Our Stories
Celebrating 53 Years of Excellence in Journalism
The story of Oklahoma, the nation, and the world has been chronicled through the decades by men and women of diverse backgrounds and interests whose devotion to spreading the word has been recognized by the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. These are the stories of the journalist inducted into the hall of fame as lifetime members.
5o Years of Oklahoma Journalism
Hall of Fame History
50 Years of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame
Our Greatest Journalists
From the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Watergate to the Penn Square Bank collapse and the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, these are the stories of how the members of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame embody the pioneering spirit in their own lives. Available for purchase at Best of Books and Amazon.
THE POLITICAL REPORTERS
covering Oklahoma’s and the nation’s historic moments The story of Oklahoma politics from statehood to today has been written by many men and women who became inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. I was among at least 20 Hall of Famers who covered...
COMMUNITY JOURNALISTS: PART TWO
the many roles we play to cover news for you By Ralph Schaefer, 2017 Inductee I am a journalist who worked for small community newspapers. My role was being the reporter, photographer, and editor of the publications and everything, from start to finish—except run the...
COMMUNITY JOURNALISTS: PART ONE
those who keep the spirit alive for cities to survive By Kim Poindexter, 2018 Inductee On Wednesday, September 11, 2019, we had yet another example of why community newspapers are so important—and why community members should be paying attention to what's being...
THE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS
the Hall of Famers who fearlessly worked to expose wrongdoing By Mary Hargrove, 2018 Inductee I was 24 years old when the Tulsa Tribune hired me in the fall of 1974. I insisted I wanted to be an investigative reporter. President Richard Nixon had resigned six months...
OLIVER MURRAY
a Hall of Fame photojournalist—and mentor By John Greiner, 1993 Inductee Oliver Murray, the first African-American photojournalist in Oklahoma City, was much more than a television news photographer. Murray, who who worked for Oklahoma City's WKY, now known as...
JOE HIGHT
the snow/ice storm and the will to attend an induction ceremony By Joe Hight, 2013 Inductee Snow and ice were predicted in Colorado on April 17th, 2013. I told my wife, Nan, that we had to make it to my Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame induction by the next morning. ...
ANTHONY SHADID
the friendly, genuine, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist By Joe Hight, 2013 Inductee My mind wandered when Anthony Shadid's name was read for induction into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2012. All I could think about is what he said to me the year...
BOB DOTSON
my (four) million miles By Bob Dotson, 2019 Inductee I've been in more motel rooms than the Gideon Bible, crisscrossing this country, practically nonstop, for half a century, searching for people who are practically invisible, the ones who change our lives, but don't...
THE GOODWIN FAMILY LEGACY
time to celebrate, appreciate, and reflect on the Eagle By David Goodwin In 2003, I was named editor of The Middletown Journal in Ohio. It was an occasion to celebrate, to appreciate, and to reflect. Celebrate: I was a rarity in daily newspaper leadership. I was one...
THE 2010-2019 DECADE
family dynasties, broadcast pioneers, northeast Oklahomans, and changes in the Hall of Fame The fifth decade of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame kicked off with dynasties and broadcast pioneers. Three more Dyers were added during the decade. Brothers and...