Interviewed by Scott McIntosh Ryan is the news director at KBOI2 News and is a member of the Idaho Press Club board. Q: Where were you born and where did you grow up? A: I was born and raised in Yakima, Washington. Q: How and why did you get into TV journalism? A: My parents were big fans of local news. As a young child, I watched it with them every day. I didn’t care so much for the news, but enjoyed the interaction between the people who delivered the news. Little did I know at the time, the relationship I watched the … [Read more...]
The history of Idaho Public Television: A roller-coaster ride of funding, programs
July 17, 2017 by
By Royce Williams For 50 years of Idaho Public Television’s existence, the network’s budget has been the best and the worst story, usually the result of the network’s somewhat schizophrenic relationship with the Legislature. Every budget is a river with funds rarely at flood stage but just as rarely at drought stage. IdahoPTV has experienced both. As a general rule, any organization sitting on the shore is ultimately measured by its reaction to funding levels. It is tougher when the organization has little or no control over the … [Read more...]
Awards Banquet set for May 6 – join us!
April 7, 2017 by
Honoring the best in Idaho journalism By Deanna Darr It’s time to reserve your spot at the annual Best of 2016 Awards Banquet, where we’ll be honoring this year’s award winners. Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 6, to join the party celebrating some of the best work done by Idaho journalists in the last year. This year, we’re gathering at the Riverside Hotel, 2900 W. Chinden Blvd., for our once-a-year excuse to get dressed up and celebrate. We’ll gather in the ballroom on the east side of the building – right … [Read more...]
Statesman sports editor resigns after 28 years with paper
April 7, 2017 by
By Mike Prater (NOTE: This article first appeared on Mike Prater’s Facebook page on April 3, and is reprinted here by permission) Words I thought I would never type ... Thirty-seven years after my high school yearbook said I would one day become sports editor at the Idaho Statesman, and nearly 28 years after taking a job at my dream newspaper in my beloved homestate, I have resigned. The decision was made last week and the emotions of the past six days have been off the charts. Even after a weekend getaway to the … [Read more...]
President’s Column: Some wins in our column for Sunshine Week
March 21, 2017 by
By Betsy Russell Happy Sunshine Week, everyone! That’s the week each March when, nationwide, we celebrate openness in government and access to public information. And here in Idaho, we’ve had some gains in that area, including a unanimous House vote – 70-0 – just yesterday in favor of expanding the Idaho Open Meeting Law. That bill, HB 273, would add boards, commissions or councils created by executive order to the law; it now heads to the Senate. … [Read more...]
Nate Silver’s coming to Boise; so’s APM’s Lizzie O’Leary
March 21, 2017 by
Coming up at Treefort By Frankie Barnhill Boise’s Treefort Music Fest (March 22-26) isn’t just about the music. This year, the festival will include some rockstar-caliber journalists sharing a behind-the-scenes look at their craft. Topping the Hackfort billing is a live taping of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast Friday, March 24 at 5:00 p.m. FiveThirtyEight editor-in-chief Nate Silver will be joined on stage at the Egyptian Theatre by podcast host and producer Jody Avirgan, political reporters Clare Malone, Harry … [Read more...]
MEDIA MOVES
March 21, 2017 by
Ruth Brown, former reporter for the Idaho Press-Tribune, has joined the Idaho Statesman in Boise as a reporter. Todd Dvorak, former director of communications for the Idaho Attorney General’s office and former Boise AP correspondent, is now the city editor of the Idaho Press-Tribune. Jake Melder, former KIVI-TV reporter, has joined the Idaho Transportation Department as a public information specialist. … [Read more...]
President’s Column: Working toward cheaper, easier access to court records in Idaho
December 14, 2016 by
By Betsy Russell We were all pretty excited when Sara Thomas, the new administrative director of Idaho’s courts, told us at the Press Club’s Fall Conference this year that she believes folks should be allowed to take a picture of a court document with their phone, rather than pay $1 a page for a photocopy. But Thomas had to follow up after the conference with this caveat: While courts have no legal authority to charge you $1 a page for taking a picture of a court document with your phone, under current law, the elected county … [Read more...]
Fall conference draws crowd, offers sessions from public record requests to covering the courts
December 14, 2016 by
By Audrey Dutton More than 40 members of the Idaho Press Club gathered Oct. 8 in Downtown Boise for the annual fall conference, hosted by the Southwest chapter. News broke during the conference, when Sen. Mike Crapo pulled his endorsement of Donald Trump for president. But in true multitasking fashion, reporters and editors handled the breaking news while also managing to get in some training on a Saturday morning. Randy Schrader of IdahoEdNews.org and Bill Dentzer of the Idaho Statesman kicked off the conference by walking us … [Read more...]
MEDIA MOVES
December 14, 2016 by
New faces in your newsroom or communication department? Let everyone know. Send your Media Moves to: email@idahopressclub.org Boise State Public Radio News Director Scott Graf joined the Idaho Attorney General's office on Nov. 21 as the new communications director. Graf joined BSPR in April 2012 as a host, reporter and editor. He was named news director in February 2014. Graf replaces Todd Dvorak, who left the Attorney General’s office in September. Matt Guilhem joined Boise … [Read more...]
Annual awards contest about to open to entries
December 14, 2016 by
By Melissa Davlin The Best of 2016 Idaho Press Club awards awards opens next week. We’ve made some changes to the contest this year to keep up with the shifting media landscape. First, we’ve changed the Print division to Publication, and the Magazine division to Periodical, allowing online-only outfits to compete with traditional newspapers and magazines. What does this mean? If you work at a newspaper and you’ve always entered in the Print division, nothing has changed -- except now there may be a bit more competition. If you’re … [Read more...]
Want to learn about covering the Idaho Legislature?
December 14, 2016 by
By Clark Corbin Covering the Legislature can be one of the best reporting assignments – but also one of the most intimidating. With the opening of the 2017 legislative session just weeks away, the Idaho Press Club wants to help local journalists and photographers learn the legislative ropes and build their confidence and skills. At the Legislative Boot Camp, from 9-10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13, veteran Statehouse reporters and a member of legislative leadership will help you:
- Learn your way around the … [Read more...]
President’s Message: Expect shorter, more frequent Communicator blasts
September 19, 2016 by
By Betsy Russell We are changing with the times here at theCommunicator. We’re no longer the quarterly paper newsletter that arrived in your mailbox, chock-full of articles for you to read at your leisure. But now that we’re all-electronic, we realize that people don’t have time to scroll through article after article while we multi-task our days away. So we’re atomizing theCommunicator – breaking it down into smaller, more frequent pieces. You’ll still get all the Press Club news. It’ll just arrive in smaller, more frequent … [Read more...]