2025: A year in review for independent journalism

Dark Roast Report has only been active for a few months and during that time, Seth and Reanna have been able to see the need for independent news grow and the importance of being directly involved in the community. The amount of support received so far has been more than eye-opening, revealing the issues that often go unnoticed.

While Seth and Reanna balance work, personal lives and journalism, they’ve been able to make great strides with the independent route. From holding Lawton city officials accountable to sharing the concerns of Wichita Falls educational changes, the greater Texoma community now has a new news source to rely on in the new year and beyond.

While both founders had established reputations from their backgrounds in Lawton, there are many who might be unfamiliar with their story…

How Dark Roast Report began:

Seth and Reanna, the Co-founders of Dark Roast Report, have both worked in the news industry in various forms. From broadcast news to print news, their experience with the industry has both contributed to their knowledge of news and helped them to recognize the areas of local news that fall short.

Seth worked for KSWO News7 in Lawton, OK, for three years and went on to cover news for the Newspaper in Iowa Park, TX. Reanna also worked for KSWO before going to the Lawton Constitution. While their experiences with these news sources weren’t permanent, they provided them essential perspectives on the news-source needs of the local areas. Their experiences also earned them a trusted reputation among the community as reliable and committed journalists.

In their time as reporters, Seth and Reanna recognized the apparent paywall that came with commercial news sources. Rather than treating news that directly impacted the community as the utmost priority, many news sources were forced to prioritize funding, which often impacted the topics and level of coverage they could provide. Nonetheless, Seth and Reanna recognized that without providing the community with details of news in the area, despite who was funding the coverage, news sources in Texoma were falling short of their greatest priority. 

As a result of this realization, Seth and Reanna decided to start Dark Roast Report, a nonprofit news source for the Texoma area. Within just three months, Dark Roast obtained an official nonprofit status and began obtaining sponsors and subscribers. In correlation, Dark Roast gained additional board members and began their Printed Edition, which is distributed around Lawton and Wichita Falls. 

In such a short period of time, the growth and community support that Dark Roast experienced only confirmed for Seth and Reanna that they were making a difference in their communities. They are hopeful that they will have an even bigger impact going into 2026. They aspire to gain more sponsors and subscribers in the new year, and as a result, obtain the resources to cover more stories and more towns in the Texoma area.

Dark Roast Report’s Top 5 Stories of 2025:

1. City begins release of Mayor’s emails after 7 month runaround
2. Lawton newspaper to change to local owners with heavy political affiliation
3. Small town school budget takes a hit following private prison purchase
4. Request for Mayor’s emails proves to be full of redundant files
5. Details on Westwin’s delayed future as Georgia rumors surge

Investigations continuing into 2026:

1. The future of Westwin Elements and what it means for the Lawton community.
2. The Mayor Booker Emails and what they reveal.
3. Third Future’s partnership with Wichita Falls Independent School District moving forward.

Dark Roast initiatives/projects started in 2025:

1. Public meetings lists
2. Looks and Crooks
3. Texoma Tails

Dark Roast initiatives/projects planned for 2026:

1. Public Forums – Opportunities for the community to come together on Zoom and in person to discuss topics that directly impact the community.
2. Fundraising Events – Raffles, events, and booths geared towards raising community awareness and fundraising to increase Dark Roast coverage.
3. Video Story Summaries – Video recorded summaries of big stories with the goal of broadening coverage and audience range.
4. Forms for Community Feedback – More opportunities for the community to chime in on what we cover and how we cover it.

2025 has been a great year for Dark Roast Report and the Texoma community, but this is only the beginning. Independent investigative journalism has become more important now than ever and the Dark Roast is committed to continuing its mission in holding public officials accountable and fighting for transparency. However, journalism like this is only made possible through the support of its readers. If you are able to these continued efforts, you can do so below. Here’s to 2026! It’s time to wake up.