PORTLAND, Ore. — Libby Dowsett is the weekend morning anchor of KGW News at Sunrise and a general assignment reporter during the week. Viewers can spot her behind the desk Saturday and Sunday mornings and reporting weekdays on KGW News at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Libby grew up in the Portland area – attending Forest Grove High School and spending her younger years in Beaverton and Lincoln City. She currently lives in West Linn.
Libby came to KGW News after working as a freelance reporter for Street Roots in Portland where she focused on solutions journalism stories about youth experiencing foster care and child abuse. She earned a 1st Place Society of Professional Journalism NW Excellence Award in 2021 for a five-part investigative series on Oregon's foster care system and solutions for reducing the high number of moves for youth in foster care.
Libby worked as an anchor and reporter at stations all around Oregon, including KTVL News 10 and KOBI-TV NBC 5 in Medford and KEZI-9 News in Eugene. She kicked off her career in Eugene at KEZI after graduating from the journalism program at the University of Oregon. She began reporting at KOTI-TV in Klamath Falls and KOBI in Medford where she covered wildfires, water rights issues and Kingsley Field, now home to the 173rd Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard.
She earned Associated Press awards for investigative reporting on the failures of Oregon's predatory sex offender notification system and the state's lack of facilities for young people experiencing mental health emergencies. At KTVL, she produced and anchored long format specials on the community response to child abuse and foster care struggles. The Children's Advocacy of Jackson County awarded Libby the "Champion for Children" award in recognition of her work.
Libby ventured out of Oregon for a reporting job at KRNV NBC in Reno, Nevada where she covered Tahoe's water issues, navigating the Sierras in the winter and Hot August Nights.
Libby has continued to volunteer with youth-centered nonprofits, including the Children's Center of Clackamas County and the West Linn-Wilsonville Education Foundation. She gets a lot of great story ideas through her involvement with local nonprofit groups.
Libby is always looking for new ideas for stories. Just email her at LDowsett@KGW.com.