Top stories from our VNN Oklahoma journalists
First person retried and released from prison under Oklahoma Survivor’s Act
Written By: Brittany Harlow
(SEMINOLE, Okla.) After serving 34 years of a life sentence without parole, Lisa Moss was released from Mabel Bassett Correctional Center on Wednesday, the first case to be retried under the Oklahoma Survivor’s Act (OSA) after it was passed last year.
Monroe Nichols sworn in as mayor, pledges to support tribal sovereignty
Written By: Rachael Schuit
(TULSA, Okla.) Monroe Nichols is officially Tulsa’s 41st mayor, and the first Black mayor of Tulsa following his historic inauguration on Monday.
During his inaugural address, Nichols promised a new day for the City of Tulsa…
“Every Child Matters Honor Walk” happening Monday in Seminole Nation
Written By: Trista Vaughn
(SEMINOLE NATION) September 30 is recognized as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day.
Originating in Canada, the day honors Indian boarding school survivors, their families, and the children who never made it home.
Investigation finds OPS violated Title IX prior to death of Nex Benedict
Written By: Rachael Schuit
(OWASSO, Okla.) The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has completed its investigation into Owasso Public Schools after a complaint was filed by the Human Rights Campaign following a student’s death.
MMIW National Day of Awareness Event Held at Oklahoma Capitol
Written By: Brittany Harlow
(TULSA, Okla.) Thousands of cases. Millions of acres of land. Countless lives lost. How do you start unraveling more than a century of Tulsa’s untold Indigenous history?
The answer is one family at a time.
350,000 Records of American Indian History Made Public Through the Tulsa Public Library System
Written By: Rachael Schuit
(MUSCOGEE RESERVATION) 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.
Covering our local communities
Filling news gaps one community story at a time.
Covering our local communities
Filling news gaps one community story at a time.
Overcoming Adversity
Following hundreds of years of assimilation tactics forced upon Indigenous people in Oklahoma, which has caused deep-rooted generational trauma still experienced today, VNN recognizes the need for a path of de-assimilation.
Through news and information, our network aims to provide resources for Tribal citizens to reconnect themselves and their families with their cultural heritage.
Following hundreds of years of assimilation tactics forced upon Indigenous people in Oklahoma, which has caused deep-rooted generational trauma still experienced today, VNN recognizes the need for a path of de-assimilation.
Through news and information, our network aims to provide resources for Native people to reconnect themselves and their families with their cultural heritage.
Telling stories no one else is
Following VNN’s in-depth coverage about her abused grandson, Carolyn Ridling said her VNN Journalist was their angel, helping her family when no other news network would.
“She’s kind, tender-heartedly and came into my life and gave everything she had to help…. Thank you and I will forever be grateful for time you put into Tyler’s case.”
Brittany Harlow reported on the April Wilkens case after more than two decades of media silence. Wilkens is currently serving a life sentence for killing her rapist and abuser.
“Brittany’s uncompromising bravery in exposing and confronting the injustices in my case has truly helped keep my hope alive. By raising awareness of such harrowing women’s social justice issues, Brittany and VNN are endeavoring to make this a better world for all women and ultimately everyone.”
April Wilkens, #AprilsStory Why didn’t she stay away?
From Adversity To Entrepreneurship Learning Series
In 2022 and 2023, VNN Oklahoma and our community partners held in-person events and produced multiple stories exploring the path from adversity to entrepreneurship, the community benefits of taking that path, and the barriers that stand in the way.
Recognition of our work
Advice from journalists: Why we’ve invested in listening to people who don’t trust us
What a lot of our newsroom partners heard from the community members they talked to was the real importance of showing up on a regular basis. Brittany Harlow, founder and lead journalist at Verified News Network, focused her interviews on listening to indigenous people in Oklahoma. Read more.
Oklahoma collaborators cover underreported communities, amplify audience engagement
In 2022, OMC distributed NAJA’s project fee to its news organizations producing collaborative coverage of subjects ranging from mental health, marginalized voices or corrections issues in Oklahoma. OMC collaborators described these new projects with show-and-tell updates in monthly meetings this year. Here are some of the highlights: Big If True and VNN Read more.
Learn how to bookmark VNN and save the VNN News Feed to your smartphone here.
VNN Oklahoma
“After four years in traditional news, I wanted out. I did not like how Indigenous and other underserved communities are ignored or portrayed in a negative light by the news media. My exposure to Native American generational trauma as a news professional became secondhand to my exposure of it as part of an Indigenous-blended family, following my marriage to Kelly Tidwell, CEO of VNN and a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Our children are also Muscogee. The work we do is professional but also very personal to our own future generations.”
Brittany Harlow
Learn more about Brittany and the rest of the VNN Oklahoma team here.
VNN Oklahoma News Affiliates
Read our latest affiliate stories on VNN.
VNN Oklahoma Collaborators and Sponsors
Thank you for helping to diversify Oklahoma’s news ecosystem!
