Tuesday, March 19, 2024
About NonDoc

“I think being a liberal, in the true sense, is being nondoctrinaire, nondogmatic, non-committed to a cause – but examining each case on its merits. Being left of center is another thing; it’s a political position. I think most newspapermen by definition have to be liberal; if they’re not liberal, by my definition of it, then they can hardly be good newspapermen. If they’re preordained dogmatists for a cause, then they can’t be very good journalists; that is, if they carry it into their journalism.”

— Walter Cronkite in a 1973 Playboy interview

 


About NonDoc

NonDoc.com is operated by the Sustainable Journalism Foundation (DBA: NonDoc Media), a nonprofit entity governed by a local board of directors in Oklahoma.

NonDoc’s mission is to produce and distribute quality journalism with context that enables civic involvement.

NonDoc’s vision is to sustain reporting on under-covered civic issues while increasing public knowledge and encouraging public dialogue.

NonDoc’s core values include:

  • Accuracy: We know not everyone can keep track of key details and be “in the room” where government happens, but we aim to give our readers a thorough account of events so they can make informed decisions. When we are alerted to an error, we make and note the correction. If you notice an error or a typo, please contact us at editorial@nondoc.com.
  • Fairness: We examine each story on an individual basis and strive to present all sides in an even-handed manner. We publish letters to the editors to make sure readers’ opinions are valued.
  • Transparency: NonDoc stems from the terms nondoctrine and nondoctrinaire. To us, nondoctrinaire journalism means we work to provide the public with information and a responsible forum for discussion, not a cause. All commentary and letters to the editors are marked with a yellow banner and tags. Look for corrections or editor’s notes at the top or bottom of our pieces. Scroll down to find our 990 nonprofit forms filed with the IRS.
  • Community: We aim to be present in the everyday lives of communities we cover. An informed populace supports a strong community that can grow and flourish.
  • Diversity: We value diverse voices and seek to publish commentary from a variety of worldviews. As noted in our vision statement, we hope to expand our coverage of underserved communities, especially the 39 tribal nations in Oklahoma.
  • Historical Record: We believe maintaining a robust historical record is crucial for democracy, and we try to balance the chronicling of government actions with deeper reporting about power structures, personalities and political negotiations. Click hyperlinks in our stories and look for embedded PDFs of public documents. Learn our /tag/ system to research story timelines. (For example: nondoc.com/tag/election2022, nondoc.com/tag/election2021, etc.)

Thank you for visiting our site and please consider supporting our work, which will always be free to read for everyone.

NonDoc staff members

Tres Savage, NonDoc.com editor in chief

Tres Savage

William W. Savage III (Tres) has served as the editor in chief of NonDoc since the publication launched in September 2015. He holds a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma and covered two sessions of the Oklahoma Legislature for eCapitol.net before working in health care for six years. He is a nationally certified Mental Health First Aid instructor.

Tara McMillen Hall

Tara McMillen Hall

Tara McMillen Hall has been a nonprofit development professional for 15 years. Before joining NonDoc Media in October 2023, Tara led development at a nonprofit school and a community health center foundation. Tara studied history, political science and sociology at the University of Central Oklahoma. Originally from Tahlequah, Tara currently resides in Oklahoma City with her spouse, daughter and two dogs.

Angela Jones, NonDoc.com

Angela Anne Jones

A graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma who has contributed commentary to NonDoc since the site launched in 2015, Angela Anne Jones has served as NonDoc’s operations manager since 2019.

Michael McNutt

Michael McNutt

Michael McNutt became NonDoc’s managing editor in January 2023. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, working at The Oklahoman for 30 years, heading up its Enid bureau and serving as night city editor, assistant news editor and State Capitol reporter. He is an inductee of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. Most recently, he served as communications director for former Gov. Mary Fallin and then for the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

Matt Patterson, NonDoc.com reporter

Matt Patterson

Matt Patterson has spent 20 years in Oklahoma journalism covering a variety of topics for The Oklahoman, The Edmond Sun and Lawton Constitution. He joined NonDoc as a staff reporter in 2019.

Joe Tomlinson, NonDoc, Edmond

Joe Tomlinson

Joseph Tomlinson graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a journalism degree in 2021. After covering politics in Washington, D.C. for Gaylord News, he completed a NonDoc internship and joined the newsroom as a staff reporter in 2022, predominantly covering the community of Edmond, Oklahoma. He is a corps member of Report for America.

Bennett Brinkman

Bennett Brinkman

Bennett Brinkman became NonDoc’s education reporter in August 2022 after completing a reporting internship. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and is originally from Edmond.

Tristan Loveless

Tristan Loveless

Tristan Loveless is a NonDoc Media reporter covering legal matters and other civic issues in the Tulsa area. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation who grew up in Turley and Skiatook, he graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2023. Before that, he taught for the Tulsa Debate League in Tulsa Public Schools.

Megan Prather, NonDoc.com education reporter

Megan Prather

Megan Prather serves as NonDoc’s distribution and development specialist, helping with fundraising and leading efforts to connect readers with content. Megan worked as NonDoc’s education reporter from September 2020 to August 2022. After a 16-month hiatus, she returned to the organization in January 2024 in her new role. You can reach her at megan@nondoc.com.

Board members of the
Sustainable Journalism Foundation

Warren Vieth

Warren Vieth

Warren Vieth is a retired journalist with nearly 40 years of reporting, editing and teaching experience that took him from Oklahoma to Washington D.C. and back again. He joined the board of directors for the Sustainable Journalism Foundation — which oversees NonDoc — in January 2021.

Victoria Still

Victoria Still, a graduate of Southern Methodist University, has a professional background in digital marketing and craft beer. In 2018, she decided sleep was for the birds, started her own business, and became a mother — the latter of which makes her most proud.

Michael Duncan

Michael Duncan is an Oklahoma City lawyer and Norman resident who was a newspaper reporter three decades ago when they still used ink. He photographs and writes about people, places and things.

Grace Franklin

Grace Franklin is a published poet, playwright, actress and director who was born in Oklahoma City. She has written about race, gender and equality in various publications, including NonDoc, and she is particularly focused on the topics of social justice and reproductive rights. Grace works in the insurance industry, and she joined the board of the Sustainable Journalism Foundation in November 2022.

Jim Quillen

A CPA by training, Jim Quillen has worked in many fields during his career, including recruiting, sales, business development, finance, auditing, training and software implementation. He is a native Oklahoman.

Tres Savage

William W. Savage III (Tres) holds a journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma. He worked in community health care for six years before helping launch NonDoc.com in 2015. He serves as editor in chief of NonDoc is a nationally certified Mental Health First Aid instructor. In January 2021, he transitioned from being chairman of the Sustainable Journalism Foundation Board to being an ex officio and non-voting member of the board.

990 IRS nonprofit tax return filings

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Sustainable Journalism Foundation (DBA: NonDoc Media) files 990 forms annually with the IRS.

These forms outline our mission, our governance, our fundraising and our expenses. In particular, individual donors and charitable sponsors who provide more than $5,000 in a given year are listed within.

Our first 990 as a charitable organization for the year 2020 can be viewed here. Our 990 for the year 2021 can be viewed here. Our 990 for the year 2022 can be viewed here.

History of NonDoc Media

While our mission has remained consistent, our organization’s structure has changed over the years, as documented by the following timeline:

  • NonDoc Media launched Sept. 1, 2015.
  • Founder Andrew Rice sold NonDoc to his editors — Tres Savage and Josh McBee — on July 1, 2016.
  • Rosemary Meacham-Zittel and Dr. Ashiq Zaman joined the company in 2016.
  • In early 2019, longtime managing editor Josh McBee stepped away from NonDoc to pursue other interests. Matt Patterson joined NonDoc as a staff reporter, and Angela Anne Jones joined NonDoc as operations manager.
  • In December 2019, NonDoc Media transitioned to nonprofit operations as the Sustainable Journalism Foundation (DBA: NonDoc Media). Former co-owners Rosemary Meacham-Zittel and Dr. Ashiq Zaman ended their site ownership, and a nonprofit board of directors was appointed.
  • Our 501(c)(3) application as the Sustainable Journalism Foundation (DBA: NonDoc Media) was approved in August 2020.
  • In September 2020, Megan Prather was hired as an education reporter.
  • In January 2021, veteran journalist Warren Vieth joined our board of directors, and editor in chief Tres Savage transitioned to an ex officio and non-voting seat on the board.
  • In February 2022, Joe Tomlinson was hired as a reporter to lead NonDoc’s new Edmond Civic Reporting Project. Kylie Hushbeck was hired as distribution and development specialist.
  • In August 2022, Bennett Brinkman was hired as an education reporter, succeeding Megan Prather.
  • In November 2022, artist Grace Franklin joined our board of directors. Hossein Dabiri departed the board to focus on his studies in medical school.
  • In February 2023, Michael McNutt was hired as managing editor.
  • In October 2023, Tara McMillen Hall was hired as director of development.
  • In December 2023, Tristan Loveless was hired as a journalist covering courts and other civic matters in the Tulsa area.
  • In January 2024, Megan Prather rejoined NonDoc as distribution and development specialist, succeeding Kylie Hushbeck.

Print republication policy

In June 2020, NonDoc announced that print publications within the state of Oklahoma can republish original NonDoc content in their print editions.

Editors wishing to republish a NonDoc piece in print just need to alert us by emailing republish@nondoc.com and following some simple rules:

  • Bylines must include the author’s name and “NonDoc.com”;
  • If a piece needs to be trimmed significantly for space limitations, you must ask us for guidance via republish@nondoc.com or by contacting us another way;
  • If a piece is labeled “commentary” on NonDoc, it must be noted as “commentary” or “opinion” in print. (Our yellow “commentary” label appears above the featured photo on our articles).

Correction policy

NonDoc Media corrects errors of fact identified in the pieces we publish. Corrections are noted by time and date at either the top or bottom of a piece, depending upon the significance of the fact error originally published. The error itself is described generally within the correction notation, but it is not repeated.

Social media posts identified to contain errors of fact are rarely deleted but are edited when possible or replied to with a note of the corrected information. To alert us about an error of fact on our site, please contact one of our editors.

Awards

In May 2018, the Oklahoma chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists honored NonDoc with five awards for our content. In May 2019, NonDoc won eight more Oklahoma SPJ awards, including “Best Website” for the second year in a row.

In 2020, NonDoc received nine more Oklahoma SPJ honors. In 2021, our team received 10 more SPJ awards, including “Best Website,” with judges saying “Oklahomans are well-served by NonDoc.com.”

In 2023, SPJ judges again awarded NonDoc top honors in the “Outstanding Website” category. The Institute for Nonprofit News named Joe Tomlinson a 2023 community champion award finalist for NonDoc’s work on the Edmond Civic Reporting Project. Also in 2023, the Local Media Association named The Edmond Email and The Monday Minute as honorable mentions for best local newsletters.

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