Jacob Notermann

As the lead political reporter based at the North Dakota State Capitol, I covered everything from legislative affairs and statewide elections to real-time crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. My role demanded in-depth knowledge across a wide range of policy topics — often at a moment’s notice — and the ability to communicate those issues to a broad public audience.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was the only reporter in the state to attend every media briefing held by Governor Doug Burgum following the declaration of a state of emergency in March 2020. Unlike other outlets, KFYR-TV broadcast these briefings in full — and I was the on-air journalist tasked with leading our live coverage. I regularly produced and delivered pre-show segments with up to 30 minutes of original content, including national context, data analysis, and live commentary to prepare viewers before the Governor’s updates.

After months of daily breifings, we found that there was a television audience for these mid-afternoon press briefings. When the press conferences became less frequent, we expanded our local programming and created a news talk show. This not only boosted our station's profits by saving on syndicated shows, but it gave our reporters another platform to present their work in a more business-casual setting.