Oklahoma Watch

Oklahoma Watch is a statewide investigative news organization created in late 2010. Our staple is in-depth, data-driven stories and we distribute our content to about 100 news outlets around the state for republication for free. Increasingly we are developing multimedia content with video, stills and interactive tables or data visualizations. We also hold public forums on critical issues and we bring on college interns in journalism and public relations to dig into the severe human-needs problems that afflict our state.

Current Position

Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Beat: Blight in northeast Oklahoma City

Position:

This reporter explores all aspects of blight in northeast Oklahoma City. The goal is to illuminate the causes and impacts of abandoned and neglected homes, apartment complexes and other structures on the quality of life in these neighborhoods. Coverage includes identifying property ownership and the economics that incentivize boarded up or empty structures; why the city will not or cannot force structures to be rehabilitated and property owners to be penalized; and why the state legislature allowed the realtors association to preempt cities from passing laws that force a crackdown on owners of blighted properties. Importantly, this reporter covers various dimensions of blight, including profiles of people in close proximity to these properties, investigation of the cost barriers of tear-downs, and consequences of schools sitting vacant for a decade.

Reporter: Supriya Sridhar