When the coronavirus pandemic hit Oklahoma, The Frontier kept a watchful eye on how officials responded and what they were doing to keep Oklahomans safe.
We focused on holding state officials accountable and stories that matter to Oklahomans.
The state released information on pandemic supply vendors after I wrote about the lack of transparency on state purchases worth millions of dollars. Early in the pandemic, the Oklahoma State Department of Health changed its coronavirus testing guidelines after my report found it wasn’t following federal guidelines intended to get more people tested.
We pushed the state to release important data to the public on outbreaks in nursing homes and additional information about when deaths occurred.
We took a careful look at our coverage to consider how we could best serve our community.
The pandemic took an incalculable human toll. Our reporters told the stories of those lost to COVID-19 through “Oklahomans We’ve Lost.” There were mothers, doctors, husbands, grandparents, veterans, advocates, teachers and coaches. Our goal was to put faces to the statistics.
The Frontier also took time over the past year to write about important issues in the state’s criminal justice system.
Earlier this year, with help from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, we sued for jail video from detention officers’ struggle with a man who later died.
After our report that found Oklahoma was taking nearly a year to process rape kits, a state lawmaker held an interim study on the issue.
Journalism that makes an impact takes time, tenacity and skill to produce.
The Frontier is an independent, nonprofit newsroom, and your donation helps us produce work that makes a difference.
Thanks to NewsMatch, individual donations to The Frontier between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31 will be matched by a coalition of national funders.
The campaign has helped raise more than $150 million for nonprofit newsrooms since 2016.
