For the second straight year, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted us to shift our gala annual awards banquet to an enjoy-from-home online contest reveal instead, and it’s coming up on Saturday, May 1^st at noon MT.

You can still dress up in your finery if you choose, and please feel free to share the news about your successes online with the hashtag #idahopressclub. We’ve all worked incredibly hard in the past year under extremely challenging conditions, and the accolades for doing good journalism in Idaho are extraordinarily well-deserved.

Our contest includes divisions ranging from daily and weekly publications to television, online journalism, photography, audio, all-media awards, public relations, and student journalists’ work. And even in this difficult year, we had more than 1,000 entries across all divisions and categories, beating last year’s level. Our contest was judged by our peers around the country, just as we help judge journalism contests for other states. The competition was stiff – some categories had more than two dozen entries competing for the awards!

Whether you won a first-place plaque, took second or third place, won an honorable mention, or just competed in this talented field, your hard work is deserving of praise. On May 1, we honor all Idaho journalists. Your work has kept Idahoans informed when they needed it most, and helped spread light in a very dark year.

On May 1, just go to idahopressclub.org at noon MT (or any time thereafter), to find out the results of this year’s “Best of 2020” Annual Awards Contest. Full results will be unveiled there for all divisions and categories.

The actual plaques and certificates will either be shipped or delivered to you or your newsroom in the coming weeks; if you have any questions about that, our executive director, Martha Borchers, can help.

So check the results, fire off a tweet, lift a cup, snap a selfie, take a victory lap, cheer your colleagues, and celebrate on Saturday. And don’t forget the hashtag (#idahopressclub)!

Betsy Z. Russell is the Boise bureau chief for the Idaho Press and is the president of the Idaho Press Club.

We skipped the bacon this year. But we got the quotes

By Audrey Dutton

Last year’s Idaho Press Club legislative headliner events were among the last large gatherings some of us attended before the pandemic struck Idaho.

This year, we took the annual Governor’s Breakfast and Legislative Luncheon to Zoom.

That didn’t exactly ease our Zoom fatigue, and we missed seeing each other in person, chatting and enjoying the breakfast and lunch buffets. But this approach did have some perks:

— We could open the event to journalists and Press Club members around the state.

— We didn’t have to charge for admission.

We also scheduled the events within a week of each other — for the first time in at least a decade. This gave us the opportunity to press the executive and legislative branches for answers on the same issues, at about the same time.

Southwest Chapter board member Mike Sharp moderated the live Q&A with Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday, March 3, and with House and Senate leaders from both parties on Monday, March 8.

Dozens of you joined the calls, asking these state leaders about everything from pandemic response to education and tax policy to housing costs and minimum wage.

In case you missed the events, Southwest Chapter board member James Dawson recorded them for you. For video or audio recordings of the Governor’s Breakfast, click here. For an audio recording (mp3) of the legislative headliner event, click here.

Audrey Dutton is a senior reporter for the Idaho Capital Sun and is the president of the Southwest Chapter of the Idaho Press Club.

Tom Michael is General Manager of Boise State Public Radio, which he joined as its director in July 2016. In February 2018 he launched the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration of six public media organizations across five states, and serves as its managing director. In April 2018 he launched “Idaho Matters,” a weekday public affairs program, and serves as its executive producer. Tom has more than a decade of experience in public media management, as the founder of Marfa Public Radio and West Texas Public Radio. In 2015 and 2016, his news department won the largest number of regional Edward R. Murrow Awards among radio stations of its class. It also won a National Murrow Award in 2016 for investigative reporting.

Interviewed by Tara Roberts

How did you get your start in radio?

I’ve been in media and journalism all my career, but my first was a side job. I hosted a weekly interview show in suburban Chicago, which felt small at the time but was probably the largest market I’ve served. Later I founded and launched Marfa Public Radio in West Texas and managed it for a decade.

Tell us about one of your favorite stories you’ve worked on.

Ten years ago this month, we covered the start of what became the largest wildfire in Texas history (in terms of acreage). In its opening moments, I stood before the house as the fire jumped the road and headed toward populated areas. For a month afterward, as it burned, it felt like we never left the radio station, but it catapulted us into public-service journalism.

In 2016 I was one of the first reporters on the scene when Justice Antonin Scalia suddenly died, which set off a series of events about the selection of the Supreme Court that continues to this day. But that was more of a national than local story.

You came to Idaho from Texas — what lessons from your time in radio there did you bring here? 

I learned about managing people and the power of local journalism. It’s been so fun at Boise State Public Radio to work with such a dedicated staff, to launch shows like Idaho Matters, and to create the Mountain West News Bureau.

How has radio changed in the last decade, and where do you think it’s going in the next? 

Public radio has enjoyed a successful decade compared to some of its commercial colleagues. The audience was ready for smart “background in context” stories, as opposed to headline snippets, opinion rants, and DJ banter. NPR has been a longtime leader in podcasting. Like most media, optimizing the digital experience is a large part of our future. 

You helped launch the Mountain West News Bureau — what has that taught you about the ways media organizations can work together?

We just cannot achieve scale on our own. In a big-tech, big-conglomerate world, the only way to have greater impact is to team up. We need to partner with other public media, other local media, and other non-profit institutions. We launched the Mountain West News Bureau, with reporters across several states, because most stories (especially on culture and the environment) don’t stop at state lines.

How do you think Idaho newsrooms can improve our approaches to inclusivity and equity?

We have near-weekly conversations on this and staff has attended webinars and training on how to best serve and represent the public, which is our guiding mission. Today’s changes, and sometimes they’re incremental, pay off in the long run. Although Idaho is considered a less diverse state, as a smaller broadcast market, it’s also viewed as a career stepping-stone. Therefore, we can capitalize on this opportunity to mentor younger and more diverse journalists in their early careers.

What tips do you have for students interested in radio?

It seems that RTF (Radio, Television, Film) specialty college programs are in decline, but for newsrooms, strong communication and journalism skills are always in demand. We talk about an “editor shortage” in public media, so there are long-term career opportunities for today’s students. 

What are your favorite places in Idaho?

The Wood River Valley, the West-Central Mountains, and the beautiful Boise foothills.

Tara Roberts is the student media adviser and general manager for University of Idaho Student Media and is a member of the Idaho Press Club board.

We asked Idaho Capital Sun editor Christina Lords to write about the new entry in Boise’s news market; here is her article.

By Christina Lords

Idahoans now have a new resource for online state politics news: the Idaho Capital Sun.

The Idaho Capital Sun will have a strong focus on government accountability, campaign finance, health care (including mental health), growth and affordable housing, legislative coverage, and other state and capital city political issues. We’ll also focus on some environmental reporting with hopes to expand that coverage with a full-time reporter in the future.

Our site, IdahoCapitalSun.com, will feature news stories from reporters with the Capital Sun and States Newsroom’s Washington, D.C., bureau, as well as commentary from editor Christina Lords and guest columnists. Our website is also where readers can sign up for our morning email newsletter, The Sunrise, as well as donate to our mission.

Launched March 31, the nonprofit online-only outlet represents the 21st U.S. state onboarded through our parent organization, States Newsroom. New Hampshire launched its own States Newsroom outlet about two weeks after Idaho, and there are also plans to expand into states such as Oregon this year. States Newsroom has other online outlets in the West, including in Montana, Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada. We hope to be able to collaborate in the future on stories, especially relating to public land management and the environment, with our colleagues in these other Western newsrooms.

States Newsroom provides the initial startup funding to establish a team of experienced reporters through donations, grants, and philanthropic endeavors, while any donations made through the IdahoCapitalSun.com site go directly to supporting our Idaho operation. Donations will go toward expanding our staff, equipment purchases, and unexpected legal challenges, such as suing for access to public records that have been denied to us. Donations will also support freelance reporting, photography, and guest columnists.

The Idaho Capital Sun will not rely on advertising, paid subscriptions, or a paywall, and it offers its coverage to any other Idaho outlet for free with proper attribution.

Our team consists of editor-in-chief Christina Lords, senior reporter Audrey Dutton, reporter Clark Corbin, and reporter Kelcie Moseley-Morris.

Christina Lords comes to the Idaho Capital Sun after serving as editor of the Idaho Statesman for the last two years. She has also worked at the Idaho Press, the Post Register, and the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, largely covering state and local government throughout her career.

Audrey Dutton joined the Idaho Capital Sun after 10 years at the Idaho Statesman. Her favorite topics to cover include health care, business, consumer protection issues, and white-collar crime. Dutton hails from Twin Falls.

Clark Corbin has more than a decade of experience covering Idaho government and politics. Prior to joining the Idaho Capital Sun, he covered every Idaho legislative session from 2011-2020 gavel-to-gavel, first for the Idaho Falls Post Register and most recently with Idaho Education News.

Kelcie Moseley-Morris is an award-winning journalist who has covered education, state politics, and local government across Idaho since 2011. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Idaho and a master’s degree in public administration from Boise State University. Moseley-Morris started her journalism career at the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, followed by the Lewiston Tribune and the Idaho Press.

The best way to support and follow our work at the Idaho Capital Sun is to sign up for our email newsletter, donate to our mission or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Ruth Brown has been hired as a producer/writer for Idaho Public Television. Previously, Brown worked as a reporter for the Idaho Statesman. Before that, she worked for the Idaho Press and Idaho Falls Post-Register.

Logan Finney has been hired as an associate producer for Idaho Public Television. Previously, he was an intern and production assistant at the station. Prior to that, Finney was a McClure Center intern for the University of Idaho, and has contributed to a number of Idaho publications, including The Owyhee Avalanche, the Bonner County Daily Bee, the Power County Press, the Aberdeen Times, and Idaho Public Radio.

Devon Downey, an associate producer at Idaho Public Television, has been accepted to Gonzaga University School of Law. Downey will continue to work at Idaho Public Television until making the move to Spokane for the fall semester. 

IDAHO STATESMAN

Chadd Cripe was named editor on March 2. He has worked at the Statesman for nearly 25 years, including stints as copy editor, sports reporter, outdoors reporter, sports editor, and assistant editor.

Ian Max Stevenson joined the Statesman in March as a breaking news reporter. He is a Brown graduate who previously was reporting for The Boston Guardian.

Sarah A. Miller will join the Statesman in April as a visual journalist. She formerly worked as a visual journalist for nine years at the Tyler (Texas) Morning Telegraph.

Reporter Audrey Dutton has left the Statesman to join the new Idaho Capital Sun.

IDAHO CAPITAL SUN

States Newsroom has hired Christina Lords to serve as editor-in-chief of its 21st nonprofit online journalism outlet, the Idaho Capital Sun. She previously served as the editor of the Idaho Statesman. The Sun also has outlets in neighboring states, Montana and Nevada. 

After 10 years with the Idaho Statesman, Audrey Dutton will serve as the senior reporter for the Idaho Capital Sun. As the Sun’s main investigative reporter, Audrey will cover health care, the pandemic, consumer watchdog issues, and white-collar crime.

Reporter Clark Corbin joins the Idaho Capital Sun from Idaho Education News, where he has covered the Legislature and education issues since 2013. He’ll cover the Idaho Legislature, state politics, statewide elections, campaign finance, and some environmental issues. 

Kelcie Moseley-Morris returns to journalism after a stint in marketing and project management. She’ll be the tax policy and growth reporter for the Sun. She most recently served as a proposal coordinator at Boise-based CSHQA Inc., and she previously worked at the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, the Lewiston Tribune, and the Idaho Press.

IDAHO EDUCATION NEWS

Idaho Education News has hired reporter Blake Jones, who will focus on public education funding, leadership, and policy for Idaho’s K-12 schools. He previously reported for The Idaho Press on government, development, and education in Meridian and Kuna. Jones will replace Clark Corbin, who joined the Idaho Capital Sun.

BOISEDEV.COM

BoiseDev.com has added four staffers in the past year. Anna Daly Gamboa as a feature reporter focused on local businesses. Margaret Carmel joined last fall from the Idaho Press as a reporter on the City of Boise beat and was promoted to senior reporter in March.

Autum Robertson joined BoiseDev as a reporter working on issues related to McCall as well as Meridian. She is a 2020 graduate of Boise State University. Gretchen Parsons, formerly with KTVB, joined BoiseDev as managing editor.

KIVI-TV

Chris Cerbo joins KIVI as an Assistant News Director.  He was most recently an Executive Producer and Anchor in Charlottesville, Virginia.

 KSAW-TV

Jake Brasil joins KSAW as a multimedia journalist.  He was most recently an MMJ at KMVT in Twin Falls.

BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO

Kate Concannon, the Managing Editor of the Mountain West News Bureau, is leaving the post in April, to become Supervising Senior Editor of the Planet Monday podcast, Indicator. The Mountain West News Bureau, managed by Boise State Public Radio, is a collaboration of public radio newsrooms across the region. Kate pioneered the role since the launch of the Bureau in 2018. She is returning to NPR, where she was once Western Bureau Chief for the broadcast network.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Nate Poppino has been hired as the communications director for the Idaho Supreme Court. In the past, Poppino was an editor at the Idaho Statesman and Times-News and served as interim editor at both publications. Most recently, he worked in internal communications for Micron.