Ben Botkin is an accomplished watchdog and beat reporter. Botkin is currently the politics & policy correspondent for Lookout Eugene-Springfield.
He previously covered state politics for the Oregon Capital Chronicle, the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore., The Denver Post and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He also wrote about criminal justice and state prison issues for Oklahoma Watch, a non-profit investigative journalism outlet.
Botkin has covered national stories such as the Nevada caucuses, the 2016 presidential conventions, campaigns and armed standoffs in Nevada and Oregon with ranchers and self-styled militia men.
His journalism has sparked investigations and changes among the government agencies he's covered. His work exposing bid-rigging has led to reforms in an Idaho college's bidding process for construction jobs. His investigation of an animal shelter director led to the director's indictment on animal cruelty charges and the indictment of the police chief.
He also has covered the Idaho Legislature, the education beat and local government.
He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
