Jan. 15—Former Spokesman-Review editor and University of Idaho journalism professor Steven Smith will spend 10 years in prison for child pornography and child exploitation after he paid underage girls as young as 10 to send him explicit photos.
In an emotionally driven, eight-minute speech during his sentencing hearing Wednesday, Smith, 74, touted his hardworking demeanor and accomplishments as an editor and an “advocate” for women and children during his tenure until he facilitated the victimization of children.
“I was a good man for most of my life, and then I wasn’t … Instead of being an advocate, I became a victimizer,” Smith said, and apologized to the girls he had harmed. “…I told myself, surely the good I had done in life would outweigh the bad. That was just so wrong.”
Smith, who taught journalism at the University of Idaho from 2010-20 and was the executive editor at The Spokesman-Review from 2002-2008, was originally charged with 11 counts of first-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct when he was arrested in July 2023.
He instead pleaded guilty to lesser charges last month, and attorneys agreed on a sentencing recommendation of 10 years. Prosecutors said Wednesday that 10 years in custody satisfies both federal and state sentencing requirements.
Smith was linked to the crimes from a CashApp account registered in his name. He was using the account to send money to 10-, 11- and 14-year-old girls in exchange for naked photos and videos of themselves, court records say.
Investigators wrote in their reports that some of the images found on his devices were of 5-year-old girls being assaulted by men.
When police knocked on his door and asked if he knew why they were there with a search warrant, court records say he told them, “Yes, it’s probably from what I have been downloading.”
Smith has maintained he doesn’t know why he committed the crimes he did. He told the judge on Wednesday he “stepped into the abyss” of downloading videos and images of young girls, and wished he “had a good answer.”
“I have agonized over this question during the 18 months since my arrest,” he said. “I have to come to grips with myself with the fact that those victims have a lifetime sentence for their victimization.”
Court records show prior to Smith’s sentencing, he told pre-sentence investigator that his career was his life. He said he lived life in a particular way, with “some ambition and some narcissism; that is how you become an editor.”
Smith retired into the shutdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, where he ended up spending a lot of time on the computer, according to court records.
He told the investigator he “accidentally” saw something online and spiraled, and every value he ever spoke to “flew out the window.”
During his statement, he apologized to his ex-wife, who filed for divorce shortly after his arrest. He then apologized to his former journalism and academia colleagues, saying his crimes “cast a shadow” on the work they do. Smith also apologized to his former University of Idaho journalism students.
“My crimes are, I know, of bitter betrayal,” Smith said, and began quietly sobbing. “I tell you now the classroom lessons were good. Remember the lessons, even as you put out of mind the professor who failed his final exam.”
A victim advocate was present in the courtroom Wednesday on behalf of two girls, but declined to make a statement for them.
While they were not there, “there presence is here,” said Spokane County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Emily Sullivan. “The mother of two of the children were consulted on this matter and kept in contact with (the victim advocate) throughout.”
Sullivan called a sentence of 10 years “a significant penalty” for someone at his age.
“I hope that today provides the victims some sense of finality and justice,” she said. “This has been a long process to get here.”