During my two years as a reporter for NonDoc Media, I encountered many fascinating scenarios: a trio of virtual charter school leaders charged with embezzlement, a pair of longtime friends digging themselves into a public school quagmire, and a taxidermied raccoon that a shop owner refused to part with no matter how many people offered to buy it.
Although I left NonDoc in August 2022 to work in the pet rescue and adoption space, there are few things about which I am more passionate than good journalism and connecting rural communities with the essential news they deserve.
Today, I am excited to say I have rejoined the NonDoc team to work in a different facet of the journalism world — content distribution and nonprofit development.
I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I had with the Oklahoma Humane Society, where I worked with the biggest-hearted group of people you could imagine to create better outcomes for pets and people in our community. However, the chance to return to the world of nonprofit journalism was too good to pass up.
From creating content to distributing content
This time around, my duties with NonDoc will largely be on the non-journalism side of the organization. Instead of reporting stories, I will be increasing readership through outreach initiatives, assisting in fundraising pushes, and fostering relationships around the state of Oklahoma.
I’m particularly excited about our efforts to rebuild trust in local journalism with NonDoc’s new News Ambassadors program, which will get underway this month. Working with volunteers around Oklahoma, I look forward to connecting with and building a presence in various cities and towns, big and small.
I currently reside in the Edmond area with my sassy cat, Scout, and my silly and ever entertaining pup, Lucy. But I grew up in Duncan, America, and started my journalism career there at the Duncan Banner. I know how difficult it can be for rural communities to access accurate information about their state government, and NonDoc created our distribution and development specialist position to help fill that need.
While I used to dig into civic matters and report important stories, now I will be making sure my colleagues’ journalism reaches more Oklahomans. As I start this new role, I am always up to grab a cup of coffee or get together to talk about NonDoc’s mission and the work we are doing to keep Oklahomans informed.
New year, new news initiative
Supported by the Oklahoma Media Center’s Ecosystem Engagement Fund Grant, NonDoc’s News Ambassadors program seeks to connect more readers across the state with our mission of producing and distributing quality journalism with context that enables civic involvement.
Thinking back to our 2021 summer listening tour in the communities of Duncan, Guthrie, Kingfisher, Tuttle and Okmulgee — where I met the taxidermied raccoon pictured above — I am most excited about our team visiting our ambassadors’ communities to meet with people and learn more about the issues that matter most to them.
If committing just two hours a week to help spread the word about in-depth, independent journalism sounds interesting, please fill out this confidential Google form, and I will be in contact with you shortly!
Among other duties, I will also be connecting with Oklahoma newspapers to remind editors about our republication policy, which allows the free use of NonDoc content in the print editions of Oklahoma publications.
In the meantime, please remember to sign up for NonDoc’s newsletters and direct text alerts on issues that matter to you most. For instance, the Oklahoma Legislature-focused Monday Minute newsletter returns in a few short weeks!
I am so excited to help strengthen access to quality journalism in Oklahoma. Please feel free to contact me at megan@nondoc.com with any questions, suggestions or thoughts.
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