Josh wrote for the Kitsap Sun between 2005 and 2022. He covered crime and the courthouse for seven, the Bremerton city desk for another seven, and finished his career at the Sun covering the military in the Pacific Northwest.
Farley’s work on the opioid epidemic has been featured on PBS’ Frontline, and his stories have been featured in print publications around the country, including USA TODAY. He’s the winner of six first-place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for breaking news, short and long features, and more.
“Not only could Josh’s innovations help to save our much needed local media, but they also help to create a sustainable community where people can find ways to work together to solve problems.” ”
A SAMPLING OF HIS reporting
A Tahuya slough, once named for the N-word, was farmed by a Black pioneer born into slavery
THE STORY
Rodney White’s farm and contributions to Mason County as an early Black pioneer appear to have led locals to brand his land with an ugly, racist title that even showed up on maps throughout the 20th century.
THE IMPACT
Response to the story led local activists to petition the state to name White farm’s and land for him — 109 years after his death.
Squatter Had Solitary Highway Home, But a Social Life
THE STORY
When state workers discovered a man’s body in some woods off a highway near Poulsbo, they also uncovered the mysterious and meticulous world he called home.
THE IMPACT
Upon hearing the 911 call of the discovery, I raced north to survey the scene myself. The story that resulted was pieced together through interviews with the townspeople that knew him. Following publication, his estranged family was able to get some closure for a relative who’d seemingly disappeared.
Kingston Couple Died As They Lived ... Together
THE STORY
Robert and Darlene Moser did everything together in their 62 years of marriage. They even died together. The couple’s natural deaths came just six hours apart, what their grieving family couldn’t help but find to be a fitting end for an inseparable couple.
THE IMPACT
The story reverberated across the country via the AP wire and was chosen as a first-place feature the next year by the Society of Professional Journalists’ Western Washington branch.
Confidential plates popular with local police chiefs
THE STORY
Top law enforcement officials around the state frequently applied for “confidential” license plates from the state’s Department of Licensing, masking their cars’ identity when they’re on the road. A number of followup stories examined the state’s use of fake licenses by government agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency.
THE IMPACT
To get the data for the story, I had to appeal a denial for public records to a state hearings examiner at the Department of Licensing, where I’d requested the number of “confidential” license plates used around the state. We not only won the appeal but the story exposed a statewide program for fake driver licenses, used by various government agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense and others. Not even the governor of Washington was aware of the program’s existence.
IV drug use in Kitsap County surges to record levels
THE STORY
The onslaught of the opioid epidemic came slowly, but the warning signs were there. I made its emergence a priority in my coverage, starting in 2008 with the abuse of prescription opiates and continuing as addictions turned to heroin, overdoses skyrocketed and public health officials struggled to find solutions.
THE IMPACT
My work was featured across the country, including on a special episode of PBS’ Frontline, as journalists elevated the topic to help sound the alarm on a full-blown crisis.