By Betsy Russell

The Idaho Press Club’s “Best of 2022” annual awards contest will open for entries on Dec. 15. It’s time to review and enter your best work of the year; you deserve the recognition!

This year, our Contest Committee has conducted an extensive review and update to our categories. You’ll find an array of changes, including new categories for Spanish-language media and more. The deadline to enter the contest is Jan. 20. All entries are submitted online at www.idahopressclub.org.

Go on there now, check out the categories and divisions, and be sure to enter this year.

Entry fees are the same as they were last year, and as usual, there’s a substantial discount for Idaho Press Club members, whether you’re a regular or student member. Either way, it makes sense to just join. You’ll come out ahead, and you’ll support all our efforts!

Among those efforts: Our First Amendment Committee is hard at work on public records issues and legislative matters. Our Training Committee organized an excellent fall conference, with sessions on the “right to be forgotten” and news coverage; covering extremism in Idaho; and best practices for covering Latino affairs in Idaho.

On Jan. 5, we will be hosting the Idaho Press Club Legislative Preview, starting at 8:30 a.m. with coffee. Gov. Brad Little will speak on the record and take questions from reporters starting at 9 a.m.; a panel of legislative leaders at 10 a.m. This event will take place at the Capitol, exact meeting room TBA, and will be livestreamed at idahoptv.org/insession.

Our Banquet Committee is preparing for our annual gala awards banquet, which is set for April 29, 2023 at the Boise Centre. It’ll be fun to gather in person and celebrate good journalism in Idaho.

During the week before the big event, we’re partnering with the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University to bring New York Times political reporter Maggie Haberman to Boise, and we’ll have a special event with her just for our members; stay tuned for details. And the weekend of the banquet, we’re planning to host our 4^th Journalists Institute on Covering the Courts, in cooperation with the University of Idaho College of Law and Attorneys for Civic Education. Stay tuned for details and don’t miss this excellent professional development opportunity.

Some of you may have heard that I am retiring Jan. 1. I will still continue to do some part-time work for the Idaho Press, though I will be taking the winter off; and I’ll continue to serve as president of the Press Club until my term ends April 29. I welcome our next generation of Press Club leaders!

Betsy Russell is the Boise bureau chief and state capitol reporter for the Idaho Press and Adams Publishing Co., and is the president of the Idaho Press Club.

By Melissa Davlin

This year, like debate organizers across the country, we at the Idaho Debates found ourselves with empty time slots in our schedule as a handful of incumbent candidates declined to participate, including some who had never before turned down our invitations. That has led to some soul searching at Idaho Public Television, as we look to how we can improve our chances of hosting successful congressional debates in 2024.

This year wasn’t all bad. A lot of people focused on the debates we didn’t get, but we put on a total of seven insightful, educational debates in 2022. In addition, almost every Republican and Democratic candidate in the primary and general elections agreed to debate; in some cases, those who wanted to debate faced candidates who either didn’t respond to our invitation to participate, or didn’t qualify. In the general election cycle, Idaho Reports offered interviews to those candidates whose opponents denied them a chance to debate.

And we maintain that debates fill an important role in voter education. Even if many voters have made up their minds on top-of-the-ticket races, our debates showcase candidates in lower profile races, such as controller or secretary of state. Debates also show how candidates react when challenged in high-stress situations, and require long-serving politicians to stand up for their records.

But we recognize that as long as high-profile incumbents are turning down our invitations, we aren’t fulfilling our mission to bring educational programming to the voters of Idaho. 

Again, this isn’t unique to Idaho. Candidates turning down debates is a trend we’ve seen nationwide. Still, we have started issuing invitations to campaigns, former candidates, our partners, and others to sit down and tell us what we could be doing better with the debate process. That goes for our partners in the Idaho Press Club as well. 

That doesn’t mean we’re able, or willing, to adopt every suggestion. And we have to stay within FEC laws. That means no “debates” with just one candidate if another candidate declines. But we are open to suggestions and discussion. Do we take debates on the road and host them in front of audiences across the state? Should we move to a town hall style? Broaden our partnerships? Shorten or lengthen the debates?

We have already made moves on some ideas. This year, we provided Spanish captioning for our general election debates, and we plan to offer both ASL interpretation and Spanish audio interpretation for the 2024 debate cycle. We hope that this chance to reach a broader audience of Idaho voters will be a good incentive for future candidates.

But our work isn’t done. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please reach out at melissa.davlin@idahoptv.org. 

Melissa Davlin is vice president of the Idaho Press Club, and is the host and lead producer of Idaho Reports on Idaho Public Television. She also moderates the Idaho Debates. The Idaho Debates are a partnership between Idaho Public Television, the Idaho Press Club, Boise State University’s School of Public Service, University of Idaho’s McClure Center, Idaho State University’s Political Science Department, and the League of Women Voters Education Fund. 

Dubbed the “Best Small Library in America” in 2017, the Boundary County Public Library, Bonners Ferry, became a hotbed of contention in 2021 after four employees raised numerous allegations of mismanagement, malfeasance and potentially criminal violations.

The first indication of the upheaval about to erupt came with an announcement March 13, 2021, by the library district board of the retirement of the library director, Craig Anderson, effective April 1, and the interim appointment of his predecessor, retired director Sandy Ashworth, then 80, as an unpaid consultant with a mandate to “identify problems and provide solutions in the library’s management.”

On April 15, the library board declared an emergency, never defining its nature but saying it involved serious safety issues, and announced a two week library closure. In response to my inquiry, Ashworth said the library was going into “dry dock” to address safety issues not acceptable in a public building, describing those issues as clutter and security issues. The closure would last around three months.

Having gotten nowhere in their attempts to bring their concerns and allegations to the library board for resolution, librarian Dana Boiler and her husband, Jeff, an attorney, sat down with me for a lengthy interview, which resulted in the article, “Allegations against library far reaching,” published April 25, 2021, the first time the concerns were made public.

On May 5, in response, the library board announced it had entered into an agreement that day with the Lewiston law firm Clement, Brown & McNichols to conduct an independent investigation of the complaints “to determine if a violation of law and/or policy has occurred.”

On July 6, the board held a special meeting to accept the firm’s investigative report, and I submitted a written public records request for its release.

On July 22, Ashworth was appointed interim library director and the following day she gave notice of administrative leave with pay to the four whistleblowers, including Dana Boiler. On July 29, she sent me a letter denying my records request, citing Idaho Code § 74-104(1) and Idaho Code § 74-106(1). I submitted an administrative appeal August 17, 2021. While I did receive a certified receipt of delivery, I never received a response.

My intent at the time had been to seek out the assistance of the Idaho Press Club to challenge the denial, but before I knew it, the deadline to file had passed, and I gave up hope of informing the public of why the library had been closed, what the issues were and what was being done to resolve them. But the window opened again when, on May 19, 2022, the whistleblowers filed a tort claim with the library district, and with a new director in place, the board and its attorneys responded to my new public records request with a copy of the 33-page report, redacted to the point of uselessness. But I could read the footer on each page, “personnel,” and the main reason the library board’s attorneys were claiming in withholding the public record.

Had they responded along the lines, “sorry, you missed your chance,” that would have been the end of it, but the effrontery of the response I received proved more than I could bear, and this time, I was watching the clock.

There was a lot more going on with the library and I covered several more stories: Two separate recall petitions to unseat the library board both failed. Accusations against new director Kimber Glidden of bringing “woke” ideas to our fine library and fears of pornography on the kids’ bookshelves and drag queens telling stories brought so much distraction Glidden resigned after just nine months. ICRMP pulled the district’s liability coverage, threatening to force closure, only relenting with a special three-month policy to see if the board has the wherewithal to correct the problems that led to so much distress and dissension.

I contacted the Idaho Press Club and it wasn’t long before I was in touch with Scott McIntosh, opinion editor of the Idaho Statesman, chair of the Press Club’s First Amendment Committee, and soon thereafter with Idaho Press Club President Betsy Russell. Both heard my story and agreed to help, and both had my back from early on. We agreed that printing “personnel” at the bottom of each page of a public record does not an exemption make, and both Scott and Betsy agreed to help.

They contacted the law firm of Smith and Malek, Coeur d’Alene, and we were soon working with attorney Kirk Houston, who carried us through to the successful but somewhat surprising conclusion, pro bono, and getting it done short of the courtroom.

On August 9, 2022, Houston wrote a letter to the district, and we worked together until October 7, 2022, when I was able to publish “Library releases June 2021 investigation report,” having at last received a copy tolerably redacted. And it was a surprise.

As expected, the lax management style of director Anderson took part of the blame for the issues raised, but a small part: The report laid most of the blame at the feet of the whistleblowers, particularly Dana Boiler.

“What the hell?!” one reader wrote in response. “They got terrible advice from counsel on this one. They should have released that the minute it came in! Think of how much grief might have been saved.”

Mike Weland has reported news in Boundary County since 1991, and currently publishes the online-only 9b.news from his home in Bonners Ferry.

By Joan Cartan-Hansen

Have a great idea for a story and no funds to get it to print or on the air? Need money for professional training?  Apply for the Idaho Press Club’s Don Watkins Mid-Career Scholarship.

The Mid-Career Scholarship awards $500 for any Idaho Press Club member to use for any training or project that will improve the working press in Idaho. The only catch: You must share what you learn with Press Club members through a discussion at a conference or an article in an upcoming edition of the Communicator. Any Press Club member is eligible for this scholarship.

To apply, send your resume and a proposal for how you would spend the money to us via e-mail to email@idahopressclub.org. Applications are due February 15 of each year. The winner will be announced as part of the Press Club’s annual awards program in April.

The Idaho Press Club offers scholarships for college students too. Graduates of Idaho high schools who have completed at least one year of college and wish to pursue a career in journalism or communications are eligible for the Don Watkins Memorial Scholarship of up to $1,500. Full-time students majoring in journalism or working for a college or professional media outlet are also eligible to apply.

If interested, submit a one-page resume; a 500-word essay explaining your interest in a journalism or communications career; samples of your journalistic work, whether published or unpublished; and a copy of your transcripts, including GPA, through the most recent fall term. Applications may be submitted electronically via email to email@idahopressclub.org. If you have video files, please upload them to YouTube or a similar site and send the link.  The deadline is also February 15th.

For more information about either scholarship, call IPC Executive Director Martha Borchers at (208) 389-2879, or contact her by e-mail at email@idahopressclub.org.

Joan Cartan-Hansen is a producer, reporter, writer and host at Idaho Public Television, and is a board member of the Idaho Press Club who also chairs our Scholarship Committee.

East Idaho investigative reporter Devin Bodkin left Idaho Education News after seven years to become a communication director at the Idaho National Laboratory. Idaho Education News replaced Bodkin with Darren Svan, a former Wyoming news editor who has been teaching English on the Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Louisiana State University. Svan started his Idaho investigative reporting job the first week of December. 

THE IDAHO PRESS

Betsy Russell will retire Jan. 1 after a news career spanning four decades, including the past five years as the Boise bureau chief and state capitol reporter for the Idaho Press and Adams Publishing. Prior to joining the Press, she worked for 27 years for The Spokesman-Review, and for five years before that for the Idaho Statesman, along with earlier work for several California newspapers. The Idaho Press will host a retirement party for her in January; details are to come.

Idaho Press news editor Laura Guido will cover the upcoming legislative session and take over the Eye on Boise blog from Russell. Guido has been news editor for the Idaho Press since September of 2021; she previously worked as a reporter and editor for the Woodinville Weekly, the Whidbey News-Times, and the Columbia Basin Herald, and covered the Washington Legislature. Guido will be promoted to assistant managing editor/Boise bureau chief.

Moving in to fill Guido’s role as Idaho Press news editor will be Madison Guernsey. A graduate of the University of Oregon, Guernsey has been with the Idaho Press since May 2021 as the newspaper’s digital editor. Prior to that he spent five years as sports editor at the Idaho State Journal in Pocatello.

Emily White joined the Idaho Press in August as a general assignment reporter, based in Nampa. She graduated from Utah State University in May with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and English.

LEWISTON TRIBUNE

Longtime Lewiston Tribune political and Statehouse reporter William L. “Bill” Spence is retiring at the end of the year.

IDAHO STATESMAN

Mia Maldonado joined the Idaho Statesman as a breaking news reporter. She previously interned at the Idaho Capital Sun. Growth and development reporter Paul Schwedelson left the Idaho Statesman to cover real estate for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

KTVB-TV Boise

After 8 years, sports reporter Will Hall left KTVB and is now covering sports with our sister station, KARE, in Minneapolis.

Brady Frederick joined KTVB as a sports reporter in July of 2022. Prior to moving to Boise, Brady spent two years as the sports director for KLEW-TV in Lewiston.

Reporter Tristan Lewis left the news industry for a position on the communications team at College of Western Idaho.

Jude Binkley graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State and joined the KTVB team as a general assignment reporter.

After graduating from UC Davis, Katey Patrick joined the team as the assignment editor.

Digital producer Ryan Hatten left Idaho for a new opportunity in Chicago.

Tracy Bringhurst came from the Boise Weekly where she was head staff writer and social media manager. She’s just joined our team as a digital media producer.

Newscast editor James Hollinger left KTVB. Madisun Grindell was promoted from production assistant to newscast editor.

Bridger Cowan was promoted from Wake Up Idaho newscast editor to marketing producer.

Chief photographer Zoran Tesic is leaving Idaho for the same position at a station in Nebraska.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Longtime Associated Press newsman Keith Ridler has retired after nearly two decades covering breaking news, the environment and politics in the Boise bureau. Ridler joined the company in 2005, and he quickly earned a reputation for his swift and steady coverage of some of the West’s biggest news issues, including wolves, wildfires and nuclear waste. When a group of armed extremists took over a federal wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon in January of 2016, AP sent Ridler to the scene, where he camped out in his truck to be close to the action. Ridler turned his attention to the Idaho Statehouse in 2018, where his deep understanding of Idaho’s land use issues informed his coverage of elections and legislative maneuvering.

Here’s his tweet announcing his retirement: “After 17 years with the Associated Press, the last four covering #idpol, I’m calling it a career today. I’m grateful I got to work at the AP, and grateful now for the expanded opportunity to travel with loved ones, fly fish, bike, hike and write some long-form stories.”

BOISE WEEKLY

Kate Jacobson, Boise State political science and journalism student and reporter for the Arbiter, will intern at Boise Weekly for the spring semester, covering the Idaho Legislature as well as news, arts and entertainment. Tracy Bringhurst, formerly head staff writer at Boise Weekly, has taken a position as digital editor at KTVB.

 PUBLIC RELATIONS

Scott Graf will join the State Department of Education as Communications Director. Scott has spent the last six years as the Public Information Officer and Director of Constituent Affairs at the Idaho Attorney General’s Office. Before his service in Idaho state government, he spent more than 15 years in news radio.