu features some unexpected items.
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10 suburban restaurants, businesses burglarized as shocking video showing suspects smashing door
As many as 10 popular businesses including restaurants and nail salons in the southwest suburbs were burglarized overnight, authorities said, with suspects wearing ski masks going from business to business, leaving behind smashed windows and stolen cash registers.
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CPD officer who died inside 18th District police station ID'd
The off-duty Chicago police officer who died inside the city’s 18th District station overnight has been identified as Malissa Torres, 34, of Chicago, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner.
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‘Our officers are human:' CPD releases statement after officer dies in 18th District station
A large Chicago police presence with more than a dozen CPD squad cars lined the street in front of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago early Thursday following an incident that occurred 18th District Police Station overnight.
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20 restaurants, retail businesses burglarized overnight in southwest suburbs
The smash-and-grabs come amid a slew of other retail burglaries across other Chicago suburbs.
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Could Portillo's soon have a breakfast menu? Social media post hints at ‘test'
An iconic Chicago hot dog and Italian beef spot will soon test a new meal: Breakfast.
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Target launches new limited-time design collaboration with Kate Spade New York
A popular brand that saw its handbag heyday in the 1990s and 2000s is launching a new design partnership with Target this spring.
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Timeline: What to expect and when with potentially severe storms Wednesday
After an already stormy morning, the Chicago area is under a threat of severe weather Wednesday, but what exactly you’ll see and when will depend on where you live.
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New children's museum coming to Chicago suburb at former mall site
The Matteson Children’s Museum will be developed at the once-bustling Lincoln Mall, which shuttered by court order in 2015 and demolished two years later
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Rounds of storms to pummel Chicago area; severe weather possible with hail, tornadoes
Many across the Chicago area Wednesday woke up to stormy weather with rain, thunder and more as the first of multiple rounds of showers and storms pushed through much of Illinois and northwest Indiana.
