The Frontier took top honors at the 2024 The Fort Worth chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ First Amendment Awards.
Clifton Adcock won first place in Business News for his reporting on Oklahoma’s “woke” investing blacklist. Adcock’s reporting found that more than half of the companies Oklahoma initially placed on a blacklist for doing business with the state actually fell outside of the parameters of a 2022 state law intended to punish financial institutions that allegedly boycott the oil and gas industry.
Adcock also won first place in the Green News category for his story on the town of Miami’s history of flooding. Adcock found records showing state and federal authorities have been aware of potential flooding risks since at least the 1940s.
Brianna Bailey won first place for Investigative News for her story of a man who died during a mental health crisis after detention officers restrained him at the Pottawatomie County jail. The Frontier sued to obtain jail surveillance video of Ronald Gene Given’s last hours in the jail and also obtained investigative reports that contained interviews with witnesses.
Ashlynd Huffman won first place in General News for her story about domestic violence and firearms. Huffman reported on Oklahoma’s anti-red flag law and how guns are involved in most domestic violence homicides in the state.
The annual First Amendment Awards recognize print and broadcast journalism in Oklahoma and Texas. The Frontier competed in the print and online news category for outlets reaching over 100,000 people.
