The Journal 425 | J425
“411 for the 425”
The Journal 425 (J425) is a non-profit community journalism enterprise and multimedia publishing platform/studio.
We do things different because we’re attempting to solve a difficult problem: the death of local journalism.
We’ll give you high-level reporting from credentialed reporters with local knowledge and a track record of excellence.
We’ll talk to you in a voice that’s different than legacy media (we don’t say “defecate” when we mean “shit”) and we’ll interact with you across multiple platforms, through multiple mediums.
Take this ride with us.
The Only Newspaper Focused on the 425
After 75-plus years of serving the community, the Lake Stevens Journal closed its doors several years ago, marking the end of a publisher that provided a print circulation of 25k and employed a staff of 20+.
Sadly that business model of community-supported journalism is no longer viable.
The J425 is one of a select cohort of entrepreneurial media startups aiming to pioneer a new method of providing high quality local journalism.
Local News and Investigative Features
Specifically, we aim to fill the news vacuum caused by the loss of the Lake Stevens Journal.
Since the Journal closed, our community has more than doubled in size with a population now in excess of 105,000 in a five mike radius centered on Frontier Village — parallel to this growth, sources of dependable information have virtually disappeared.
The need for news is more pressing than ever.
Unparalleled Prep Sports
Subscribers get full access to our Purple and Gold Pigskin section which includes archives dating back to 2006, daily updates, live game threads, video highlights and the writing of Lake Stevens Hall of Fame reporter Mike Anderton.
Professional, Award-Winning Local Journalism
The Journal 425 was founded by Kevin Thomas Hulten, a 22-time Washington Newspaper Publishers Association awardee and the 2007 WNPA Investigative Reporter of the Year.
Kevin is the former Managing Editor of the Lake Stevens Journal, a former Senate staffer and the founder of K10 Strategic Consulting, a Bay Area-based applied data consultancy. Kevin is a Lake Stevens Viking alumnus and a former Editor of the Valhalla.
The Journal 425 also features the writing of Lake Stevens High School Hall of Fame inductee Mike Anderton, whose sports reporting has won numerous awards.
Credentials
The J425 is a credentialed member publication of the following national and international professional journalistic societies:
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ),
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) &
Local Independent Online Newspapers (LION).
The J425 is locally credentialed via the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association (WNPA) and the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA).
Publisher Kevin Thomas Hulten is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and a credentialed professional member of the SPJ, IRE & WNPA.
Awards & Recognition
Hulten’s original journalism has earned 22 WNPA state awards for general excellence including:
2007 WNPA Best Investigative Reporter and
2008 WNPA Best Sports Editing.
These are peer reviewed awards. In addition, J425 sports journalism has earned the following:
First Place, National Friday Night Lights High School Football journalism competition.
Recognized as best high school football reporting in the nation in 2010.
10 WNPA statewide awards are for coverage of Lake Stevens Vikings athletics including photography by KTH and Rob Carlson, writing by KTH and Mike Anderton, and for the pioneering use of video and multimedia in sports coverage.
$10,000 FNF AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE donated to LS & Snohomish athletic charities.
KTH is a 3x former Valhalla editor and a Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University grad.
Reporter Mike Anderton is a member of the Lake Stevens High School Hall of Fame for his 30+ years of journalism.
Also…
In addition to his work in journalism, Kevin spent nearly a decade in state and local politics, serving as the aide to a Senate Committee Chairman and as a County-level Government Relations Lead. Kevin is also a FEMA-trained Emergency Management specialist in the area of Public Information.
Kevin is the Founder of K15n LLC, a Silicon Valley-based consultancy specializing in the nexus of business, government and data. Clients included major early-stage venture-backed cryptocurrency, applied data and social polling startups as well as established public companies including Zillow, Yelp and Socrata.
Join the crew
By subscribing, you are supporting local journalism by and for neighbors who share your interests. Thank you.
