Ep 5: A reporter vs. a local journalist

Ep 9: A different flavor of storytelling — the impact of CDN's visual journalists

How do visuals help tell a story? In this episode of “On Background,” CDN visual journalists Finn Wendt and Santiago Ochoa talk about how photography and video elevate news, sports and living stories in Cascadia Daily News. Listeners will learn how visual journalists collaborate with reporters and why it's important to put community faces in the paper.

Ep 8: Checking the agenda — how CDN covers 14 school districts

Whatcom and Skagit counties are home to 14 public school districts, and CDN’s Charlotte Alden keeps up with all of them in addition to covering universities, technical colleges and community colleges. In this episode of “On Background,” Charlotte walks listeners through how her collegiate experiences prepped her to cover education in NW Washington.

Ep 7: Addressing barriers of trust in rural communities

What’s it like for a journalist to cover a community that they aren’t familiar with? CDN’s Sophia Gates talks about it in this episode of “On Background.” Sophia highlights the importance of covering rural communities in Whatcom and Skagit counties and why access to local news is beneficial. Sophia's position is supported by the Murrow News Fellowship, a state-funded program that places reporters in Washington newsrooms. All of her stories are available for free, outside CDN’s paywall.

Ep 6: The use of language in crime reporting

Crime can be a divisive topic for local news reporters to cover. There’s a lot to consider when reporting respectfully on those accused or guilty of a crime, potential victims and how crime affects the broader community. Reporter Annie Todd treads these waters every day as CDN’s criminal justice reporter. In this episode of “On Background,” Annie explains CDN’s crime-reporting policy [https://www.cascadiadaily.com/crime-policy/] and her personal approach. She also talks about reporting on Whatcom County’s planned Justice Center and on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in CDN’s coverage area.

Ep 5: A reporter vs. a local journalist

We’re talking investigations—all about building trust with your sources, tips from community members and public records requests with Isaac Stone Simonelli, CDN’s investigative reporter. Isaac is one of the most seasoned reporters in the newsroom and has a wealth of knowledge and stories to share. We also touch on the catastrophic flooding of 2025 in Whatcom and Skagit counties, as well as the differences between a reporter and a local journalist.