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
Renewable energy industry powers new job growth in SD
With new wind farms leading the way, South Dakota and its strong technical college system have put the state on the forefront of training needed energy workers.
Tourism leaders worried soft economy will slow revenues
Inflation, an uncertain national economy and Canada comments from President Trump could add up to a soft year for tourism in South Dakota.
Detours and delays are part of year 2 of Black Hills roadwork
The 3-year construction project on U.S. 385 through the Black Hills will result in traffic tie-ups but also a smoother, safer roadway.
Libraries evolve and thrive despite funding uncertainty
"You have a home and your work or school, but you need a third place to go and experience things. And the library can be that place."
Cuts in federal funding for food will hurt pantries and producers
USDA spokesperson says cutting roughly $1 billion in federal funding for locally grown food for schools and charities signals "a return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives."
Bird flu in SD: Millions of birds dead, worry shifting to humans
Turkeys, cattle, cats and pheasants in South Dakota have been infected with bird flu. Scientists worry: Is a large human outbreak next?
South Dakota is second in the nation for bird flu outbreaks at commercial poultry farms and an infection at a pheasant farm that led to the death of 30,000 birds.
Sturgis military event reveals division among SD veterans
How a ceremony meant to honor veterans exposed tensions within the South Dakota military community.