How our local newsroom plans to cover the second Trump administration
![caption: FILE - President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.](https://kuow-prod.imgix.net/store/bfe37693cfb5333adfd233008e1cd670.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&fit=clip&crop=faces&auto=format&w=924&h=634)
KUOW’s Soundside’s mission is to be a place where you can be part of the dialogue, learn something new about your own backyard, and meet your neighbors from the Peninsula to the Palouse.
With a new federal administration that will have wide ranging national and local impacts, we asked listeners how they want the show to handle covering President Donald Trump and his second administration. From “skip it” altogether to “call him out for creating distractions,” we heard many suggestions.
One particular request rang out again and again: “Please don't play his voice.”
But as Soundside host Libby Denkmann pointed out, “Context is important and sometimes that means hearing directly the words from those in power. We will keep that in mind as audio is a very personal medium.”
KUOW News Director Jason Pagano agrees — we’re not not going to play the president’s voice.
“I don’t think we would do that for any president,” Pagano said.
He also noted that most of the time you’re hearing Trump on KUOW, you’re hearing nationally produced coverage that we carry as an NPR affiliate station. Those decisions about what to air are being made in Washington, D.C., or Culver City, California, but KUOW can offer feedback to NPR.
While there are many uncertainties on the horizon, one thing doesn’t change, Pagano emphasized: “No matter who’s in office, we have a commitment to fairness, independence, impartiality, accuracy, and responsibility for what we report.”
KUOW’s newsroom consists of about a dozen reporters with assigned beats, or topic areas they regularly cover. Considering the Trump administration’s promises surrounding immigration, we currently have two reporters dedicated to that beat. This means they can keep an eye on a potential travel ban, workplace raids, law enforcement working with ICE, and H-1B visas.
The Trump administration is moving fast, which means the news cycle is, too. Thus, we’re not going to be able to cover every story, but “We’re making choices based on the potential local impact to our listeners and our audience here,” Pagano said. “We’re watching to make sure the national news doesn’t wipe out the local coverage.”
And while Trump administration news may feel all-consuming at the moment, “There's a lot more in Seattle that's interesting and going on that people still want to know about,” Pagano added. “So we and NPR are also trying to be intentional and bring people stories that aren't just about politics.”
To share your thoughts directly with KUOW News Director Jason Pagano, he welcomes emails at jason@kuow.org. You can reach the Soundside team at soundside@kuow.org. Find more information here about how to privately share tips and other materials with KUOW’s newsroom.
Read some of KUOW’s latest stories surrounding the impact of Trump’s second presidency on Washington state below:
- Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans
- Trump’s proposed Canada tariff could boost Northwest energy bills
- Seattle judge temporarily blocks Trump executive order on birthright citizenship
- This time, it's gubernatorial: Gov. Ferguson on how Washington will face another Trump administration
For more information about how NPR plans to cover the second Trump administration, NPR’s Public Editor explored the station’s plans here.