ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings was in Boise Friday to talk at a conference on how national journalists report on Western issues.

Jennings says that too often, the national media look for stereotypical stories in the west, showing only a Hollywood version of cowboys and wide open spaces. Jennings says the West is far more complicated and fascinating.

But it isn´t always an easy story to tell.

The national news anchorman spoke to more than a thousand participants at the conference in Boise, sponsored by the Andrus Center for Public Policy, The Idaho Statesman and Gannett Corporation.