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Being the political reporter at the state capitol means I have to be an expert on any topic at a moment's notice. I was the lead reporter for legislative affairs, an election cycle, and
present for every COVID-19 Response Media Briefing with Governor Doug Burgum (R-ND).
The COVID Briefings gave me an opportunity few other in the country have been given.
Every time the Governor holds a briefing, KFYR-TV would make the event part of the programming, rather than cutting in when he took the podium. We were the only station in all of North Dakota to do this; and I was the only reporter in the state bringing a face to the response.
With me attending every briefing since declaring a State of Emergency in March 2020, it would be my responsibility to stand in front of the camera and fill time until the governor came out. Sometimes I would only need to fill for five minutes; other times, it would be 20 minutes.
Every day, I prepared about 30 minutes worth of content and graphics, look into national trends, and do other research for a well-produced pre-show for the briefings.
Afterwards, I would do two to three minute live shot from the Capitol summarizing the presentation and media question time.
A recap of some of the most-followed and controversial bills to be debated and passed during the 2021 session. Topics included restricting transgender student-athletes and recreational marijuana.
Before the State House made their decision, lawmakers were given two hours to debate the claims and persuade one another. Lawmakers spoke about their personal experiences and what they witnessed.
After months of saying they don't work and pushing a policy of "Individual Responsibility," Gov. Doug Burgum, R-N.D., issued a mask mandate just before the holiday season.
The way many in North Dakota learned about the latest was from the governor’s press briefings. At the height of the pandemic, the press briefings were must-see TV.
KFYR-TV
While pursuin a Communications major paired with a Political Science major, I played an important role in covering university news and politics for the university newspaper The Dakota Student as well as the student-run news program Studio One.
In the middle of the night, the UND Student Government Treasurer was arrested on embezzlement charges. Chase Johnson was arrested for spending between $10,000 - $50,000 of his fraternity's money, where he served as their treasurer.
UND President Mark Kennedy shocked the community when he announced he was applying to be the next president for the University of Central Florida; he had only served as UND's President for a year and a half. After being named a finalist for UCF, he didn't get the job. Now, he returns to Grand Forks with an already shaky fan base.
The week following Spring Break 2018, three campaigns launched for the UND Student Body Presidency. The then-VP Erik Hanson with then-President's Chief of Staff Kaleb Dschaak, Student Senator Theresa Hanley with fellow Senator Abby Morlock, and the pair of RA's Izaiah Pritzl and Paul Henning. How does the race look from the starting line?
This article was an April Fool's prank in 2018. The Dakota Student has published April Fool's prank articles in the past, but this article caused what local news called a "controversy". April Fool's fell on Easter Sunday this year, so it was easier to mask it as a real article, as a prank should. This article was shared over 300 times on Facebook and received news coverage with how effective it was.
WDAZ Grand Forks Headline coverage
Grand Forks Herald Editorial Board
These videos are a compilation of news packages I produced for Studio One as well as an interview segment called Two Chairs. Two Chairs was an interview platform created for UND Marketing purposes after Studio One was discontinued.
Two Chairs: Loyal Jahnke
Two Chairs: Loyal Jahnke
01:35
Play Video
Studio One: Integration Through Art
02:05
Play Video
Two Chairs: Tailgater
01:46
Play Video
COLLEGE REPORTING
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