WNPA Olympia News Bureau opens for 2020 Legislative session

Published 1:30 am Friday, January 10, 2020

WNPA News Service

The Washington Newspaper Publisher Association’s Olympia news bureau opened this past Wednesday with two reporters in new permanent quarters on the Capitol campus.

In a space large enough to accommodate several reporters a stone’s throw from the Capitol dome, Cameron Sheppard and Leona Vaughn will report on state lawmakers for about 80 WNPA member newspapers throughout the state.

Articles written by the pair will be published in upcoming editions of the Whidbey News-Times and South Whidbey Record, as well as other Sound Publishing newspapers in Washington state.

Sheppard is a senior multimedia journalism and public relations student at Washington State University. He grew up in Tacoma where he attended Wilson High School.

Sheppard first began as a news reporter for the student-run Daily Evergreen Newspaper at Washington State University in Pullman.

Sheppard covered a wide-variety of local events and issues in the Moscow-Pullman community on topics including university research, local business, university administration and environmental issues.

Sheppard was also an intern at Northwest Public Broadcasting last fall, where he worked as an assistant news producer for NPR’s “All Things Considered” program as well as a reporter on occasion.

Sheppard said he is passionate about politics, culture and science and aspires to be a radio storyteller and producer.

Vaughn is an undergraduate student from Seattle pursuing journalism at the University of Washington.

Vaughn began her career in journalism as a reporter for The Daily of the University of Washington, where she has been on staff since 2017.

Vaughn said much of her work for The Daily focuses on news, arts and health and wellness.

Vaughn previously interned for the local news outlet The Seattle Globalist, where most of her writing addressed issues of diversity, as well as celebrating the success of local minority community members.

Vaughn has additional experience working with film and audio storytelling.

This will be Vaughn’s first time reporting on politics, and she’s ready for the new challenge. Vaughn said she hopes to write informative pieces, create a conversation amongst readers and learn more about a topic that so directly affects our world.

Again this year, former WNPA president Sandy Stokes is serving as bureau chief and assignment editor and will distribute stories as soon as they’re finished.

Also, like last year, several seasoned editors from publications from throughout Washington will help with editing.