The Digital Desk

Everything you ever wanted to know about NewsOK.com

Responding to a reader about our comments on NewsOK May 28, 2010 | Comment on this article

I wrote a post last week that pointed out some changes to the way we display comments on NewsOK. I was pointing out that the tone of the public conversation on NewsOK has grown more and more hateful and destructive. My post garnered this response from a reader: Yes I’ve been noticing how ya wont let me write... Read More

Oklahoma City Barons reach the NewsOK navigation

May 27, 2010 We made a quick change to our NewsOK sub-navigation for Sports last week. It happened on the same day that the Oklahoma City Barons made the official announcement about their name, ending months of speculation about the name of the new AHL hockey team in Oklahoma City. Look for our Barons coverage to expand in... Read More

A small change to our comments on NewsOK

May 21, 2010 Comments on NewsOK are something I often hear about. I hear about how people love to read our comments.I hear about how people wish the comments on NewsOK were more – how can I say this? – intelligent? constructive? on topic?I hear about how we are sometimes inconsistent with allowing comments on some stories... Read More

Sports reporters doing what they do

May 20, 2010 The big sports story on NewsOK today was actually posted yesterday afternoon. The breaking news story was overshadowed yesterday by the weather explosion we were about to see in the skies above central Oklahoma. Nevertheless, the story about former OU assistant basketball coach Oronde Taliaferro quickly became... Read More

A breaking news story about a breaking news story May 19, 2010 Yesterday, a woman in Alabama knew about something in Bethel Acres. And because she communicates with us, our audience became aware. On Twitter, we saw this post from a user named Cynthia Nichols: @newsok I just heard there has been an electrical fire at Bethel Elementary. Don’t know any details though.... Read More

Hot Ink launches 2010 edition

May 04, 2010 Every year, members of the news and information center for OPUBCO Communications Group work with a group of high school students to share wisdom and experience with young people who have an interest in journalism. It’s called Newsroom 101, and the public-facing result is Hot Ink, and annual publication and web... Read More

Eleven years later: Remembering May 3, 1999

May 03, 2010 Eleven years ago today, I survived the most dangerous tornado anyone had ever seen. I was in a utility closet in the middle of Moore, America. I actually thought there was a good chance I wouldn’t survive. It was scary. It was loud. And yes – it sounded like a freight train. I was unharmed. The house I... Read More

See a snapshot of Oklahoma in 2010 with the Outlook page

April 30, 2010 The biggest newspaper of the year came out on Sunday. It was our annual ‘Outlook’ section that takes a strong look at where we are as a community and where we are going as a state. It’s always a fun read and a terrific snapshot of Oklahoma City and the surrounding state. We always have a page that houses... Read More

The depth of NewsOK — it’s a passion April 23, 2010 I tweeted this morning. That’s what happens when I’m overcome with enthusiasm. Amazing depth of coverage from @newsoksports. NFL Draft: http://newsok.com/sports/nfl OKC Thunder: http://newsok.com/sports/thunder #newsok The tweet pretty much says it all. It says how I feel in 140 characters (I used every... Read More

An evening of breaking news in Edmond April 16, 2010 I sat quietly at the Edmond Soccer Club field yesterday evening, awaiting the end of my 9-year-old’s soccer practice. The coach was talking to the team and about to release them. I sat on nearby bleachers watching my 5-year-old jump from bleacher to bleacher and waiting for him to fall and injure himself again.... Read More

A night of journalism awards (and work) April 13, 2010 I was lucky enough to attend the 2009 Carl Rogan Awards banquet Saturday night in Tulsa. It was a nice drive, a nice dinner and some nice conversations with colleagues. I even sat at the table with Ken 2.0 (and, yes, he was still eating reasonable portions). But the honors made the night truly memorable.... Read More

Public records dispute can be seen on one NewsOK page

April 08, 2010 The Oklahoman is sitting in the middle of a controversy. It’s been there for weeks — actually, months. The debate centers around the availability of public records, something journalists generally feel strongly about. They (or at least the ones in our newsroom) are passionate about the issue for one reason:... Read More

Join Ken Raymond on his trip from fat to fit April 05, 2010 Last week, we started a new project on NewsOK.com. It’s called “Ken 2.0: From Fat to Fit,” starring our own reporter Ken Raymond. Ken is an outstanding writer and a first-class journalist. But that much was clear well before this project began. What we didn’t necessarily know was the extent of Ken’s... Read More

Taylor Swift lands on Planet 46

March 31, 2010 Today is the big day. Taylor Swift is in town. It’s important, because she’s my future daughter-in-law (so promises my 5-year-old son). He honestly believes that Ms. Swift is his girlfriend. That sounds silly, until I realize that I never even spoke to my first girlfriend in fourth grade. We never had a... Read More

I might have to finally get an iPhone (or something similar) March 30, 2010 I love iPhones. I know how to use an iPhone. We own an iPhone in my family. But I’ve always defended the trusty Blackberry. It never breaks. It’s made of concrete and steel. On the other hand, if you look at an iPhone funny, the screen cracks.The keyboard is very easy to use.It takes good photos.I can take... Read More

‘Book of Hope’ nDepth piece put things in proper perspective

March 29, 2010 This morning, I was frustrated with my Kindergarten-age son. He showed me a large poster sheet that was filled with questions for him to fill out. Awesome. Looks like fun. He’s supposed to tape photos of himself and of his family, as well as answering a series of questions about himself. Super. Can’t... Read More

OKC Skyline cam makes its debut on NewsOK

March 22, 2010 I know my blog doesn’t have the power of OKC Central. And I know Steve Lackmeyer has already told his readers about the OKC Skyline cam that we launched a special coverage page this weekend. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get back into the blogging swing with a post about what Steve has already told you... Read More

Branding articles on NewsOK

March 01, 2010 We launched some functionality in the last week or so that we hope draws more attention to some of our deep coverage. On many of our articles you might notice some images above the headlines that draw attention to pages deep within our site. They look something like this: We call then ‘article branding.’ We... Read More

Change of Heart – the story of Dr. Nazih Zuhdi

February 17, 2010 I hope you didn’t miss our latest installment of our nDepth series this week. We featured Dr. Nazih Zuhdi, who is a world-renowned heart surgeon famous for his 1985 procedure — the first heart transplant in Oklahoma. Reporter Susan Simpson told the story from many different angles. My favorite line in the... Read More

Stepping inside (virtually) the round barn for the first time

February 09, 2010 I’ve driven past the round barn in Arcadia a few times. I’ve heard people talk about it as a landmark. I know seemingly everybody who has spent a decent amount of time in Oklahoma knows about it. But I’ve never been inside the round barn. Until now. In the latest installment of NewsOK’s Places... Read More