Washington

Natasha Brennan

Natasha Brennan reports on Indigenous communities in Washington state for The News Tribune in Tacoma, and also provides coverage for other McClatchy newsrooms in the state. Previously, she worked as a freelance journalist and photographer focusing on Native American issues in Southern California. Her work has been published by Indian Country Today, The Associated Press and PBS Native Report. She became inspired to specialize in writing about Native American culture and issues as a child visiting her father's family on the Cahuilla Reservation in Southern California. Brennan, from West Covina, California, holds a master's degree in journalism from the USC Annenberg School, where she was an Annenberg Leadership scholar and Initiative fellow. Her 2019 book, “People of the Willow House,” has been featured in museums and libraries in Southern California, and Brennan says it “aims to dispel the myth that Native people and culture are extinct or ancient.”

The Daily Herald

The Herald is one of 43 newspaper titles owned by Everett-based Sound Publishing, the largest community media organization in Washington state. We are the primary source of news and information for the communities we serve as well as the leading editorial voice. We are part of the greater Seattle metropolitan area. The fundamental philosophy that our founders committed themselves to from the first day they began publishing on Jan. 5, 1901 is still at the center of what we attempt to do every day: “There is in this community no one so poor or insignificant that The Herald will not defend him if he be wronged, no one so high and powerful that the Herald will not fearlessly attack him if he seek to do injustice.”

Abbie Shull

Abbie Shull reports for The News Tribune in Takoma, Washington, where she covers Joint Base Lewis-McChord military installation, a huge and underreported part of the local economy. She is a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and previously covered the Louisiana legislature for The Manship Statehouse Bureau. Her byline can be seen in The Advocate, The Times-Picayune, 225 Magazine, The Advertiser and USA Today. Shull is a proud alumna of Louisiana State University’s campus newspaper, The Daily Reveille, where she served as managing editor. She earned her B.A. in mass communication with a focus in journalism at Louisiana State University’s Manship School of Mass Communication.

Orion Donovan-Smith

Orion Donovan-Smith covers Congress and Washington, D.C., for The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington. He worked as the Investigative Reporting Workshop fellow on the documentary “Plastic Wars,” a Frontline investigation into recycling and the plastics industry. Prior to that, he was an intern and later a part-time producer at the NPR program “1A” in 2019, while finishing a master’s degree in journalism from American University. Earlier in the program, he worked with the investigative team and as a general assignment reporter at The Washington Post, covering immigration. Before turning to journalism, he worked on international development programs in Central Africa. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington.

The Spokesman-Review

The Spokesman-Review is a family-owned, daily newspaper in Spokane, the second-largest city in Washington state and the largest northern city between Minneapolis and Seattle. For the past 135 years, the newspaper has served readers across eastern Washington, the northern Idaho Panhandle and north to the Canadian border. Its focus is local and regional stories, including community news, government issues, health, business, entertainment, sports and the outdoors. In addition to a partnership with KHQ, a sister television station in Spokane, The Spokesman-Review also has a unique cooperative agreement with newspapers across the area, including the Seattle Times and The Idaho Statesman, to share stories. This arrangement helps provide robust daily reports and greatly benefits all readers across the Pacific Northwest.

The Olympian

The Olympian is a 150-year-old news organization primarily covering Thurston County, population 270,000, and state government, since we are the state capital. We have transformed into a digital-first local news operation, feeding our website 12 hours a day—but we also continue to put out a daily print newspaper. We have three sister publications in the state: The News Tribune in the neighboring county, The Bellingham Herald, about 4 hours away, and The Tri-City Herald, about 6 hours away.

The News Tribune

We are a digital-first news outlet that covers Pierce County, a fast-growing county of nearly 1 million people in the Puget Sound region of Washington state. We have been the leading source of news, information and thoughtful commentary for the greater Tacoma region for more than 125 years.

The Daily Herald

The Herald is one of 43 newspaper titles owned by Everett-based Sound Publishing, the largest community media organization in Washington state. We are the primary source of news and information for the communities we serve as well as the leading editorial voice. We are part of the greater Seattle metropolitan area. The fundamental philosophy that our founders committed themselves to from the first day they began publishing on Jan. 5, 1901 is still at the center of what we attempt to do every day: “There is in this community no one so poor or insignificant that The Herald will not defend him if he be wronged, no one so high and powerful that the Herald will not fearlessly attack him if he seek to do injustice.”

Arielle Dreher

Prior to covering public health in eastern Washington state, Arielle worked as a staff reporter and writer for the Jackson Free Press, the alternative weekly in Mississippi. She covered state government, earning numerous awards including several first place Green Eyeshade awards. She has also received awards from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Awards and the Associated Press for feature writing, politics reporting, business reporting, courts reporting and public service. More recently, splitting her time between Pasco, Washington and Andalucía, Spain, Arielle has written about rural America and happiness for 74 Million, covered local business for the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business and wrote about mental health and reproductive health for the Free Press. She received her B.A. from Azusa Pacific University and her M.A. from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Public health in eastern Washington state Arielle reports on health and social issues in Spokane and the surrounding region as part of the paper’s Metro Desk team. That includes covering breaking news and diving into issue stories about key health topics, such as opioid abuse and access to care; social issues, such as the need for more foster families; and medical research and innovation from the area’s universities. She works with the Review’s government affairs editor, who is skilled at guiding novice reporters and helping them look beyond the process to find important issues and compelling human stories that will engage readers. As part of a small newsroom team, Arielle has the chance to tackle a wide variety of assignments and gets hands-on training with our digital team.