Written By: Rachael Schuit and Brittany Harlow (OKLAHOMA) After years of work and countless hours put in by numerous criminal justice advocates, the Oklahoma Survivor’s Act (OSA) finally went into effect this month. Senate Bill 1835, signed by Governor Kevin Stitt in May, allows courts to issue lower sentences to survivors whose crimes relate to
(CHOCTAW NATION) The unbreakable bond between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland reached a new milestone this August. Two events celebrated the unveiling of the Eternal Heart sculpture, honoring the longstanding connection between Ireland and the Choctaw Nation. On August 29, the Choctaw Cultural Center held a celebration for attendees to enjoy music from RUNA, a
This is a VNN Collaboration produced by VNN Oklahoma in partnership with Pursuit Films Written By: Rachael Schuit and Brittany Harlow Narrated By: Trista Vaughn (CHEROKEE NATION) Genes are the code of life. A continuous pathway of one living being to another, carrying what has been into what will be. Joe Ballard is a member
(MUSCOGEE NATION) Thanks to research, reporting and a generous donation from Verified News Network (VNN) Oklahoma, for the first time ever, an extensive digital collection of American Indian history is now available at no cost to the public through the Tulsa Public Library System. As of July 12, anyone with a TCCL library card can
Parenting in the Muscogee Language In Honor of National Foster Care Month Verified News Network (VNN) Founders Kelly Tidwell (Muscogee and Cherokee) and Brittany Harlow foster through Muscogee Creek Nation Foster Care and Adoption. A recent foster care event included basic instruction of the Muscogee language. When asked what the best way was to
The "Stop Doing List" Why it’s okay to be a quitter Verified News Community, we are side by side for the long haul. That’s why I like to keep you in the loop with what we are doing behind the scenes at Verified News Network (VNN) and why. After all, we are building a better
Diverse coverage begins with diverse journalists. The narrow mainstream perspective didn’t happen by chance. It’s the product of a century of one dominant narrative- and it doesn’t appear that will change any time soon. At VNN, we don’t think it’s right that women and minorities only stand a fraction of a chance of advancement in
How To Get Involved Thank you for joining our Verified News Community We're going to be honest with you- we need you. Local community news needs you. And we know there are a few of you out there who need us, too. After all, that's why we exist. Here's a few ways we can help
Social media scaries We don’t need to sensationalize our content just to get attention. But when it comes to the big box social media corporations, the reality IS scary. We can’t dial it down and risk our news community failing to grasp the gravity of the situation. The Social Dilemma team said it best: Big
How to verify news Step 3: Grow Your News Body After you’ve learned how to vet sources (here) and evaluate content (here), it’s time to exercise those muscles by expanding your body of news. Diversify your content sources. We do this at VNN by providing content from a variety of contributors like journalists, non-profit news
