The three met while working at The Coyote, the student newspaper at Albertson College, and started the Reader shortly after graduating.
[6] The paper was able to temporarily rehire the three employees with money donated from readers and funds from the Paycheck Protection Program.
[7] In 2017 the Reader produced an eight-week series of in-depth articles and profiles on the American Redoubt with support from the Idaho Press Club.
[8] An investigation in late 2017 by the Reader led to the first public identification of a neo-Nazi activist, Scott Rhodes, who was distributing racist and anti-semitic literature locally and making robocalls targeting high-profile events and political races nationally.
[10][11] In January 2021, the FCC levied a $9.9 million fine on Rhodes for illegally using caller ID spoofing in making thousands of calls targeting communities with harmful recorded messages.