Josie Taris began filing stories for Aspen Public Radio this week as part of a 2024 collaboration the station launched with the Aspen Daily News to bring more local government coverage to the Aspen Public Radio listening audience.
Taris is a staff writer for the Aspen Daily News — her beats include Pitkin County government, the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, public lands and midvalley communities — and came into her current role after reporting for The Aspen Times. Before arriving in Colorado, she worked for North Carolina Public Radio producing for the daily live news talk show, “The State of Things,” alongside general assignment reporting. Taris was also part of the original production team for the award-winning podcast “Embodied,” which covers sex, relationships, and health.
"Josie is joining our newsroom to report on important community issues involving the Town of Basalt, Pitkin County, and our local airport," Aspen Public Radio News Director Kelsey Brunner said. "Not only is she an outstanding and hardworking reporter, but we're also excited for this collaboration to deepen our relationship with the Aspen Daily News."
Aspen Daily News Editor Andre Salvail said he is optimistic about the new arrangement between the two local media outlets.
“Any opportunity to enhance our mission of delivering accurate and relevant news to Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley is most welcome,” Salvail said. “I am positive that Josie will excel in her expanded role.”
Founded in 1978 by Dave Danforth, the Aspen Daily News celebrates nearly a half-century of production this week. A 2008 article by Catherine Lutz reported that upon its launch as a street-sheet, the Aspen Daily News was likely the first free print news source in the county.
In 2017, general manager David Cook purchased the daily newspaper along with partner Spencer McKnight, carrying on the legacy of independent journalism in Aspen.
"As I said eight years ago, investigative and enterprise journalism is as important today as it's ever been," Cook, now co-owner and publisher of the Aspen Daily News, shared. "And we believe that an accountable populace is the cornerstone of any functioning democracy.”
Cook continued, “Embracing this opportunity to work more closely with the Aspen Public Radio newsroom and bring our high-quality reporting to friends and neighbors who listen everyday is an exciting collaboration opportunity which only deepens our commitment to provide credible and compelling information to our community."
Aspen Public Radio broadcasts local newscasts and radio features from 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m., Monday through Friday, within national programming along with producing a daily local news podcast each weekday morning and publishing daily to aspenpublicradio.org.
Josie Taris is joining All Things Considered host and reporter Halle Zander, Edlis Neeson Arts & Culture reporter Kaya Williams, reporter Caroline Llanes, and Morning Edition host Megan Tackett, under Brunner’s newsroom leadership.
You can learn more about the Aspen Public Radio team here.