News

15 May Meet Lynsi Burton, New Journalist of the Year honoree

By board member Melissa Dahl

When we called Lynsi Burton, crime and courts reporter at the Skagit Valley Herald, to chat about her achievements as one of Western Washington’s brightest young reporters, the call went straight to voicemail. That’s because Burton doesn’t have a lot of time to talk about her reporting. She’s too busy doing it.

She explained in a later email, “I must have been without signal, as I was out in the boonies covering a murder this afternoon. (Never ends!)”

Burton is one of three reporters in the region who will be honored with the New Journalist of the Year award at the SPJ Awards Gala Saturday.

A recent graduate of Washington State University, Burton keeps a close watch on the Skagit Valley community’s crime scene. In her two years at the paper, she’s reported on such high profile cases as Colton Harris-Moore while monitoring petty crimes that affect everyday people in her region.

Burton’s reporting uncovered disturbing details about the crisis at the Skagit County Jail, which is so crowded that judges must at times decide to release less violent prisoners in order to have room to admit someone more dangerous. Burton’s passion for the community shines in her reporting, and her commitment to her beat shows her readers how crime impacts their daily lives.

We can’t wait to see what comes next for Burton.

Honor Burton and raise money for the region’s journalism students at the SPJ Awards Gala May 18 at the Renaissance Seattle. A few tickets are left; get yours today!