Anna Huntsman
Reporter/ProducerExpertise: Government, Akron politics, health care, audio editing, podcasting
Education: Kent State University - Bachelor of Science, journalism
Favorite spot in Northeast Ohio: Franklin Mills Riveredge Park in Downtown Kent
Experience:
Anna Huntsman covers Akron, Canton and surrounding communities for Ideastream Public Media. She reported on health news during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, Anna was a Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellow at Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, where she traveled the country reporting on natural disaster recovery. Her work has appeared nationally on NPR, and in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Associated Press. She began her career in public radio as an intern at WKSU.
Highlights:
- 2023 Ohio Associated Press Media Editors, Best Reporter
- 2023 Cleveland Press Club, First Place In-Depth Coverage - “Is Akron following the rules in homeless encampment sweeps? Advocates raise concerns”
- Akron Press Club board member
- Kent State University adjunct professor
- Panelist and moderator for debates and forums, including 2023 Akron Mayoral Debate & Canton Mayoral Debate
Why trust Ideastream Public Media?
The mission of Ideastream Public Media is to be a trustworthy and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world around us. Our highest priority is providing news and information that is reliable and accurate, that is gathered with integrity and professional care and that is presented with precision and respect for the intelligence of our audiences. We are transparent about how we discover and verify the facts we present and strive to make our decision-making process clear to the public. We disclose relationships, such as with partners or funders, that might appear, but will never, influence our coverage.
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Some residents are frustrated with Canton City Council's recent decision to ban public comments during meetings. Council members cited safety concerns and social media threats. -
Fran Wilson defeated Acacia Reynolds to become Akron's new Ward 1 council member. Wilson defeated the incumbent, Councilmember Sam DeShazior, in the May primary. -
Both candidates have never held elected office but are no strangers to city council. Wilson and Reynolds are community activists who are frequent attendees of council meetings. -
The proposal would cost the average customer $22 more per month — an estimated monthly bill of $68.65 — by 2029, according to the proposal. -
Steve Coon, director of Coon Restoration, is known for owning and restoring dozens of buildings in Downtown Canton. He told Ideastream Public Media he's interested in saving the historic Firestone Plant 1 from the wrecking ball. -
The Cuyahoga Valley National Park owns and maintains about 300 buildings. Even though the park is operating without federal funding due to the government shutdown, its budget is typically limited for preservation and upkeep, officials say. -
Canton is hosting this year's Heritage Ohio Annual Conference, a three-day event for developers and business owners to share takeaways on downtown revitalization through historic preservation. -
A few dozen community members protested at the first Akron City Council meeting since a grand jury declined to indict the police officer who fatally shot 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker. -
Akron's independent police auditor, Anthony Finnell, may not be able to review the Jazmir Tucker shooting for another year, he said. That's because he has to wait on several other processes, including a potential civil lawsuit, before he can start. -
Ideastream Public Media's Anna Huntsman reflects on her social media series about hidden, lesser-known history in Northeast Ohio.
