ProPublica announced that Ashley Hiruko, an investigative reporter with KUOW Public Radio in Seattle, has been selected as a Northwest fellow for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. Hiruko joins Kyle Hopkins of the Anchorage Daily News, Tony Schick of Oregon Public Broadcasting and three ProPublica staff reporters who work together to cover the Pacific Northwest.
Hiruko’s stories for KUOW have revealed key details of the messy city response to the 2020 protest occupation of the Capitol Hill neighborhood; exposed, in a joint investigation with The Seattle Times, the fact that city police stopped investigating sex crimes involving adult victims; uncovered allegations that Mayor Bruce Harrell brandished a firearm in a parking lot dispute years ago; and helped lead to the firing of Seattle’s police chief after he hired a woman with whom city investigators concluded he was having an affair.
Prior to joining KUOW, Hiruko covered crime in the greater Seattle area, and before that she wrote for the Lynden Tribune in Washington’s Whatcom County. She previously served as president of the Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington Pro Chapter. Hiruko will remain a reporter at KUOW while working with ProPublica.
“Ashley’s tenacity and drive are matched only by her ability to connect with a wide range of people on her beat, a combination that makes her incredibly effective at landing difficult stories,” Steve Suo, ProPublica’s Northwest editor, said. “Her work has consistently made waves and held powerful people to account. I’m thrilled to have her on our team.”
ProPublica launched the Local Reporting Network at the beginning of 2018 to boost investigative journalism in local newsrooms. It has since worked with nearly 90 news organizations. The network is part of ProPublica’s local initiative, which includes offices in the Midwest, Northwest, South and Southwest, plus an investigative unit in partnership with The Texas Tribune.
