Ben Felder. Frontier file photo
The Frontier has hired investigative reporter Ben Felder as a senior staff writer to cover education and politics, a hire that brings its staff to five reporters.
Felder has spent the last several years at The Oklahoman, most recently as news director. During his time at The Oklahoman he was a member of the newspaper’s watchdog desk and later launched a rapid investigative team that reported on state agencies, criminal justice and access to health care.
“We’re extremely excited to add Ben to our staff,” Frontier publisher Bobby Lorton said. “He’s an experienced reporter with a deep knowledge of a number of topics of importance to Oklahomans and we can’t wait to see the impact his reporting has on our state.”
Felder was raised in Kansas City, Missouri, but moved to Oklahoma City in 2010. He currently lives near Memorial Park with his wife, Lori, and eight-year-old son, Satchel.
Felder spent much of last year covering Oklahoma’s gubernatorial race and the first months of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s administration.
He was also The Oklahoman’s lead reporter during the two-week teacher walkout in 2018, and won awards for his coverage of education funding and school equity issues.
Earlier this year Felder completed a fellowship through the Education Writers Association that included reporting on higher education programs in Oklahoma prisons, along with a reporting trip to England to study how that country uses education to reduce recidivism.
Felder will be The Frontier’s second reporter based in the Oklahoma City area, joining Brianna Bailey, who The Frontier hired in 2018.
To contact Felder for a story, email him at ben@readfrontier.com. Follow him on Twitter.
