Amanda Arden is a multimedia journalist focusing on digital reporting and production. She currently works as a digital reporter for KOIN News in Portland, Ore.

Since moving to Portland in July, 2017, Amanda has photographed and covered everything from protests to parades to the COVID-19 pandemic around the city and beyond.

Amanda became a digital enterprise reporter at KOIN News in the middle of the pandemic and at a time when the catastrophic 2020 Labor Day wildfires were still impacting Oregon. She jumped in immediately, speaking to wildfire survivors, COVID-19 long-haulers, and women who’d abandoned their careers during the pandemic to care for their children.

She spent months filing record requests and collecting data on police department staffing to compare how the Portland Police Bureau’s number of sworn officers relates to crime trends over the years and how its staffing compares to law enforcement staffing in cities with similar populations.

Previously, while working at KATU News in Portland, she broke the news when the Amtrak Cascades train derailed on the Interstate 5 overpass in Washington and closely followed the devastating story of the local Hart family after their vehicle was found crashed at the bottom of a cliff in California.

Prior to Portland, Amanda worked as a web producer at KVAL and KMTR in Eugene, Ore. There, she wrote about and photographed the 2016 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, the tragic shooting at Umpqua Community College, the Civic Stadium fire, the annual polar plunge and other events around Oregon.

KVAL and KMTR hired Amanda before she graduated college. She started the position three months before commencement and worked full-time while attending class full-time during her last term at the University of Oregon.

Amanda truly enjoys working in the field and particularly likes reporting on the environment, outdoor recreation, climate change, small businesses, healthcare, child care and early education.

Amanda graduated from the University of Oregon with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Journalism and French in 2015.

During her time at the University of Oregon, Amanda participated in Oregon Public Broadcasting’s NW Stories – a show comprised of short documentaries about individuals from around the Pacific Northwest.

Amanda spent nearly two years as an intern reporter at KLCC, an NPR affiliate station in Eugene. There, she developed her interview and narration skills. She became familiar with public broadcasting and NPR programming. She pursued investigative and feature stories within the community.

Amanda is also experienced in producing digital content for a tablet magazine thanks to her time as a video producer for OR Magazine. For that publication, students work together to craft interactive, multimedia content and produce the magazine in 10 weeks.

Amanda grew up in the small town of Corvallis, Montana. During her childhood, she developed a great love for the outdoors and exploring new places.

When she isn’t working, Amanda enjoys skiing, running, cooking, gardening, reading, and spending time with her husband, pets and friends.

Amanda Arden has previously written and published photographs and videos using the name Amanda Butt.