Augusta McDonnell is a reporter for KNOM Radio in Nome, Alaska, covering the people, communities, and issues shaping life across Western Alaska and the Arctic. Her reporting focuses on public policy, government accountability, rural communities, and the ways government decisions and systems affect people’s lives.
Before joining KNOM, Augusta was an anchor and investigative journalist at Alaska’s News Source, where she anchored the statewide evening newscast and reported on issues affecting communities across Alaska. Her investigative work examined immigration enforcement in the state, including data-driven reporting on ICE detainee trends and cases raising concerns about due process. She also covered Arctic policy and security, reporting from the press room during President Donald Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Following Typhoon Halong, Augusta traveled to Western Alaska to document flooding in affected villages and later returned to report on recovery efforts. Her reporting was featured in KTUU’s 2025 Northwest Regional Emmy Award-nominated coverage of the storm’s impacts.
Previously, Augusta worked as an anchor and reporter in Montana, where she launched and hosted a public affairs program focused on the state legislature. Her reporting examined the environmental impacts of wildfires, Indigenous communities, refugee resettlement, and state government. Her reporting on refugee resettlement was featured in the Montana Journalism Review.
In Oklahoma City, Augusta worked as an education and Capitol reporter, leading investigations into school financial issues and abuse cases. Her reporting uncovered a falsified superintendent’s contract that was cited as evidence in a state lawsuit against a local school board. She also covered the resumption of executions in Oklahoma and traveled to Arkansas and Kentucky to report on the aftermath of the Mayfield tornado disaster.
Augusta’s work has earned recognition across regional journalism. She received a Northwest Regional Emmy Award in June 2024 for Morning Newscast. While working in Oklahoma, she received two Heartland Emmy nominations in 2023: one for a daytime newscast in markets 46–99 and another for team coverage of the shooting death of an Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Her other honors include a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the E.B. Craney Award from the Montana Association of Broadcasters for team coverage of breaking news about the Roaring Lion Fire; and the Patti Harold Service Award for her education reporting in Oklahoma.
Augusta has moderated journalism panels with the World Press Institute and at the 2024 Montana Free Press Fest. She is completing a Master of Arts in Global Studies at the University of Oklahoma and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Montana. She is a member of the National Press Photographers Association and Investigative Reporters & Editors and has completed advanced training through NPPA storytelling and video workshops, as well as the Covering Climate Now conference hosted at Columbia University.