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 311 Posts
How Wall is building a model to encourage housing growth
A team effort, optimistic attitude and innovative leadership put Wall at the forefront of new efforts to develop housing and pave the way for economic and population growth in rural South Dakota.
Pause of after-school funding part of larger education freeze
Cuts to federal education grants could cost South Dakota almost $26 million a year, nearly 11% of all federal education funding received by the state.
Federal cuts roundup: The impact on South Dakota
A list of the effects of federal job cuts, program reductions and hiring freezes in the state.
SD attorneys vote in favor of mandatory ongoing education
South Dakota joins 46 other states that require some level of ongoing education for attorneys.
South Dakota Job Corps under threat of closure
"We get the kids that fall through the cracks, and the mission is to take someone from poverty and give them an education and training in a trade that can lead to a good job and career."
Dusty Johnson, now a SD gov candidate, shares his priorities
The Pierre native vows to be a uniter and hunt for "the next big thing" to drive the state economy.
Residents stand ready to help plan the future of Watertown
H20-50 is a citizen-led planning process: "Being involved in the community and helping shape the future for our family and our children, that's super important."