Michael de Yoanna
Reporter, Investigative and Veterans’ IssuesEmail: michael@kunc.org
As investigative reporter for KUNC, I take tips from our audience and, well, investigate them. I strive to go beyond the obvious, to reveal new facts, to go in-depth and to bring new perspectives and personalities to light.
KUNC's newsroom has always stood out for asking critical questions while striving for fairness and accuracy while promoting conversation. Colorado deserves nothing less. My stories sometimes air on NPR or programs like "Reveal," but my starting point is always right here, with real people from our community.
I got my first job as a print reporter for publications in Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Denver. Later, I freelanced for local and national media organizations, including "60 Minutes." I even directed an indie documentary in the two years I worked as an investigative producer in local television. Finally, I settled in at public radio.
I've been honored with two national Edward R. Murrow Awards for my reporting with KUNC, most recently in 2019. As an editor, I shared in a national Sigma Delta Chi investigative award in 2018 from the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2017, I won the Columbia-duPont Award for my co-reporting with NPR’s Investigations Desk. I have received numerous other regional and statewide awards.
When I'm not at work, I play a loud and ferocious electric guitar with my band, enjoy epic weekend road bicycle trek that begin with coffee and end with beer and laughs or watch soccer with my mates, especially if they're supporters of Manchester United or the Colorado Rapids.
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An Indian-American doctor was sitting in his car outside the building he owned in Aurora. He honked at a police cruiser blocking his way. An Aurora police officer responded by drawing a gun on the doctor, questioning him as if he was a criminal suspect. -
Reports of active coronavirus outbreaks at Colorado K-12 schools have accelerated in September compared to cases through all of August. Raw public health data released by the state this week and analyzed by KUNC shows outbreaks at 80 schools with 886 cases among students and staff.
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As the Taliban marched into town after town in Afghanistan, Mohmad Shamsi expressed fear online. He posted that he and his family were likely targets because of connections to the Afghan government.
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Donald Trump's remarks late last week to Alabama's syndicated Rick & Bubba radio show should figure into two ongoing investigations, Sen. Michael Bennet said, calling them an admission that showed that the decision to relocate U.S. Space Command wasn't one made on merits.
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In the two days since the Taliban has taken control of Kabul, Congressman Jason Crow’s office has been inundated with pleas for assistance.“I'm non-stop at this point, receiving texts, phone calls, emails of people with friends in Afghanistan,” Rep. Crow said in an interview on Wednesday with KUNC.
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As the Taliban sweeps Afghanistan, filling the void left by withdrawing U.S. troops, Rep. Jason Crow and other members of Congress who served in the military are warning of a humanitarian crisis. They say the Biden administration should work quickly to get military interpreters and other Afghans who helped Americans out of the country before they face retribution.
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A congressman and community supporters are rallying behind the idea of naming a Veterans Affairs health clinic after John Mosley, a Denver native who became one of the military’s first Black pilots as a Tuskegee Airman during World War II.
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This week, dozens of health organizations — from the American Medical Association to the American Nurses Association — said they support mandates that require health care workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The mandates are starting to trickle into Colorado.
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A report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, or UAPs, released last month by national intelligence officials didn’t say anything about last year's drone sightings in Colorado. So KUNC asked whether anyone ever solved the mystery about what the objects were and, if they were drones, who was flying them. The short answer: no.
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Colorado’s public health department issued an order Wednesday that prevents paramedics from using ketamine to sedate people in situations like the one involving Elijah McClain. The change came just hours after Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 1251, which he said in a statement is meant to “restore trust in law enforcement.”
