Email: ryan.fitzpatrick@patch.com
Phone:  708-657-7048
Hometown: Chicago
Birthday: October 20

I grew up on the North West side of Chicago and lived there until high school, when my parents moved us to a remote town in northern Illinois. It didn’t take long for me to come back, however, and I attended college at DePaul University. There, I developed an affinity for news thanks to Chicago journalist Carol Marin and her Producer Don Moseley—my old internship bosses.

As a native Chicagoan, I know the value of hard work and I know what it means to burn the midnight oil. That, combined with an ocean liner full of luck, is what landed me the job as Local Editor for Homewood-Flossmoor Patch. It also brought me, for the first time, to Chicago’s Southland. For this, I’m eternally greatful as working in H-F has undoubtedly been the most intense and valuable learning experience of my life.

I play guitar and drums and I used to play in a punk rock band. I also make short comedy films under the moniker Ratt Bros. Studios. Cooking and eating are also strong passions of mine. As the old Journey song goes, “(I) like a lot of things.”

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

Politics
I like to stay as well-informed as possible on the current political climate and make objective decisions based on that.

Religion
I believe in tolerance.

Local Hot-Button Issues
Homewood and Flossmoor are lucky to exist in a relatively placid environment, but there are most assuredly things to pay attention to. Tax money ependitures, H-F's transition from "Mayberry" to modern times and local business are all a few of the many things on my radar.