Reed Cowan

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Reed Cowan
Born
Darrin Reed Cowan

(1972-07-24) July 24, 1972 (age 49)
Roosevelt, Utah, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesReed Abplanalp-Cowan
EducationUtah State University
OccupationJournalist
Years active1995–present
EmployerFox Television Stations (1995–1996)
Heritage Broadcasting Group (1996–1997)
Westwind Communications (1997–1999)
Bonneville International and Deseret Management Corporation (1999–2000)
Clear Channel Communications (2000–2007)
Sunbeam Television (2007–2011)
Intermountain West Communications Company (2012–2014)
Sinclair Broadcast Group (2014–present)
TelevisionKSTU (1995–1996)
WWTV (1996–1997)
KBAK-TV (1997–1999)
KSL-TV (1999–2000)
KTVX (2000–2007)
WSVN (2007–2011)
KSNV (2012–present)
Spouse(s)Stephanie Swain Martinsen (divorced)[1]
Gregory Abplanalp
​
(m. 2013)​
[2]
Children1 (with Martinsen, deceased)[3]
3 (with Abplanalp, adopted)
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Darrin Reed Cowan (also known as Reed Abplanalp-Cowan)[4] (born July 24, 1972) is an American journalist.

Cowan co-directed the GLAAD Media Award winning 2010 documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition with Steven Greenstreet.

Career[]

Cowan started his journalism career working as a radio disc-jockey for KNEU Radio in Roosevelt, Utah. In 1995, Cowan worked as a part-time on-air reporter for Fox's KSTU in Salt Lake City, Utah while a student at Utah State University. From there he assumed full-time positions as an anchor for KBAK-TV in Bakersfield, California and as an anchor for WWTV in Cadillac, Michigan. Cowan next worked as a reporter and weekend morning anchor for KSL-TV in Salt Lake City.

After KSL-TV, Cowan moved to KTVX, also in Salt Lake City. While there, he anchored Good Morning Utah[5] and covered the terrorist attacks of 9-11, the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, the murder of Lori Hacking, the death of former President Ronald Reagan and the fugitive stories of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs. For his work, Cowan was nominated and won Emmy awards for reporting.[6][7][8][9]

Personal life[]

Cowan was born on July 24, 1972 in Roosevelt, Utah and was raised in the Mormon religion.[3] During his teenage years Cowan had a relationship with Gregory Abplanalp, who attended the same high school as Cowan. Cowan ended the relationship at the request of a church leader and went through years of various forms of conversion therapy, then married a woman at the urging of another church leader.[2][3] During this marriage Cowan had his first child, Wesley, who died in 2006 after falling from a horizontal set of monkey bars.[2] The marriage ended after three years and Cowan re-united with Abplanalp, whom he married on September 4, 2013 in Laguna Beach and with whom adopted three children.[10] The couple sustained dozens of Utah’s gay couples receiving marriage licenses at the Washington County Clerk’s office on December 23, 2013.[11] Cowan is also a triathlete.[12]

Wesley's death prompted Cowan to found the Wesley Smiles Coalition,[13] which works with Free the Children to raise funds to build schools in Africa.[14] Cowan also made the 2007 documentary The Other Side of the Lens, which covers his emotions over his son's death and his experiences with the media attention Wesley's death attracted.[15]

Cowan is also on the advisory board for Free The Children, a child advocacy organization, and serves as a producer for the youth organization Power In You.[14] He is also an active supporter of anti-bullying legislation and has worked as a public speaker on the subject of bullying in school.[16]

Alleged extortion[]

In April 2021, Cowan demanded $20 million from Toronto-based WE Charity for the "destruction of his character and marketability as a journalist, public speaker, filmmaker and author," stating that if they did not pay he would use his position as an anchorman with Sinclair Broadcast Group to destroy their reputation.[17][18][19] The dispute arose from the placement of a plaque honoring Cowan's deceased son Wesley at a school in Kenya built by WE Charity, about which Cowan had testified before the Canadian Parliament several weeks prior.[20] WE Charity's attorneys responded by accusing Cowan of attempted extortion.[17][18][19] Journalism professor and media ethics specialist Mary Hausch of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas commented that Cowan's threats breached established standards requiring journalists to avoid conflicts of interest.[17]

Filmography[]

Awards and nominations[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Obituary: Wesley Swain Cowan". Deseret News. April 27, 2006. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Clay, Joanna (September 18, 2013). "Love story survives time and tragedy". Orange County Register. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Lindsey, Steve (June 21, 2010). "Indecent 'Proposition'". Dallas Voice. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  4. ^ Abplanalp-Cowan, Reed (December 23, 2013). "Utah's Gay Marriage Ban. Worth it?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  5. ^ "Reed Cowan bio". WSVN. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "Rocky Mountain Emmy Award Winners". Phoenix Woman. November–December 2008. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  7. ^ a b "2008 Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards Broadcast/Cablecast Program Nominees". National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (web archive). Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  8. ^ a b "2009 Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards Broadcast/Cablecast Program Nominees". National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (web archive). Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  9. ^ a b "2007 Rocky Mountain Emmy Nominees" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (web archive). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 27, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  10. ^ "Love story survives time and tragedy". Orange County Register. 2013-09-18. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  11. ^ "Gay, Emmy Award-winning journalist among first to marry in Utah". FourTwoNine. 2013-12-23. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
  12. ^ "Reed Cowan profile". KSNV. 16 March 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  13. ^ Simmons, Robbin (November 6, 2007). "7 News Features: In Wesley's Honor". WSVN. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  14. ^ a b Reavy, Pat (April 21, 2007). "Dad dedicating schools built in honor of his son". Deseret News. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  15. ^ Ververs, Vaughn (July 6, 2006). "On The Other End Of The Lens". CBS News. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  16. ^ "MINUTES OF THE SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE" (PDF). Utah State University. February 3, 2006. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  17. ^ a b c Erickson, Briana (April 7, 2021). "Las Vegas news anchor demands $20M amid fraud allegations". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Wemple, Erik (April 2, 2021). "Sinclair anchor demands $20 million from charity over fraud allegations". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Jones, Scott (April 8, 2021). "Anchor demands $20 million bucks from charity". FTVLive. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  20. ^ Berthiaume, Lee (March 12, 2021). "Kielburgers accuse MPs of holding political trial during testy committee hearing". The Canadian Press. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  21. ^ Plant, Tim (June 17, 2010). "Unsaintly Actions". Metro Weekly. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  22. ^ Kaufman, Amy (June 21, 2010). "The roots of '8: The Mormon Proposition'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  23. ^ Haws, J.B. (2013). The Mormon Image in the American Mind: Fifty Years of Public Perception. Oxford University Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-0199897643.
  24. ^ "2011 Media Awards - San Francisco". GLAAD. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  25. ^ "2013 Recipient List" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  26. ^ "2014 Recipient List" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  27. ^ "2015 Nomination List" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  28. ^ "2016 Recipient List". National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 13 June 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.

External links[]

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