Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/76514
workWith Me Judith Davidoff One of the city's veteran watch- dogs turns another corner in her career As far as political news is concerned, it's been a happening year for Madison—from big budget changes (and challenges) and protests to the recent recall elections. And there are few who have had a front-row seat to it all quite like Judith Davidoff. "Th e last year of news has been really crazy," admits the 20-year veteran jour- nalist with a laugh. Now approaching her one-year anniver- Davidoff's Most Memorable Moment Since returning to Isthmus, Davidoff's proudest accomplish- ment has been coordinating the paper's recall election cover story with other staff. Pulled together the morning after the vote, Davidoff and staff worked quickly to send a story to the presses that day that included reactions from a handful of Madison's noteworthy public fi gures. "We wanted to capture the emotion of the moment," she says. sary as news editor of Isthmus, Madison's weekly paper, her downtown offi ce keeps her steps away from the action simmering beneath the Capitol dome. But it was also a career move that, in a way, brought her full circle. A transplant from the East Coast, Davidoff began laying roots in Madison as a gradu- ate student studying public policy in the '90s. With her heart set on writing, she also backs and layoffs that have plagued the journalism industry over recent years. "I feel really grateful given the state of took a few journalism class- es, a choice that led her to publish her fi rst freelance piece in Isthmus. By 1994, Davidoff had become the features editor at the paper and has since weathered the cut- journalism … that I still have a job and that I was actually able to move into something new," she explains. From features editing to becoming a reporter and then news editor for Th e Capital Times before returning to Isthmus last year, her action-packed career has also earned her numerous accolades. Most recently, Wisconsin Women in Govern- ment awarded Davidoff with a "Women of Achievement" award in journalism and mass communications in May. Now happily back at Isthmus, Davidoff admits that with the nonstop cycle of news, it can be diffi cult to catch a mental break. "Th is is a job that bleeds into your per- sonal life," she says. "It's very hard to have boundaries." But, like any news junkie, there's no- where else she'd rather be. August 2012 bravamagazine.com 33 Photo by Shanna Wolf