FOI Oklahoma announces 2024-2025 award winners, Black Hole recipient during Sunshine Week
An Oklahoma City television station, two longtime hall-of-fame journalists, the retired Edmond school superintendent and the school board, and the Wagoner County clerk are among the honorees of Freedom of Information (FOI) Oklahoma’s 2024-25 awards.
For its dubious “award,” FOI Oklahoma announces that Oklahoma police departments, specifically in Tulsa and Ponca City, are recipients of this year’s Black Hole recognition for their lack of transparency.
“We like to announce our awards during national Sunshine Week to draw attention to the importance of public record access and transparency in government during this week when states across the nation are focused on these important issues,” said Kurt Gwartney, FOI Oklahoma’s executive director. “This year’s honorees epitomize the need for vigilance in defending access to government records and meetings.”
The FOI Oklahoma awards will be officially presented during the annual First Amendment Congress Oct. 8 at the First Amendment Center on the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond, Okla.
The Awards Committee that selected the awards consisted of FOI board members Brianna Bailey, president, Paul Monies, Bill Hickman and Joe Hight, who served as committee chair.
Here are this year’s recipients:
Marion Opala First Amendment Award: Joe Carter
Joseph Carter has been consistent in his writing and talks about the need for journalistic ethics and their importance for this democracy and the First Amendment. He has written that we are facing “a very dangerous period (in) American democracy.”
The 92-year-old Carter has spent a lifetime as a journalist and writer and continues to be active in issues that face our country and journalism. He is also one of the leading experts on Will Rogers and continues to spread Rogers' words of humor and wisdom about the United States.
In the opening keynote at the conference “War on Truth: Confronting Deception in the Media,” Carter reminded the audience about the importance of the freedom of the press, a right guaranteed by the First Amendment.
“Ethical journalism must remain dedicated to nurture and feed an informed electorate... who will decide whether nations keep alive truth in government and preserve democracy.”
Carter, an Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame member, is an author and former reporter for United Press International. He is one of only two surviving reporters who covered the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas.
FOI Oklahoma recognizes Carter for his steadfast support of the First Amendment and lifetime of achievement with our Opala award..
Ben Blackstock Award: KFOR-TV
FOI Oklahoma believes KFOR is worthy of recognition this year for successfully fighting to protect the rights of journalists to attend open meetings and hold public officials accountable.
With the help of the Institute for Free Speech, KFOR filed a federal lawsuit after their journalists were excluded from Oklahoma State Board of Education meetings and relegated to an overflow room. KFOR journalists were also barred from news conferences with State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ press conferences following the meetings.
A U.S. District Court judge approved an agreement in the lawsuit in December, ensuring KFOR will have access to meetings and news conferences. KFOR sought $17.91 from the Oklahoma State Board of Education, symbolic of the year 1791, when the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The defendants also agreed to pay KFOR’s attorney’s fees.
FOI Oklahoma commends KFOR for taking legal action and hopes the case serves as an example to other public bodies who seek to restrict access to journalists.
Sunshine Award: Lori Hendricks, Wagoner County clerk
FOI Oklahoma recognizes Wagoner County Clerk Lori Hendricks for her proactive approach to public records access. Hendricks was first elected county clerk in Wagoner County in 2012 and ran unopposed in the 2024 election to secure her fourth term in office.
“Hendricks is very responsive to open records requests and provides a large amount of public information on the county web site, allowing citizens to access information easily,” according to the nomination. “She attends many classes to stay updated on the laws. She has added value with safeguards to protect from identity theft at no cost to the public.”
Hendricks, as a past president of the County Clerks and Deputies Association of Oklahoma, is an example that FOI Oklahoma hopes other clerks and deputies will follow.
Special Commendation: Retired Edmond School Superintendent Angela Grunewald and the Edmond School Board
When threatened with an accreditation downgrade and public challenges to its administration, Edmond Superintendent Grunewald and the school board refused to bow to demands from the state school superintendent, last year’s Black Hole recipient, to remove two best-selling books from their high school libraries.
The push to ban The Glass Castle and The Kite Runner had been elevated by the state Education Department’s campaign stating the books contained pornography and the school district required high school students to read them. In fact, the books do not contain pornography, and parents were allowed to opt out their children from reading the books.
After the school district filed a lawsuit, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Edmond, saying the state education department and its superintendent had overstepped their authority in seeking to ban the two books. The Edmond superintendent has since retired; however, she and the school board’s public stand was important against those who want to ban books and other materials. Since this ruling, efforts to ban books have been curtailed.
FOI Oklahoma awards this Special Commendation to Grunewald and the Edmond school board for upholding the First Amendment in the face of significant threats and bullying tactics. It encourages other public officials and entities to show the courage of Grunewald, the Edmond school board and the Oklahoma Supreme Court to take stands against those who want to repress our First Amendment rights.
Bickham-Hale Service Award: Lindel Hutson
Lindel Hutson is a founder of FOI Oklahoma, a former president and continues to serve on its board.
Hutson is a longtime journalist who served as bureau chief of The Associated Press in Oklahoma and now serves on the Journalism Hall of Fame’s executive committee. He also served as a United States Army journalist with NATO in Europe and in the U.S. He is also an accomplished artist and with NATO in Europe. Hutson is also an Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame member.
“Lindel is the epitome of what it means to serve an organization such as FOI Oklahoma,” said the nomination. “He is consistent in being active in the organization as a board member and on its committees. His wise counsel and understanding of FOI issues have helped guide this organization through difficult times. He has remained a steadfast supporter and leader of this organization for many years.”
FOI Oklahoma believes Hutson, the 2010 recipient of our Opala award, is most deserving of this service award, too.
Black Hole “Award”: Oklahoma Police Departments, specifically in Tulsa and Ponca City
For their collective and persistent efforts to obstruct public access to vital law enforcement records, Oklahoma police departments are the recipients of the 2025 Black Hole Award. Despite provisions in the Oklahoma Open Records Act that allow release of basic incident and arrest reports, law enforcement agencies across the state continue to deny access, undermining transparency and accountability.
From Tulsa’s refusal to disclose the locations of more than 200 surveillance cameras that also track license plates, to Ponca City’s recent settlement confirming the news media’s right to access arrest records—only after a legal battle—show how police departments statewide have prioritized secrecy over the public’s right to know. These actions erode trust and hinder informed civic engagement.
FOI Oklahoma condemns these ongoing violations of the open records law and calls for immediate reforms to ensure government accountability and uphold the principles of transparency for police records.