Michael de Yoanna

Director of News Content
  • Michael de Yoanna
    Michael de Yoanna

Since 2016, I have led KUNC's newsroom of 15 talented journalists. I was a fan of the station before joining. KUNC is where my first-ever radio story ran. So being here is a homecoming in many ways. Before my radio days, I darted up and down Colorado's Front Range -- and out of state when I could -- as a scrappy, resourceful newspaper reporter. I freelanced for several years after that, working for a long list of news organizations (and editors!), including my own, now-defunct failed new blog that ran rejected New Yorker cartoons to Salon.com and 5280 magazine. I made a move into broadcast with CBS's "48 Hours Mystery" and "60 Minutes" and then directed my own documentary film, "Recovering," about war veterans healing their wounds through bicycling. After serving at an investigative unit in Denver's commercial TV market, I found a home reporting for public radio, where I picked up on a theme in my stories over the years -- the mistreatment of combat troops with mental wounds by the military they serve. I shared a national Edward R. Murrow award for that work in 2011 with KUNC and, in 2017, a national Columbia-duPont award, the broadcast equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize, which I share with NPR. I believe that great journalism is essential to our democracy, but it should also be fun and interesting. Excellent journalism takes a team and KUNC is, in my humble opinion, the best news team in Colorado. I'm proud to be part of it.

Colorado’s Voter Registration System Went Down For 29 Minutes

By • Nov 8, 2016

Some of those who wanted to register to vote this afternoon may have been told to fill out a provisional ballot instead. Colorado’s top election officials confirmed that the system that registers people to vote went down for 29 minutes starting at 2:47 p.m. today.

Four Interesting Facts About Early Colorado Voters On Election Day

By • Nov 8, 2016
Erin O'Toole / KUNC

About 77 percent of Colorado’s 3.1 million registered voters turned in ballots as of 3 p.m. today. Here are some interesting details about those early voters:

 

To Trump, Colorado Officials Claim No 'Wholesale Rigging' Of Elections

By & • Oct 31, 2016
A woman holding a sign that says "The White House is not a locker room - stay out."
Erin O'Toole / KUNC

As Donald Trump campaigned in Colorado over the weekend, he questioned the integrity of the state’s mail-ballot elections. He first raised the issue during a rally in Golden on Saturday and then continued during a 45-minute speech Sunday in Greeley, at the University of Northern Colorado. 

Fact Checking The Final Presidential Debate Between Hillary Clinton And Donald Trump

By • Oct 19, 2016
Clinton/Trump campaigns

Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton square off for their final presidential debate. NPR's politics team, once again, joins with other NPR reporters and editors to scrutinize the candidates' statements in real time, as they arise during the debate.

Trump And Clinton: A Fact Check Of Their Second Presidential Debate

By • Oct 9, 2016
Clinton/Trump campaigns

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump face off in their second presidential debate. NPR's politics team, along with other reporters and editors who cover the issues discussed in the debate, live annotated the debate. Portions of the debate with extra analysis are highlighted, followed by additional context and fact checking from NPR reporters and editors. 

For highlights of the Trump-Clinton debate visit NPR.org and live fact checks are here, at KUNC.org, below.

A Fact Check Of The Pence-Kaine Vice Presidential Debate

By • Oct 4, 2016
Tim Kaine/Mike Pence

Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence square off in the vice-presidential debate Tuesday night.
Reporters and editors who cover national security, immigration, business, foreign policy and more are live with KUNC Colorado News partner NPR in fact checking the debate.

Portions of the debate with added analysis are highlighted, followed by context from NPR. Click the headline above to get live fact checks now.

Follow highlights of the debate in NPR's updating news story at npr.org.

Why Clinton And Trump's Colorado Campaign Directors Aren't Looking At The Polls

By • Aug 31, 2016
K. Ray-Riek / DNCC

As Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump angle for Colorado voters, what’s not clear is how relevant the state will be on election night. By the looks of several election maps, the race is already over. The victor, if the trend holds, is Clinton, with the state colored a shade of Democrat blue.

Inspector General's Report Addresses Grand Junction VA Health Care Concerns

By • May 16, 2016
Courtesy Chris Blumenstein

Vietnam War veteran Rodger Holmes became ill in 2014, at the height of a national scandal over long patient wait times at care centers and allegations of negligence at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Holmes, who sought care for his Hepatitis C liver disease at the Grand Junction VA Health Care System, was among those to complain.  

"He lost a tremendous amount of weight," said Chris Blumenstein, who served as a VA social worker to Holmes. "He was losing his mental clarity, his mental sharpness, he couldn't remember things."

Holmes died in December 2014, but in response to concerns, the VA's national Office of Inspector General launched an investigation and released recommendations May 11, 2016.

Missed Treatment: Soldiers With Mental Health Issues Dismissed For 'Misconduct'

By & • Oct 28, 2015

Staff Sgt. Eric James, an Army sniper who served two tours in Iraq, paused before he walked into a psychiatrist's office at Fort Carson, Colo. It was April 3, 2014. James clicked record on his smartphone, and then tucked the phone and his car keys inside his cap as he walked through the door to the chair by the therapist's desk.

The Burden of Proof: One Colorado Soldier's Fight for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnosis...

By & • Dec 1, 2010

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on 2010-12-01 on an older version of KUNC.org.

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