“Good writers are most often plain ol’ writers who go the extra mile and then a few more,” journalists Mark Kramer and Wendy Call wrote in their book Telling True Stories.
I joined The Frontier two years ago because I knew it was an organization that would allow me — and even push me — to go the extra mile.
What does going the extra mile look like?
It’s asking for government records and fighting like hell when the request is initially denied.
It’s following up with more sources, even when the story feels complete.
It’s driving through the night to get to a town in the Oklahoma Panhandle by morning, because the story will be better with boots on the ground.
Too often, modern-day journalism fails to go the extra mile. At The Frontier, going the extra mile is our mantra.
I was warned not to leave the state’s largest daily newspaper for a scrappy online publication. You’ll lose your audience, there won’t be any impact, many people won’t return your calls.
In reality, The Frontier has become a force for impact journalism. Our stories shake the old limestone walls of the Oklahoma Capitol, drive policy and change lives.
It’s true we don’t always get our phone calls returned. But in a newsroom culture where going the extra mile is expected, we are never short on getting the facts and evidence to back up our reporting.
But going the extra mile can be a costly affair. That’s why the support of our readers is critical. When you donate to The Frontier, you don’t just support our work. You join in on it.
We are an independent news organization, but we are also partners with our readers. Because readers like you make our work possible.
My pledge to you is to continue going the extra mile. My ask is that you continue to make that possible.
Thanks to NewsMatch, individual donations to The Frontier between Nov. 1 and December 31 will be matched by a coalition of national funders.
The campaign has helped raise more than $150 million for nonprofit newsrooms since 2016.
