When I started in journalism, the editor at my newspaper sat me down and asked me if I thought he made decisions in favor of the reporting staff or the editorial staff.
It was a trick question. He said his ultimate loyalty belonged to the newspaper’s readers.
I’ve tried to take that mindset with me ever since, and at The Frontier, we make it our mission every day to do the best job possible for our readers.
Today our readers have the opportunity to help support us.
Giving Tuesday is one of the most important days of the year for small newsrooms like The Frontier. And thanks to NewsMatch, a fundraising movement to support independent journalism, your donations to The Frontier are matched through the end of the year.
Your donations matter, and help fund the journalism that holds the powerful in Oklahoma accountable.
In 2022, I watched Frontier Reporter Clifton Adcock spend days sifting through campaign finance data to get an idea of where Oklahoma’s gubernatorial candidates were getting their support. I watched Reese Gorman drive all over Oklahoma on the campaign trail, following Kevin Stitt and Joy Hofmeister, seeking a better understanding of what they were pitching to voters.
I watched Kayla Branch hold state agencies accountable, and spend weeks working on a story about how utility deposits keep some Oklahomans from obtaining housing.
I watched Brianna Bailey, our managing editor, juggle the job of working with our reporters to make their stories as strong as possible, while also reporting on Oklahoma’s deal with electric vehicle manufacturer Canoo, investigate Oklahoma City’s public housing, and spending months working on stories about pregnant women being prosecuted for drug use.
I often hear from Oklahomans thanking us for our commitment to in-depth journalism at a time when reporting staffs are shrinking across the country. None of that is possible without support from readers who understand that their donation to The Frontier not only keeps our newsroom going, it helps keep our journalism free for Oklahomans who can’t afford a newspaper subscription.
Even a donation as small as $5 a month helps us uncover stories that would otherwise go unreported. And it helps us continue to grow our newsroom.
