26-03-2025
Meet The Oklahoman Connect team: Answering the big questions that are important to you
My reporters spend a lot of time on their phones.
That's fine by me ― I want them on their phones. That's where readers are, too.
The Oklahoman's Connect team focuses on digital-first journalism, service journalism, and trending news within our community. That means we specifically write stories at the speed of news that are useful, local and concise, often stemming from trends emerging on social media or curiosities about Oklahoma life.
For example, when Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt shared a post on X that made it sound like he was proposing that students be forced into the military if they do not attend college, parents freaked. The resulting firestorm occurred over the next 24 hours wholly online, where parents, students and advocates posted their reactions and questions in videos and posts across TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and X.
Our Connect team spotted the uproar while it was on the rise, and we used our curiosity to carry the community's questions from the comment section into our interviews with the governor's office and other officials.
The governor's office quickly clarified that his comments were misconstrued ― Stitt only wanted to encourage post-high school planning, not force any requirement changes ― so our subsequent stories assuaged fears and ensured accuracy while keeping pace with the speed of news.
Other times, stories by Connect reporters dovetail with topics covered by others in the newsroom, ensuring you can find answers to questions in every facet of an issue. We explain how a national egg shortage could affect your neighborhood grocery store, where to park during the OKC Memorial Marathon, or what a red flag warning means during wildfire season.
These types of stories and videos may be brief, but they're essential.
As The Oklahoman's deputy managing editor for digital initiatives, I'm excited to start every day with this team and see what new curiosities and questions they'll bring, or a new storytelling format to try. Here is a closer look at The Oklahoman's Connect team:
Dale Denwalt covers breaking news and trending issues for the Oklahoman Connect team. Originally from Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Dale has filed all kinds of stories from across the state since 2011, and spent several years as The Oklahoman's State Capitol reporter. Outside of work, he tracks geopolitical conflict and gets nerdy about cool airplanes and space science.
Read Dale Denwalt's work here.
Coming up on four years working for the same newspaper she grew up seeing her dad read at the dining table, Jana Hayes covers breaking and trending issues for The Oklahoman.
Hayes graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 before joining The Oklahoman's staff as part of its inaugural Native American Fellowship program. During her time with the paper, she has covered city government, public safety, features and homelessness.
She loves that as part of her job she is able to meet some of the most interesting people, and is thankful they trust her with their stories. As part of the Connect Team, she has had to become an expert in a myriad of topics and is grateful to provide readers with the information they need on an everyday basis.
Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids, walking their dogs and finding any excuse to listen to an audiobook.
Read Jana Hayes' work here.
Josh Kelly covers breaking and trending issues for The Oklahoman. He is an Owensboro, Kentucky native and graduate of Northern Kentucky University, where he obtained his degree in Journalism. After graduating he worked at his hometown outlet, The Owensboro Times before leaving his Ol' Kentucky Home. He continues journalism as a way to learn and preserve culture in the moment. Outside of work he enjoys yelling at Tottenham Hotspur players, watching the latest "Survivor" episode, catching as many movies as possible and reading books to learn new words to yell at Tottenham Hotspur players.
Read Josh Kelly's work here.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: The Oklahoman's Connect team brings digital community together
