“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: www.nondoc.com/tag/election2022, www.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

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 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.

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

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

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 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.

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 served as NonDoc’s operations manager from 2019 through 2021. She continues to assist with fundraising efforts as a contract employee.

Board members of the
Sustainable Journalism Foundation

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.