I cut my reporting jaws at The University of Montana where I covered criminal justice, indigenous issues, sports and arts. I served as editor for the award winning Native News project my senior year. After graduation I spent the summer reporting for Denver Westword and then moved to Washington, D.C. where I interned for POLITICO Magazine.
After leaving my internship, I covered the pandemic and the 2020 protests as a freelance reporter in both Colorado and Washington, D.C.
I founded and ran my news outlet The Des for five years. We published dozens of articles on the American justice system, featured incarcerated writers and hosted almost a dozen interns from across the country.
I stepped in as editor and chief at The Outlaw Report, an independent DMV cannabis business news outlet, in 2023. I continue to run the site, write the content, manage finances and advertising partnerships.
I also taught three summers of high school investigative journalism at American University while in D.C.
For almost a decade, I have freelanced covering justice, drugs and other issues. My work has been published by The Washington Post, PBS Newshour, NPR, CNN, NBC News, TIME, KFF Health News, Washington City Paper, The Colorado Springs Independent, Denver Westword, The Appeal, POLITICO and more.
LJ Dawson 