Oklahoma

The Local Legal Initiative provides local news organizations with direct legal services to pursue enterprise and investigative stories in their communities.

In Oklahoma, Reporters Committee attorneys have represented local journalists and newsrooms in a variety of litigation matters, including cases involving access to 911 call recordings, COVID-19 data, tribal government records, and more.

Reporters Committee attorneys helped the McCurtain Gazette access police body-worn camera footage related to the death of a Choctaw Nation citizen after a confrontation with police. The New Yorker later highlighted the Reporters Committee’s support in a story documenting the Gazette’s efforts to hold the local sheriff’s department accountable — and the threats its reporters faced for doing so.

And through a successful lawsuit on behalf of The Frontier, Reporters Committee attorneys obtained access to jail surveillance footage, incident reports, and other records that revealed new information about the 2019 death of a Kiowa Tribe member following a violent struggle with jailers.

Outside of litigation, Reporters Committee attorneys have provided pre-publication review assistance to local journalists and news organizations, including those behind “Bad Press,” a documentary film chronicling the long fight for a free press on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation reservation in Oklahoma. They have also compiled a guide that helps journalists navigate press freedom and information access in Oklahoma’s federally recognized tribes.

In January 2025, Leslie Briggs joined the Reporters Committee as the Local Legal Initiative attorney for Oklahoma.

Learn more about the Local Legal Initiative’s impact in other states.