ABOUT US
Iowa has long enjoyed a reputation for clean government. But what would happen if nobody was watching?
The Iowa Capital Dispatch is a hard-hitting, independent news organization dedicated to connecting Iowans to their state government and its impact on their lives. The Capital Dispatch combines state government coverage with relentless investigative journalism, deep dives into the consequences of policy, political insight, and principled commentary.
We deeply believe in sharing the stories of people outside the halls of power, connecting the actions of state leaders to their impacts on Iowans. We also believe that without strong community journalism, Iowans risk losing the government integrity and accountability they have long valued.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch is a nonprofit organization, free of advertising and free to readers. That means your donations are vital and your money goes directly to paying for quality journalism. We also make our work available to your community newspapers and other media outlets.
The Capital Dispatch is an affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations. We retain full editorial independence.
Kathie Obradovich
Editor-in-Chief
Editor Kathie Obradovich has been covering Iowa government and politics for more than 30 years, most recently as political columnist and opinion editor for the Des Moines Register. She previously covered the Iowa Statehouse for 10 years for newspapers in Davenport, Waterloo, Sioux City, Mason City and Muscatine. She is a leading voice on Iowa politics and makes regular appearances on state, national and international news programs. She has led national-award-winning coverage of the Iowa Caucuses and the Register’s Iowa Poll.
Clark Kauffman
Deputy Editor
Deputy Editor Clark Kauffman has worked during the past 30 years as both an investigative reporter and editorial writer at two of Iowa’s largest newspapers, the Des Moines Register and the Quad-City Times. He has won numerous state and national awards for reporting and editorial writing. His 2004 series on prosecutorial misconduct in Iowa was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting. From October 2018 through November 2019, Kauffman was an assistant ombudsman for the Iowa Office of Ombudsman, an agency that investigates citizens’ complaints of wrongdoing within state and local government agencies.
Jared Strong
Senior reporter
Senior reporter Jared Strong has written about Iowans and the important issues that affect them for more than 15 years, previously for the Carroll Times Herald and the Des Moines Register. His investigative work exposing police misconduct has notched several state and national awards. He is a longtime trustee of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, which fights for open records and open government. He is a lifelong Iowan and has lived mostly in rural western parts of the state.
Robin Opsahl
Reporter
Robin Opsahl is an Iowa Capital Dispatch reporter covering the state Legislature and politics. Robin has experience covering government, elections and more at media organizations including Roll Call, the Sacramento Bee and the Wausau Daily Herald, in addition to working on multimedia projects, newsletters and visualizations. They were a political reporter for the Des Moines Register covering the Iowa caucuses leading up to the 2020 presidential election, assisting with the Register's Iowa Poll, and reporting on Iowa's 4th District elections.
Brooklyn Draisey
Report for America corps member
Brooklyn Draisey is a Report for America corps member covering higher education across the state for the Iowa Capital Dispatch. An Iowa native, Draisey has covered communities around eastern Iowa through her work at The Daily Iowan, The Southeast Iowa Union, The Gazette and the Quad-City Times. She works to bring the voices of those impacted by policy decisions and large-scale problems to the forefront of stories, from delivery drivers trying to stay safe during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to former tenants of a collapsed Davenport apartment building.