Emily Kwong joins KCAW’s Katherine Rose to talk about her recent reporting. Kwong spent the first several months of 2019 reporting on climate migration in Mongolia. And she credits the lessons she learned working as a reporter at KCAW in Sitka with helping her follow and unpack complicated, nuanced stories.

The reporting came out of a fellowship called Above the Fray. NPR sends a new and up-and-coming journalist to an under-reported place in the world. For Kwong, that meant leaving Sitka, heading to Washington D.C. for initial training, and then, finally, to Mongolia for two months. She spent the next several months working through the material she collected, eventually producing a three-part 21-minute story that aired on NPR’s Morning Edition this week.

Follow Kwong’s reporting here:

• Pt. 1 The Deadly Winters that have Transformed Life for Herders in Mongolia
• Pt. 2 Mongolia’s Capital Banned Coal To Fix Its Pollution Problem. Will It Work?
• Pt. 3 Mongolia’s Long Road to Mining Wealth

Former Raven Radio reporter Emily Kwong’s 3-part series on climate migration in Mongolia airs this week on NPR Morning Edition. Listeners in Sitka can tune in July 29 – 31 to catch all three parts, set in the country’s grassland steppe, crowded cities, and semiarid deserts.

The series focuses on how climate change, migration, and economic factors are driving a rural-to-urban transformation in the rapidly changing country.

Emily first came to Raven Radio in 2014 as our Post-Graduate Fellow in Community Journalism. She was hired as our full-time reporter in 2015, taking over for Rachel Waldholz. 

Last year, Emily won the prestigious international reporting fellowship through National Public Radio and the John Alexander Project. She spent the first five months of 2019 working on this series, telling the story of a nomadic population adapting to change. 

“We ask how a warming, globalizing planet is disrupting traditional lifestyles and creating new, fraught possibilities for Mongolians,” Emily says. “I credit all this reporting to the translators, Ganbat Namjilsangarav and Р. Болормаа, we worked with there.”

Emily says she and photographer Claire Harbage worked with a team of visual journalists and editors to create a visual narrative experience that will be released on August 5.

Part One (Aired Monday, July 29, 2019): “The Deadly Winters That Have Transformed Life For Herders In Mongolia”

Part Two (Aired Tuesday, July 30, 2019): Mongolia’s Capital Banned Coal To Fix Its Pollution Problem. Will It Work?

Part Three (Aired Wednesday July 31, 2019): Mongolia’s Long Road To Mining Wealth

The KCAW News Department won a record 11 awards at the 2019 meeting of the Alaska Press Club in April. Our colleagues at the Daily Sitka Sentinel brought home 3, cementing the fact that — for a town of its size (or any size, really!) — Sitka values exceptional journalism.

Here are the winners for KCAW News:

1st Place:

Best Headline Writing (All Media) – Robert Woolsey

“‘Lost Hobbit Hole’ Hiker is there and back again thanks to infrared radar”

Over the last decade the craft of “webbing” news stories has become increasingly important in the world of broadcast journalism, as more and more of our audience reads local news online. The headline is the messenger that delivers a story to the audience — and often the headline IS the story. KCAW’s news director Robert Woolsey has been in the top three in this the last two years; this year he took first.

Best Comprehensive Coverage (Radio & Television) – Emily Kwong, Katherine Rose, Rachel Cassandra

“The Cost of Living in Sitka”

Every news organization works to create the space and time to take a deep dive into an important issue. Examining the cost of living in Sitka was a top priority of KCAW reporter Emily Kwong. She produced this award-winning series, with stories by Katherine Rose and Rachel Cassandra.

Best Humor (All Media) – John Straley, Finn Straley, Caitlin Woolsey, Robert Woolsey

“Who’s Naughty now? Santa investigated in North Pole wish list leak”

KCAW’s annual Christmas Eve improv interview by the father-son team (John and Finn Straley) that brought us “Genuine Mouse Radio” in the 1990s continues to boldly go where no St. Nick has gone before — with props to “spokeself” Caitlin Woolsey. Judge Linda Levin wrote: “Delightful riff on the current president, played by Santa, and his press secretary, an elf, and his lawyer who is under gingerbread house arrest at the North Pole. Clever and worthy of first place.”

Best Reporting on Govt. or Politics – Robert Woolsey

“Treaty politics fuel tension criticism at Sitka salmon meeting”

The best thing about the Alaska Press Club awards are the judges: They are our peers in the larger world of media. Corey Flinthoff started his career at KYUK in Bethel, moved to Alaska News Nightly, and then went on to become a host and international correspondent for NPR. Judging this category, Flinthoff wrote: “This story offers a clear and fair explanation of the controversy over the salmon fishing treaty. It uses extended actualities to humanize the issue and give it context.”

Best Reporting on Crime or Courts – Robert Woolsey

“For this expat mom, raising healthy girls means going to prison”

The circumstances surrounding the imprisonment and extradition of a Sitka mother first came to light in this story. The issue has since been examined nationally by Allison Herrera with PRI’s The World, for her “Women in Prison” beat.

2nd Place:

Best Sports Reporting – Emily Kwong

“Staying power: World-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor visits Sitka”

This was not Emily Kwong’s first foray into sports journalism. In 2015 she took top honors for her story on the Sitka Sound Slayers.

Best Single Story Reporting – Emily Kwong

“Since 1999, Yakutat’s not-so-secret surf shop going strong”

One of a several stories Emily Kwong produced after a 2018 trip to Yakutat.

Vern McCorkle Award for Best Business Reporting – Robert Woolsey  

“Sitka entrepreneur rolls out an aviation revolution in the baggage bin”

Former Sitka School Board president Tim Fulton is serious about bringing jobs to his hometown, and his invention may help accomplish that. Says judge Corey Flinthoff, “The writing in this piece is vivid and memorable. The reporter takes us to a place few people get to see, and shows how an invention could revolution the baggage process.”

3rd Place:

Best Sports Reporting – Katherine Rose

“Sled dog superfan and Iditarod veteran connect over fantasy mushing”

It’s especially gratifying when KCAW’s reporters-in-training walk away with Press Club awards. Katherine Rose (now our full-time reporter) was our Post-Graduate Fellow in Community Journalism (aka Winter Fellow) when she discovered “fantasy mushing.”

Best Arts Reporting – Rachel Cassandra

Goddess- inspired collective brings erotic art to Sitka

Rachel Cassandra was our 2018 Summer News Intern from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She immediately turned her attention to alternative communities and ideas in Sitka. Judge Christina Myer wrote of this story “Almost makes a listener want to fly to Alaska to check out the non-tourist art scene.”

Best Education Reporting – Katherine Rose

“MEHS students research how phones affect cognitive ability”

As mentioned, Katherine Rose succeeded Emily Kwong as KCAW’s reporter in the spring of 2019. Judge Bob Collins confirms our opinion of Rose, writing: “Your delivery and writing is just outstanding. This story was so well done and the topic was timely.”

And hearty congratulation to our friends at the Daily Sitka Sentinel, for holding their own in the competitive world of Alaska print media.

1st Place:

Best Feature Photo (Small) – James Poulson, Daily Sitka Sentinel – “Walking the walk”

2nd Place: Best short feature – Shannon Haugland – “Sitka Family Rescues Orphan”

3rd Place: Best reporting on govt or politics – Shannon Haugland – “Tax Break for Seniors Ends: Future in Doubt”

After a comprehensive search and recruitment effort over the winter, KCAW found a candidate to fill the demanding shoes of full-time reporter — and we never had to look too far.

Katherine Rose became our full-time reporter on March 18. Her successive tenures as summer intern (2016), winter fellow (2017-18), morning host (2018), and interim reporter (2018-2019) gave her an impressive portfolio of work to back up her superb on-air skills. Emily Kwong will be a tough act to follow, but Katherine has slipped seamlessly into the role, taking over municipal assembly coverage, the hospital transfer, herring, and the role of mentoring our current fellow, Enrique Pérez de la Rosa. Katherine is also our digital/data maven, and a skilled multi-media producer. “As much as I may represent the old school of radio journalism,” said news director Robert Woolsey, “Katherine represents the new school of reporter: Skilled in many content platforms, versatile, forward-thinking — but disciplined and dogged in pursuit of the story.”

Woolsey added, “I’m extremely happy she’ll be sticking around Raven Radio for a while.”

Rose joins Woolsey and Daily Sitka Sentinel publishers Sandy and Thad Poulson, as a member of the “Oklahoma Media Mafia” — all former Okies who have relocated to Alaska to work in the press. Rose hails from Langley, Oklahoma, a small town in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. She attended the University of Oklahoma in Norman (BA in political science), and after a few years teaching in the rural South, attended the University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, where she earned a Masters Degree in 2018.

The alpine is turning color. There’s snow on the mountains. Changes are afoot, and that’s true for us at Raven Radio too.

After four years with Raven News, Emily Kwong will be departing Raven Radio in December for a 5-month international reporting fellowship through NPR and the John Alexander Project. You can read about it here. Emily will be reporting on ecological migration in Mongolia, telling the story of a nomadic population adapting to change. Emily will be moving to Washington D.C. and based in Mongolia from Mid-January to Mid-March 2019. Her stories will debut on NPR in the spring.

Emily’s last day of work will be December 7th. We’re excited to announce our 2017 Winter Fellow Katherine Rose will be taking over as interim reporter on December 10th and Peter Apathy will be our lead Morning Edition Host moving forward.

Emily first came to Raven Radio in 2014 as our Post-Graduate Fellow in Community Journalism, fresh off a plane from New York City and without any news experience. She quickly fell in love with Sitka and Southeast. Emily was hired as our full-time reporter in 2015, taking over for Rachel Waldholz. Over the years, she hosted the bi-monthly Assembly broadcast, reported on everything from lost sea lions to the danger deer pose to airplanes, tracked community conversations around mass shootings, herring, and Alaska Day, and most recently, how Sitkans are adapting to rising Cost of Living. She also taught radio class as part of DYP week at Blatchley Middle School.

“I want locals to know that this radio station is theirs, a platform for their voices and their power. Reporting in community holds you to a higher standard. I will carry that with me forever and will miss this place enormously. Thank you to everyone in Sitka for your trust and the lessons you taught me over the years,” said Emily Kwong.

“I am so proud of Emily’s incredible professional growth. We are sad to see her go, but she leaves an incredible legacy of innovation and care at Raven Radio,” said General Manager Becky Meiers. 

KCAW news director Robert Woolsey will begin the search for Kwong’s replacement after the new year. “Cultivating reporting talent is one of the things this station — this community, really — does best.” he said. “Her moving up to national reporting is a good thing. Saying goodbye to Emily means saying hello to someone else who wants to follow in her footsteps.”

To contact the News Department, e-mail news@kcaw.org or call 907-747-5879. To reach Emily personally, write her at eka610@gmail.com. You can follow her reporting in Mongolia on Instagram @thejohnaproject

World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10th. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK and available to friends and family as well. “We hold a lot of shame around this. We hold a lot of fear. Just remember you are not alone,” said Melissa Marconi-Wentzel on the Morning Interview. (Katherine Rose/KCAW photo)

Downloadable audio.

“Suicide is not a dirty word,” said Amy Zanuzoski, Executive Director of Sitka Counseling and Prevention Services. “When suicide happens, it affects everybody, whether it’s a neighbor or the grocery store clerk.” Melissa Marconi-Wentzel agreed, adding, “We need to be talking about this more.” Marconi-Wentzel is a clinical practicum student with Neurobehavioral Consultants and seeing clients under supervision.

National Suicide Prevention Week is September 9th to September 15th. Suicide rates are on the rise around the United States. During 1999–2016, the Center for Disease Control reports, suicide rates increased >30% in 25 states. Alaska has the highest suicide rate per capita in the country.

During the Morning Interview, Zanuzoski and Marconi-Wentzel described the warning signs for suicide and how to provide support to a loved one. They emphasized that discussing suicide does not increase a person’s risk of attempting suicide. Rather, conversation is the first step to getting help.

“Remember that first step feels the hardest. It feels the most insurmountable. But once you’ve taken that step, it often feels like it’s more within your grasp,” Marconi-Wentzel said. “You can see light. You can see the possibility of change. When you reach out to somebody who you trust, they can help you on your journey and you’re not alone.”

KCAW reporter Emily Kwong spoke about her mother’s suicide attempt and sharing their family’s story on NPR’s Morning Edition through the oral history project StoryCorps. “I will never regret the day I asked my Mom about it, the relief that can come from being open and having these discussions,” Kwong said.

If you believe someone may be thinking about suicide:

• Ask them if they are thinking about killing themselves. Listen without judgement and show you care
• Stay with the person or make sure the person is in a private, secure place with another caring person until you can get further help
• Remove any objects that could be used in a suicide attempt
• Call national and local crisis lines
  • SAMHSA’s National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and follow their guidance
  • En Español: 1-888-628-9454
  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889
  • Crisis Text Line by texting 741741
  • SEARHC Crisis Line: 1-877-294-0074
• If danger for self-harm seems imminent, call 911

Raven Radio brought home four Alaska Press Club awards for locals radio reporting in 2017. (KCAW File Photo)

The theme for this year’s Alaska Press Club was “Depth in Local Reporting.” In that spirit, Sitka’s two local news organizations received 11 awards! We thank our listeners and readers for your unwavering support throughout the year and strive to continue in our hyper-local mission.

For the second year in a row, KCAW Reporter Emily Kwong won first place in “Best Culture Reporting” with 150 years in the making, Kiks.ádi gather to commemorate loss of land and first place in “Best Local Government and Politics Reporting” for Shareholder unrest shapes Shee Atiká meeting. Judges Corey Flintoff of NPR and Erin Hennessey of KNKX noted her use of sound and interviews to portray complex issues. Emily was also a part of a team that won first place for “Best Multimedia Presentation” for the documentary Deep Signals about long-range radar sites.

News Director Robert Woolsey won 2nd place for “Best Headline Writing” in the all-media category for Gut check: X-rays provide insight into Sitka heroin trafficker. Judge Heather Henline called it “the standout in the submission, a great zinger.”

Former Morning Edition host Sarah Gibson won first place for “Best Sports Reporting” in radio for Kotzebue Volleyball digs deep to play Sitka’s Lady Braves, Wolves. Of Gibson’s piece, NPR’s Tom Goldman commented, “Sarah did a wonderful job of giving us a broader look at Alaskan life through the experience of the Kotzebue volleyball team.”

We tip our hat to our colleagues at the Sitka Sentinel for their accomplishments too!

In the small-circulation print category, reporter Abigail Bliss won first place for “Best Crime Reporting” for Sitkans Turn Tables on Holiday Market Thief and third place for “Best Health Reporting” for Sitka Marshals Grants to Fight Opioid Crisis.

Former KCAW winter fellow and Sitka Sentinel reporter Brielle Schaeffer Jamros earned third place for “Best Short Feature” for Paperwork Fight Won, Pot Shop Opens.

Sitka Sentinel photographer James Poulson received first place in the sports photo category (small-circulation media) for “Alpine Race.” He also won third place in the best news photo category (all media) with “Healthcare Hug” and in the best feature photo category (small-circulation media) with “Pulling Up the Powhatan.”

TOP OF THE HILL – Tansy Brown of Bend, Ore, runs along the ridge of Gavan Hill Saturday morning during the Alpine Adventure Run. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

Sitka’s 2017 Awards

Sitka’s 2016 Awards

Sitka’s 2015 Awards

Sitka’s 2014 Awards

RISE AGAIN – Sitkans watch from shore as the tug Powhatan is hauled up near Old Sitka. The 85-foot tug sank April 19 at the dock. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

Seiners in the fourth opening of the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery, in 2014. (Rachel Waldholz/KCAW)

By Emily Kwong, KCAW, and Jacob Resneck, KTOO

More than 200 people turned out Tuesday (1-16-18) to testify about herring and salmon fisheries in front of the Alaska Board of Fisheries in Sitka. And about two-thirds of those who spoke were concerned over the commercial management of the Sitka sac roe herring fishery.

The herring industry wants to maintain the status quo. Fishermen and processors expressed support for the methods used by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to predict how many herring they can safely harvest.

The current formula will allow seiners to catch 11,000 tons of Sitka Sound herring this year.

Sitka Tribe of Alaska and its allies are telling a different story, one of dwindling spawn and diminishing subsistence harvest over the last two decades.

To prove their point, a group of conservationists calling themselves the Herring Rock Protectors played audio testimony from the 1997 Board of Fisheries meeting.

“The channel used to be full of herring,” Walter Moy had told the board more than 20 years ago.

“The whole bay used to be covered with spawn,” Jessie Johnnie testified during that same hearing.

Of the 19 herring proposals before the board, seven apply to the Sitka sac roe herring fishery. The rest apply to the winter bait fishery and spawn-on-kelp fishery, which is measured by the pound.

Salmon fishermen from across Southeast also are turning out in force as the board may designate king salmon a “stock of concern,” which could trigger increased restrictions on commercial and sport fishing for king, or chinook, salmon.

Fish and Game’s forecast for kings on five Southeast rivers is the lowest on record. Chinook returns on these rivers are projected to be just a fraction of what state biologists say is needed for a sustainable run.

Dozens of competing proposals want to tweak rules that will affect the livelihood of commercial fishermen and sport fishing charter guides in communities from Ketchikan to Haines.

There’s already been push back by commercial trollers against one proposal to delay the commercial season opener later than July 1.

“I’m all for conservation if it means supporting the future of our fishery,” Petersburg fisherman Mark Roberts testified Tuesday. “But disrupting our season unnecessarily is an unfair burden for the trollers to bear.”

The Alaska Trollers Association wants the board to create more opportunities to catch coho salmon. The ATA argues that coho would give some relief to trollers who may suffer from tighter restrictions on the harvest of kings.

Only about half of those signed up to testify Tuesday had time to speak. Public comment resumes first thing Wednesday morning.

The Sitka Sac Roe herring fishery happens every spring. The 48-member fleet fished for nearly two weeks last year, catching 14,000 tons – or roughly 20% – of the herring population. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

On Monday (01-15-17), the Board of Fish will open their session on finfish and take public comment on all proposals.

While the news department will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, KCAW Reporter Emily Kwong will be live-tweeting testimonies and other information from the meeting.

You can follow her on Twitter @emilykwong1234 at the link here.

The member stations of CoastAlaska took 20 awards at the annual meeting of the Alaska Press Club this year — 8 of them by KCAW Raven Radio!

Radio – 4 firsts, 1 second, 1 third (KCAW)

KCAW’s Emily Kwong led all CoastAlaska reporters with first place wins in four radio categories. Are you ready to Rock? ‘Dark Horse’ caucuses in Sitka is Kwong’s Best Profile of fringe presidential candidate Rocky De La Fuente. Kwong took Best Single Story reporting for her local follow-up to the Pulse Nightclub shooting, In a month of pride, life after Orlando. Kwong’s first-place for Best Political Reporting was the result of her taking to the streets to interview gun owners and opponents alike in Don Young visit sparks protests. And finally, Kwong gave us Best Culture Reporting on the world of Native fashion with her Designers on cutting edge of Native fashion.

Former KCAW post-graduate fellow Brielle Schaeffer also was recognized for her work in radio. Schaeffer took second place in Best Health Reporting for her two-part series on recovering from drug addiction Some must leave home to get help. Schaeffer took third place in Best Arts Reporting for Cabaret empowers, supports women.

Print – 1 first, 2 seconds (Sentinel)

After completing her fellowship at KCAW, Schaeffer went to the Daily Sitka Sentinel, where she has become one of the few Alaska reporters to win in two media. In the print division, Schaeffer took first place in Best Education Reporting for her piece “Sitkan sees second grade from both sides.” Schaeffer’s colleagues Shannon Haugland and Tom Hesse took second place in the same category for an investigation of ANSEP’s plan to absorb Mt. Edgecumbe High School called “MEHS Plan catches officials by surprise.” Haugland and Hesse combined again to take second place in Best Reporting on Crime or Courts for their “No word yet from FBI in taser probe,” a follow-up story in the ongoing examination of the conduct of Sitka police after a $350,000 settlement with a Mt. Edgecumbe student who was tasered while in custody.

All media – 1 second and 1 third (Sentinel), 2 thirds (KCAW)

The All Media category is most often the turf of Alaska’s major newspapers and television stations. Nevertheless, both KCAW and the Sentinel crashed the party this year. Sentinel photographer James Poulson took second place in Best Portrait for his image of marijuana farmer Michah Miller, and third place in Best Feature Photo for his image “The Proposal.” KCAW’s Notes from the Landslide: One year later, a five-part series by Robert Woolsey and Emily Kwong, took third place in Best Comprehensive Coverage. And Woolsey startled (and perhaps alarmed!) the state’s major press by taking third place in Best Headline Writing, ‘Olfactory’ smells like victory at Blatchley bee.

And finally, KCAW’s current post-graduate fellow Emily Russell was honored in All Media for her efforts to connect with listeners off-air in her previous job at KNOM. Russell and fellow volunteers in Nome won first place in Best Blog. You can check it out here. The contest judge wrote: “Excellent food/lifestyle blog. More than just a foodie blog, more like recipes for life (with cooking). Send leftovers!”