Homeland Security’s ‘welfare’ check on Idaho migrant students raises school privacy questions
In other parts of the country, the welfare checks have resulted in children being taken out of their homes and put back into government custody
Jacob H. Fries
Jacob Fries is InvestigateWest’s executive director. A lifelong journalist, he’s spent his career mentoring reporters, forging media partnerships and managing deep-dive investigations that exposed injustice and changed laws.
What I Do
As executive director, I oversee the organization’s strategic direction, ensuring it fulfills its mission to produce change-making investigative journalism. I manage day-to-day operations, including financial oversight, fundraising, staff leadership and partnerships, while also guiding editorial priorities and long-term strategies to ensure InvestigateWest’s sustainability and impact.
My Background
Before joining InvestigateWest in 2021, I spent two decades working for daily and weekly newspapers. I worked as a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times and the New York Times. Later, I was the editor of the Inlander, a Spokane-based weekly paper covering the Inland Northwest. My writing has appeared in numerous other publications, including the Seattle Times, the Denver Post, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Boston Globe. Once, for an investigation into jail crowding, I spent 48 hours living as an inmate in a maximum-security cellblock, where I had to sleep on the floor next to an open toilet.
Born and raised in Washington state, I studied journalism and education at Northwestern University in Chicago. After living on the East Coast and traveling abroad, I’ve been back in the Northwest since 2008. I’m married with two young girls and an Airedale named Maggie.
Ethics and Approach
I strive to live up to journalism’s core principles — honesty, transparency, independence, fairness — not just in my work, but in my daily life. It’s what I lean on when faced with tough decisions: Seek the truth. Be fair and decent to people. Act independently and avoid conflicts of interest. Hold power accountable, and hold ourselves accountable.
Of course, we all fall short of perfection sometimes. All we can do is own up to our mistakes, correct them and try to avoid repeating them. Anything short of that, I’ve often said, turns an honest mistake into a dishonest one. That commitment to truth, even when it’s professionally embarrassing, is sacrosanct for any good journalist.
Contact Me
I’m always open to feedback. Please contact me by email or direct message to set up a chat.
Email: jacob@investigatewest.org
Phone: 509-251-4500
X: @jacobhfries
LinkedIn: Jacob H. Fries
Signal: 509-251-4500
Latest
Homeland Security’s ‘welfare’ check on Idaho migrant students raises school privacy questions
In other parts of the country, the welfare checks have resulted in children being taken out of their homes and put back into government custody
Union says Providence fired 15 nurses in retaliation for news coverage of girl’s suicide at Spokane hospital
Providence has accused nurses and other staff of violating patient privacy laws
In wildfire-prone Washington, ‘collaboration’ on forest management gives way to timber interests
Forest collaboratives formed in the wake of the Pacific Northwest’s “Timber Wars” have become major power players operating largely out of the public eye
Washington’s safety net clinics face ‘perfect storm’ of federal threats
Cuts to Medicaid and a change restricting services for some immigrants loom over the state’s 27 community health centers.