Oklahoma

Thomas Pablo

Thomas Pablo is an Indigenous Affairs reporter covering the Native American tribes in Oklahoma for KOSU. He recently studied journalism and political science at the University of Oklahoma, where he began a career in professional journalism. Pablo worked for the OU Daily, the university’s independent student news organization, throughout all four years of undergraduate school in multiple roles, including junior and senior news reporter and as a news editor. There, he primarily covered municipal government in the city of Norman during a series of substantial changes and conversations, including large-scale turnpike development and a controversial, taxpayer-funded entertainment district and arena. Pablo first interned at KOSU last summer, where he realized he could complement journalistic storytelling with Indigeneity. He plays multiple instruments and makes music in his spare time.

KOSU Radio

KOSU is a member-supported public radio network, and its broadcast signals cover two-thirds of Oklahoma with a heavy rural focus. This news organization, including a news site, delivers award-winning local news and NPR news. KOSU provides a place for civil discourse through in-depth reporting on agriculture, rural issues, Indigenous affairs, education and health care.

KOSU

KOSU is a member-supported public radio network, and its broadcast signals cover two-thirds of Oklahoma with a heavy rural focus. This news organization, including a news site, delivers award-winning local news and NPR news. KOSU provides a place for civil discourse through in-depth reporting on agriculture, rural issues, Indigenous affairs, education and health care and conversation.

Russell Sun Eagle

Prior to joining Crosswinds News, Russell traveled the state of Oklahoma capturing stories of Indigenous athletes. In 2021, he created the Okie Podcast, showcasing indigenous actors, athletes, comedians, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, and musicians from across the United States. Russell attended the Institute of American Indian Arts, studying Cinematic Arts. Russell won host of the year in 2023, and best documentary short award at the Will Rogers Motion Picture Festival in 2024. He loves creating and learning, working on his passion projects, and helping people in any way he can.

The Oklahoma Eagle

The Tulsa Local News Initiative (TLNI) is a nonprofit newsroom serving Tulsa with free, community-centered news. TLNI will launch a new newsroom and integrate the historic Oklahoma Eagle, transitioning it to a nonprofit, digital-first publication. This partnership expands The Eagle’s staff from one to four journalists and provides editorial and business support, ensuring the sustainability of one of the nation’s oldest Black newspapers, which has championed equity and African American advocacy for over 101 years.
Crosswinds News logo

Crosswinds News

Crosswinds News is a Native-owned newsroom dedicated to providing equitable news representation for Oklahoma's diverse population. Located on the Muscogee Nation Reservation, Crosswinds News unifies communities by disseminating verified information and filling knowledge gaps. Through collaboration with community partners and a commitment to grassroots journalism, Crosswinds News aims to nurture a healthy ecosystem of diverse perspectives and empower Indigenous communities.

Sierra Pfeifer

A native of Hillsborough, North Carolina, Sierra Pfeifer is a mental health and addiction reporter for KOSU in Oklahoma. Previously, Pfeifer served as the audio editor for The Daily Tar Heel, where she led a team covering everything from local politics to the UNC-Duke rivalry. She also served as the producer for Carolina Connection, a student-run radio show covering higher education, and worked as a reporter for local radio station WCHL. Pfeifer was a part of NPR’s Next Generation Radio fellowship, where she put together a non-narrated audio story covering modern ties to “home” in the American South, and won first place in the National Hearst Audio Competition this year. In her free time, she likes making collages and wading through creeks.  

KOSU

KOSU is more than a radio station. We’re a community organization dedicated to sparking curiosity with stories, resources, events and information that connect people. We report news in collaboration with the public, not just for the public. KOSU helps Oklahomans understand issues that are important to them and discover new things about our state.

Anna Pope

Anna Pope covers agriculture and rural communities for KOSU, an NPR affiliate in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Pope holds a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism from Oklahoma State University, where she reported for the university’s paper and later became its news editor. Pope interned at KOSU public radio, and was a 2021 Community Fellow with the Inasmuch Foundation, a nonprofit with the goal of improving the quality of life for Oklahomans.

Graycen Wheeler

Graycen Wheeler reports on water issues for KOSU public radio, based in Stillwater, Oklahoma. A scientist-turned-journalist, she has written about science and technology for Symmetry, Science, Mongabay, among others, and covered local news, particularly housing and environmental issues, for the Monterey Herald, The Mercury News and Santa Cruz Local. Wheeler grew up in Norman, Oklahoma and started reporting while she was a graduate researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. There, she wrote and edited for Science Buffs, a student-run STEM blog, and hosted a podcast, “Buffs Talk Science.” After earning a doctorate in biochemistry, Wheeler completed a master’s in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In her free time, Wheeler loves solving crossword puzzles and playing Dungeons & Dragons.