I owe my passion for journalism to my public education. When I joined my high school newspaper staff in 2010, we we worked under an incredible advisor who stringently questioned all of our editorial decisions and then supported us in those decisions vehemently. In that high school newsroom, I discovered the true value and responsibility of community journalism and a free press. It’s also where I discovered that reporting was what I wanted to do with my life.
When I heard NonDoc was hiring an education reporter to focus heavily on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Oklahoma’s education sector, I knew it was my next mission. Keeping community members equipped with the information they need and highlighting the challenges students, parents, teachers and school districts are facing will be more critical now than ever.
In college, I studied mass communications at the University of Central Oklahoma, where I had the opportunity to serve as managing editor for The Vista as well as producer for UCentral Media. After graduation, I interned and freelanced at the Oklahoma Gazette covering various city and state topics. I eventually decided to head back to my hometown of Duncan to work as a general reporter for the Duncan Banner. In this position, I covered issues that mattered to the people of Stephens County, including legislative efforts, school board and city meetings and court proceedings.
I later had the opportunity to serve as a reporter, and eventually editor, for Tinker Air Force Base’s newspaper, the Tinker Take Off. That position allowed me to tell the Tinker community about critical stories, such as the base’s housing issues. I also had the honor of highlighting the work that airmen at Tinker do everyday, including the maintenance that goes into sustaining the lives of aircraft’s such as the B-1 Lancer, the addition of additive manufacturing to fix and replace broken plane parts, and the training that goes into being deployed to missions overseas.
Each newsroom I’ve worked in and every interview I’ve done has taught me something new. Additionally, every single one of my reporting experiences has reminded me of the true importance of community news outlets and independent journalism.
Covering ‘coveducation‘ in Oklahoma
My goal with every story I pursue is to shed light and provide readers with information they need to make informed decisions in their everyday lives.
As I embark on this new education beat, I look forward to finding and amplifying various voices around Oklahoma while making connections with those involved in the state’s complicated education sector. If you have story tips or concerns, I can be reached at megan@nondoc.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @MeganPrather405 for updates on #oklaed and coverage of what we are calling “coveducation” in Oklahoma.
I look forward to ensuring that Oklahoma’s students, teachers, parents and school districts receive the coverage they deserve, and I promise to bring issues that matter to the forefront.
