The Frontier (website)

The Frontier is an investigative news and multi-media platform website that practices watchdog journalism related to the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Frontier is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The publication has become a non-profit corporation operated by The Frontier Media Group Inc.

History

The corporation, founded in 2016, is overseen by a board that includes former Tulsa World president and publisher, Robert Lorton III, and Ziva Branstetter, a former special projects editor of the Tulsa World and now an editor at The Washington Post. She was one of two Pulitzer Prize finalists who founded The Frontier. In 2017, its staff included publisher Bobby Lorton, former Tulsa World staff reporters Dylan Goforth, its Editor in Chief, and Clifton Adcock, Senior Staff Writer, as well as Kassie McClung. Regarding the initial hires, which included Carey Aspinwall, journalism professor at the University of Oklahoma Andy Rieger said: “They were some of the best writers and editors the World had. [...] That gave it credibility not only in Tulsa, but in Oklahoma.”[1]

It originally charged $30 a month for the investigative stories on its site,[2] but subsequently dropped its paywall. At the time it had about 650 members and aimed for 850 in its first 12 months, said Lorton.[2]

The organization has conducted research and enterprise reporting on issues important to the Oklahoma public, including a five-part series on rape in December 2017, problems within the Tulsa county jail, stories about a problems with a wealthy Sheriff's department contributor, a reserve deputy who accidentally killed an arrestee, and the bonuses paid to CoreCivic, a for-profit prison operator, despite repeated riots in 2015 in its Cushing prison, at the same time the staff in state prisons suffered from stagnant wages.[3]

The Frontier was honored as a finalist for Best New Website in the 2016 Great Plains Journalism Awards. It also partnered with local, state and national media outlets for groundbreaking investigative projects and experimented with novel ways to tell stories. It is one of Oklahoma's leading advocates for transparency in government and has fought for access to records on the public's behalf. In 2018, it was chosen as one of three finalists for the 2017 annual award in the Scripps Howard Foundation's Community Journalism category, for its series, “Shadow Land: How Rape Stays Hidden in Oklahoma.”[4]

Operation

The Frontier gets its operating revenue from subscriptions and donations along with funding from sponsors.

Its competitors include the state's major daily newspapers: The Oklahoman, published by GateHouse Media owned by Fortress Investment Group and its investor Softbank since October 1, 2018, and formerly owned since 2011 by Denver-based billionaire businessman Philip Anschutz and his Anschutz Corporation;[5] and the Tulsa World, which was sold in 2013 to Berkshire Hathaway's BH Media Group, controlled by billionaire Warren Buffett.[6]

It has partnered on Oklahoma stories with national media, such as the Marshall Project.

References
  1. Lee, Deron (April 26, 2016). "Will readers pay for local news? A digital startup in Tulsa bets that they will". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  2. Arbel, Tali (June 21, 2016). "Neighborhood watch: Online startups tackle local news". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  3. Goforth, Dylan (February 24, 2017). "By the time deadly riot rocked private prison, company that ran it had reaped millions in state tax dollars". The Frontier. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  4. Kari, Wethington (February 27, 2018). "Scripps Howard Awards honor the best in journalism with finalists in 15 categories" (Press release). Scripps Howard Foundation. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  5. Krehbiel, Randy (September 16, 2011). "Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz buys The Oklahoman". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020.
  6. Greene, Wayne (March 18, 2013). "Tulsa World will be sold to BH Media Group". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
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