Title: investigative reporter and 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 307 Posts
School voucher program backed by many voters: Poll
But opposition remains strong: "There is no impoverishment of South Dakota public education that is not eventually an impoverishment of South Dakota, and that’s why we're against vouchers."
Democracy and elections in doubt: South Dakota poll
A South Dakota News Watch poll shows voters have deep concerns about the U.S. democratic system of government and elections.
Highway 385 project will close road critical to $2 billion Black Hills tourism industry
A $72 million project to rebuild 15 miles of U.S. 385 will cause major disruptions to tourism in the Black Hills the next two years.
Grocery tax opposition remains high in South Dakota: Poll
A new statewide poll co-sponsored by South Dakota News Watch showed that 60.6% of registered voters support a proposed statewide ballot measure that would eliminate the 4.2% state sales tax on groceries.
South Dakota predator bounty program to continue despite opposition
Despite data or evidence, state is 'confident that this bounty program is enhancing nest success.'
Demand remains high for 'heritage turkeys' grown in South Dakota
A few South Dakota organic farms are raising smaller heritage turkeys, and interest is rising. “Once that breed is gone, they’re gone and gone forever.”
$8.3B in crop insurance payouts to South Dakota farmers: A cost of climate change
Nearly 65% of federal crop insurance premiums are subsidized with federal funding.