Ben Markus is an investigative reporter for Colorado Public Radio.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in English, University of California at Davis.
Professional background:
Ben joined Colorado Public Radio in April 2011 as a general assignment reporter. He was named business reporter in 2017 and became the investigative reporter in 2019. As a business reporter, he shaped CPR’s business and economics coverage creating dozens of databases to track the important drivers that define the Colorado economy.
Ben came to CPR after spending three years at Hawaii Public Radio where he produced award-winning coverage on a range of subjects, including health care, technology and education. He learned the ins and outs of public radio from his first job at Capital Public Radio in Sacramento, California. Following that, he served as a reporter and producer at KUAC-FM/Alaska One in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Awards:
In 2010, Ben won the top prize for general news and feature reporting in the Hawaii Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He also served as senior fellow in NPR’s Economic Training Project.
Why I became a journalist:
I first realized I wanted to be a journalist after watching the movie “All The Presidents Men.” It was empowering to know that good journalism—exposing the truth—can shake the pillars of American society. I think members of the press still occupy a unique and revered role in our society as members of the fourth estate. I’m proud to call myself a journalist, and I take the job seriously.
Why I got into radio:
I came to radio because I wanted to tell stories that touched people’s lives, the way NPR so often touches mine. Like many listeners, I was glued to my radio following 9/11. Melissa Block’s reporting at that time was part of what inspired me to become a reporter.
How I ended up at CPR:
After living the island life in Hawaii for three years, I was ready to make a change. CPR stuck out to me because of the news team’s commitment to local issues, the state-of-the-art facilities, and the fact that there is a lot of support for CPR in the community. It was an added bonus that Colorado offers a lot of options for the leisure activities my wife and I enjoy, including traveling, listening to live music and attending sporting events. Denver seemed like an ideal place for us, and I’m really happy to being a part of CPR’s bright future.
Since recreational cannabis started in 2014, sales had never declined on a year-over-year basis — until July 2021. Now the industry has logged 17 straight months of decline.
A federal grand jury and securities regulators have charged that cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried attempted to influence the regulation of his industry by strategically making campaign contributions using other people’s money. Some of that cash found its way to Colorado campaigns.
The lawsuit says ballot rejections disproportionately impact diverse communities, disabled people and the youngest and oldest voters, and that actual fraud is very rare.
The Club Q shooting in which five died and 19 were injured has brought renewed attention to an incident involving the suspected gunman, Anderson Aldrich, in the summer of 2021.
CPR News has filed a lawsuit seeking the release of the autopsy report after the Adams County Coroner denied a public records request from Colorado Public Radio.
Rick Reigenborn's history, his seeming desire for attention and his lack of management experience when he got the job four years ago are giving his opponents plenty of fodder.
The mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, have set off another cycle of national debate over gun laws. But laws vary widely from state to state.
A COLab investigation found that Colorado has among the highest rates of mental illness in the country, yet it has one of the lowest rates when it comes to access to care.
When Crisis Access of Colorado won a bid to reform the state’s mental health services, its leader planned to bring the “A-Team” to serve the state’s poor and mentally ill. Instead, mental health lobbyists used political connections to pressure state leaders out of its contract.
Investigators found that there was significant interest among nursing home residents to transfer back to their communities, but many were unaware of services available to do so.