Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature for the NPR/public radio stations of the Pacific Northwest, including KUOW and KNKX in the Seattle/Tacoma market. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW’s (the C‑SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program “Inside Olympia.”

Prior to joining the Northwest News Network, Austin worked as a television reporter in Seattle, Portland, and Boise.

Austin is a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle and Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. In 2019, he received his Master of Communication in Digital Media from the University of Washington Communication Leadership program.

Austin’s reporting has been recognized with awards from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated and the Society of Professional Journalists. Austin was part of a team that won a 2018 national Edward R. Murrow award for breaking news coverage.