Civil Beat Staff

Patti Epler

Patti Epler is the Editor and General Manager of Civil Beat.

Patti has been a reporter and editor since 1976. She began her career in Anchorage, Alaska, writing a column for The Anchorage Times and covering cops and courts in the frontier state at a time construction of the massive trans-Alaska pipeline was drawing thousands of young people north and opening up a new energy source for the country.

Patti moved to Hawaii in 1982 where she lived on a 41-foot sailboat in Keehi Lagoon and worked for Honolulu Magazine. She returned to Alaska in 1984 to a job covering the state’s booming oil and gas business, utilities, mining and environmental issues. In 1989, she was one of the lead reporters on the Exxon Valdez oil spill. She was also a member of the Anchorage Daily News team that won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal For Public Service for a series on alcoholism and self-destructive behavior among Alaska Natives.

In 1990, she and her family, including a young daughter, moved to Olympia, Washington, where Patti covered politics and the Legislature for the Tacoma News Tribune. In 1997, she moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and an editor’s job at the alt-weekly, Phoenix New Times. In 2004, she became projects editor and city editor at the East Valley Tribune, at the time the Phoenix metro area’s second largest daily paper. In 2008, Patti edited and directed that paper’s series on the immigration enforcement practices of a colorful local sheriff, an effort that was awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.

She moved to the online news world in 2009, joining with other journalists to found the Arizona Guardian, a short-lived news site covering politics and government. In 2010, she returned to Alaska to work on another reporter-founded website, the Alaska Dispatch.

She was hired as Civil Beat’s deputy editor in September 2011 and was named Editor when former Editor John Temple left to take a job as managing editor of the Washington Post in April 2012.

Patti is an old-school investigative journalist in a new media world. She still values solid relationships with news sources and strong journalistic ethics. Like many of her colleagues, she’s been laid off (more than once) from what were once vibrant and thriving newspapers. She is now a true believer in online journalism and all that the internet has to offer news operations that embrace meaningful reporting and investigative and watchdog journalism to encourage community discussion of important civic and political issues. Those concepts are at the core of Civil Beat.

She’s always available to grab a cup of coffee and talk about Hawaii and story ideas.

You can follow Patti on twitter @PattiEpler. You can also email her at patti@civilbeat.org. Direct line is 808-377-0561.

Want To Find Out More About Your Legislator? Don’t Bother With The Legislature’s Website Blaze Lovell/Civil Beat/2023

Want To Find Out More About Your Legislator? Don’t Bother With The Legislature’s Website

The Legislature's staff and tech people are working to keep legislative action and information up to date. Too bad lawmakers aren't doing their part.

Hello, Wahiawa! Civil Beat’s Pop-Up Newsroom Is Coming

Hello, Wahiawa! Civil Beat’s Pop-Up Newsroom Is Coming

Join our staff on Tuesday at the Wahiawa Public Library.

Civil Beat Reporter Wins New York Times Fellowship Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Civil Beat Reporter Wins New York Times Fellowship

Blaze Lovell will look into procurement practices during the year-long program.

Gov. Josh Green Says He’s Already Taking Steps To Make Hawaii Government More Open Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023

Gov. Josh Green Says He’s Already Taking Steps To Make Hawaii Government More Open

The high cost of public records and problems with the Office of Information Practices are on the governor's mind these days.

Pop-Up Newsroom Heads To Waipahu On Tuesday Ku‘u Kauanoe/Civil Beat/2022

Pop-Up Newsroom Heads To Waipahu On Tuesday

The Ewa area is a place we'd like to become more familiar with.

Hello Waimanalo! Our Pop-Up Newsroom Will Be There Thursday

Hello Waimanalo! Our Pop-Up Newsroom Will Be There Thursday

Join our reporters and editors for a discussion of issues going on in the community.
Civil Beat Is Popping Up On Molokai On Thursday

Civil Beat Is Popping Up On Molokai On Thursday

Our news staff will be at the Molokai Public Library.
The Winds Of Change May Be Starting To Blow In An Otherwise ‘Dark Time’ Flickr: Chris Yarzab

The Winds Of Change May Be Starting To Blow In An Otherwise ‘Dark Time’

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says he is embracing a new era of public openness in government, a welcome change from his secretive predecessor.

Civil Beat’s Pop-Up Newsroom Is Heading To Lanai On Monday

Civil Beat’s Pop-Up Newsroom Is Heading To Lanai On Monday

Join our staff at the Lanai library. We're eager to hear your thoughts.