LOCAL NEWS
Ross Terrell, The Oklahoma Eagle
Emily Kaiser, board member for the Tulsa Local News Initiative, and Gary Lee, executive editor of the Tulsa Local News Initiative and The Oklahoma Eagle, share remarks at an Aug. 26, 2025, event.
The Tulsa Local News Initiative and The Oklahoma Eagle celebrated its community partners Tuesday night in downtown Tulsa.
The event comes less than two months before the launch of a new Tulsa-focused newsroom and just weeks before the official name will be shared with the public. It marked a chance for board members, community advisers, Documenters and participants in the initiative’s community listening campaign to connect and discuss what they wanted to see from TLNI and The Eagle.
The initiative has been years in the making as the result of community surveys, focus groups and interviews conducted with hundreds of Tulsans across nearly 50 ZIP codes. Since the campaign began in 2022, the initiative has hired 15-plus staff members, trained 43 residents to take notes on government meetings as part of the Documenters program and published stories in the pages of The Eagle and the Spanish-English news outlet La Semana.
“Community is at the heart of our work,” said Lexi Goodnough, the initiative’s community journalism director. “In order to truly serve them, we need to show up, listen to our neighbors’ lived experiences and follow up to build strong relationships. We’ll be hosting and participating in a variety of events throughout the city to meet our neighbors where they’re at.”
Emily Kaiser, a journalist, philanthropist and board member for the Tulsa Local News Initiative, thanked the group for their contributions. Staff from The Eagle spoke about the paper’s legacy and its future, including taking a digital-first approach, becoming a source of news for all of Tulsa and continuing its coverage of the Black community while redefining the narratives that have come to represent it.
Leaders of the Tulsa Local News Initiative highlighted the push to become a community-driven newsroom centered around impactful journalism, voices that are often overlooked and positive stories about the city.
“Community partners play an essential role in the work of the Tulsa Local News Initiative and The Oklahoma Eagle,” said Gary Lee, founding executive editor. “They bring us news and information from the depths of neighborhoods across the city that we might not otherwise know. They also keep us real by letting us know when we’re not getting things right. Our future success depends heavily on their continued engagement.”
“As we build our audience, we’re really focused on hearing from all stakeholders,” said Clara Stewart, the initiative’s audience and membership director. “We want TLNI and The Eagle to be a place where every Tulsan is reflected and a space for anyone to share their ideas, tips and feedback.”
The Eagle will continue publishing stories before migrating to a new website when the new newsroom launches. TLNI is expected to announce the name of its newsroom Sept. 10 ahead of a mid-October launch.
In the meantime, Tulsans can sign up for the initiative’s email newsletter for updates, financially support the newsroom through a donation or explore becoming a paid Documenter. Residents can register for the next Documenters orientation sessions Oct. 4 and Oct. 9.
Keep scrolling to enjoy photos from our event, taken by TLNI Food, Arts and Culture Editor Tim Landes.
Judd Slivka, managing editor of the Tulsa Local News Initiative, and Jessica Remer, deputy editor, share their vision for the newsroom during an Aug. 26, 2025, event.
Community members, Documenters and more discuss what they hope to see from the Tulsa Local News Initiative and The Oklahoma Eagle during an Aug. 26, 2025, event.
Sam Stockley, Documenters assignment editor, and her father Samuel Alexander share a moment of joy at an Aug. 26, 2025, partnership event.
Clara Stewart, audience and membership director for the Tulsa Local News Initiative, talks with Documenters at an Aug. 26, 2025, event.
Lacreshia Jackson, center, and Heidi Goodnough, left, discuss their hopes for the Tulsa Local News Initiative and Eagle newsrooms during an Aug. 26, 2025, event.
Jerry Goodwin, board member and son of The Eagle publisher Jim Goodwin, talks to the crowd during an Aug. 26, 2025, event.
