Michiana’s two favorite reporters have a lot in common.

Both attended the University of Indianapolis where they lived in the same residence hall and received the same degree. Both cover the Michiana area and currently live in South Bend.

They have also both been married for five years. To each other.

Craig Haupert, community editor for the Niles Daily Star, was the voters’ top pick in Leader Publications’ Best of the Best contest this year. His wife, Kristin Bien, finished at a close second for her work at WSBT in Mishawaka.

Craig got his start in newspaper reporting when he took an elective class at the student newspaper at the University of Indianapolis. Kristin got her start in an introductory television reporting course.

“It was my first day and there was a bank robbery on campus, and that was my first real taste of news,”

Kristin said.

Despite working in the same field, Craig and Kristin describe their personalities as very different.

“I love to talk. I love being in the spotlight,” Kristin said. She said her husband is completely the opposite, recalling an anecdote when Craig once had to appear on camera at a former job in Minot, North Dakota.

“I don’t like being the center of attention,” Craig said. “I was just a wreck the rest of the day trying to figure out a way to get out of it.”

“That’s when we knew Craig was not a TV reporter,” Kristin joked.

Despite working in the same area, Craig and Kristin said they do not cover the same stories very often.

“I work a totally different shift,” Kristin said, explaining that she works the early morning hours, before Craig is even awake. “A lot of what I do is weather or breaking news in the middle of the night.”

Even still, Craig said he sometimes crosses paths with his wife unexpectedly.

“Like today, we were both at the Peace Run,” he said.

“While our jobs don’t really overlap that often, things happen in Niles that we both cover sometimes,” Craig said.

On a few occasions, either Craig or Kristin have received news tips for stories that they both would like to cover. In order to avoid conflict, they have worked out a system for dealing with the bigger news stories.

“It’s like we have to decide, what’s more important, our job or our marriage?” Kristin said. “If we do tell each other about a story, we have to promise not to cover it until the day after.”

Other winners of the Best of the Best contest can be found in the special section inserted in today’s newspapers.