Title: Content Director
Contact: 605-937-9398 / bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org
Language spoken: English
Demographic expertise: South Dakota, including the Rapid City area, the Black Hills, rural towns and reservations
Topic expertise: agriculture, state government, education, rural issues, Indigenous people, poverty
Potential conflict of interest: Pfankuch serves on the board of the Oyate Prevention Coalition in Rapid City, which works to prevent substance abuse among Native American youth. He will recuse himself from reporting on the organization.
Biography: Pfankuch (pronounced FAN-cook) is Wisconsin native and former editor of the Rapid City Journal. He has worked for more than 30 years as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Wisconsin, Florida and South Dakota, including as reporter or editor at the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram and Capital Times in Wisconsin, and at the Florida Times-Union and Sarasota Herald-Tribune in Florida. He also is a syndicated writing coach who has presented at newspaper conferences across the country. Pfankuch has won more than four dozen state, regional and national journalism awards, including, while at News Watch, agricultural writer of the year from the North American Agricultural Journalists association in 2020, 2021 and 2023 as well as first-place reporting awards in the Great Plains Journalism Awards sponsored by the Tulsa Press Club and South Dakota NewsMedia Association. Pfankuch lives in Black Hawk.
Professional memberships: Investigative Reporters and Editors, North American Agricultural Journalists, South Dakota NewsMedia First Amendment Committee
Social platforms: X/Twitter; LinkedIn
Archive of work: South Dakota News Watch
Bart Pfankuch
Total 337 Posts
The one issue South Dakota towns agree is holding them back
A coordinated statewide effort is underway to generate and share innovative ideas for new housing across the state.
Housing solutions: Engage South Dakota
A list of entities and programs that can assist in developing or obtaining housing as well as links to News Watch reporting on housing solutions.
Improving open records law in SD an uphill battle for advocates
South Dakota remains "on an island" when it comes to open records laws, which allow police agencies to keep videos they record away from public access and scrutiny.
With discretion left to agencies, police video releases rare in SD
South Dakota departments, by law, don't have to release dashboard or body camera footage. When videos and still images have been released, they tend to justify officer use of force or highlight humorous on-the-job interactions.
Police videos in SD: Public pays costs but cannot see footage
As more states begin to provide public access to videos captured by law enforcement agencies, South Dakota continues to keep police body and dash cam videos hidden from the view of the public and media.
In lean year, governor offers no increase in 'big 3' spending
With sales tax revenues down, Gov. Larry Rhoden proposes no spending increases for health care and education and no raises for state employees.
Legislators plan bills to help Piedmont residents in mine fight
Lawmakers hope to strengthen lax mining laws that allow some companies to get a license to mine anywhere in the state without public notification or input. Attorney who helped with carbon pipeline has been hired.