Who brews the news: the backstory of Dark Roast Report

Since the beginning of the human species, we’ve recognized that there is strength and security in numbers. This strength and security is what we now refer to as community. Community is often how people endure difficult times and create change. However, with so many voices making up a community, not all of them are heard. That simple fact is what planted the idea for Dark Roast Report.

Cofounders Seth Marsicano and Reanna Gonzalez both come from commercial news backgrounds. While that experience deepened their understanding of news coverage and distribution, it also allowed them to recognize the gaps in news that are often due to paywalls, information censorship, and the urgency to be the first to cover a story. While the commercial realm of news certainly plays its role, it often leaves some voices in the community overlooked or cut short. Recognizing this is what made Seth and Reanna want to explore other options for news coverage.

Seth began his journalism career with nothing but a film background. He had worked on short films, done videography for events and groups, and had even gotten relatively comfortable being on camera, but he had no news experience. Living in Wichita Falls, he began pursuing opportunities to use his film knowledge, which led to him applying for a position at KAUZ. The Director over KAUZ and KSWO at the time, offered him a position at KSWO which he accepted. From that point, Seth’s knowledge of news and community matters began to grow. He immersed himself in the local government, impactful groups, and social issues of the Lawton Community. He quickly gained a reputation as a journalist that dug deeper and that the community could trust. His commitment to digging deeper led him down the path of pursuing an investigative journalist route. Through this approach, he attended conferences and built relationships with other investigative journalists that furthered his knowledge. 

However, his willingness to dig deeper wasn’t as applauded by other members of the community including the prisons and city officials. Those that are familiar with Seth’s work have likely heard about the lawsuit between KSWO and Comanche County Detention Center due to Seth requesting video footage of an inmate death to shine a light on concerns about how the facility is run and to bring the family closure. It was recently announced that KSWO, and Seth by association to the case, won the lawsuit. 

Additionally, community members may remember Seth’s name coming up in a 2025 City Council meeting, condemning him for public information requests for Mayor Booker’s emails pertaining to particular topics which the Mayor declined to do interviews with Seth about. Some council members claimed it was “harassment” despite the fact that it was the only way for Seth to obtain this information without the Mayor agreeing to do an interview. Further, they suggested the request was so large that it would cost a considerable amount of time and money to prepare. In the last year, Seth began receiving these requested documents , many of which were just individual documents containing name plates (essentially, the signatures of those who sent the emails). Seth is still waiting for his request to be fully fulfilled, or at least to receive proper communication about the matter.

The outcome of both of these instances only further highlighted the need for transparency and the responsibility of news sources to pursue that for the sake of the community. As the end of Seth’s contract was quickly approaching, his experiences with obtaining and providing reliable information in the commercial sector led him to decide to leave KSWO and pursue other outlets for informing the community.

Reanna entered the journalism field with a background in writing and education. Having received her Master’s in screenwriting, she also had a foundational understanding of presenting information through a specific written structure. She began as the Digital Content Manager over KSWO and KAUZ’s digital teams, translating story scripts for broadcast into digestible stories for digital platforms. In this time, her and Seth were acquainted and shared a similar commitment to community and the pursuit of transparency. It didn’t take long for Reanna to build up a desire to have more hands-on involvement with reporting on stories.

While she conducted a couple interviews and stories for KSWO, it wasn’t until she began her position as a reporter at the Lawton Constitution that she got to immerse herself in the boots-on-the-ground pursuit of journalism. She quickly built connections with members of the community, particularly in the areas of art, education, and community support resources. Through her series of stories focused on the Dilapidated and Dangerous Structure procedures of Lawton, she also developed a passion for government transparency and accountability in news. However, when Mayor Booker expressed frustration over one of her stories in that series, she was put on hold from continuing them. While she enjoyed writing stories that showcased community talent and supported essential community resources, she too felt there was a certain level of information censorship that prevented the community from being informed about topics that directly impacted them. 

Once Seth left KSWO, he considered moving to pursue a position with a nonprofit news source in other areas. However, he ultimately realized that there was such a need for one in Texoma that his efforts would be more impactful if he stayed here. After discussing the point with Reanna, the two of them decided to start a nonprofit news organization right here in Texoma — the first of its kind for the Southwest Oklahoma and North Texas area. Reanna and Seth both being avid coffee lovers, Seth came up with the idea to call it Dark Roast Report — a title that reflected the bold flavor of news they planned to cover.

They started with a website domain and social media pages, writing and publishing independently when they had time, and paying for the associated costs out of pocket. In its beginning, Seth wrote for Dark Roast as he applied to jobs to keep himself afloat and Reanna wrote during the day for the Constitution and in the evenings for Dark Roast. Reanna served as the Managing Editor and Seth served as Publisher. Initially, it was known and accepted that Reanna wrote for both publications, focusing more on North Texas news to avoid a conflict of interest. However, when Hilliary took over the Constitution, Seth — having already heard rumors that the purchase was coming — published a story on the takeover, once it was announced. This resulted in the Constitution presenting Reanna with an ultimatum to choose between writing for the The Lawton Constitution and Dark Roast Report. After giving it some time to consider, Reanna made a choice. While she was grateful for the experience and connections she gained during her time at the Constitution, and has immense respect and admiration for the Editor and Publisher she worked under, many things in her life led her to believe it was time for a new chapter. 

Reanna left The Lawton Constitution and began writing full time for Dark Roast Report while she filled in for teaching and working with dogs to make an income. Seth worked for a period of time at the Iowa Park Journal, a newspaper in Iowa Park Texas, under the understanding that he would also be writing for his own publication. It seemed that juggling so much was paying off, as members of the Texoma community began reaching out to express support and gratitude for what Dark Roast Report was doing. Feeling more confident in their decision to pursue this independent publication, Seth and Reanna decided to pursue a nonprofit status to solidify their image as a news source that couldn’t be bought, but also to pursue grants so they could continue their work without it financially burdening them personally. Within a matter of weeks, Dark Roast Report had an official nonprofit status, though they had to wait to obtain the 501(c)3 status due to the cost. They quickly developed a board, bringing on additional members to conduct proper meetings. 

As Dark Roast Report began to gain traction, more people began to reach out with story tips and suggestions. The demand for Dark Roast coverage began to grow, resulting in a need for broader mediums to share that coverage. They were covering investigative pieces, election coverage, highlighting positive community resources, and even helping local pets find homes through Texoma Tails.

Soon, Dark Roast Report began printing a monthly edition of their stories from each month to distribute to local businesses. This allowed people who prefer not to get their news online a physical means to read Dark Roast stories. In addition, Seth and Reanna boosted efforts to utilize social media to cater to audiences that preferred more convenient access to news, by recording videos to reflect information from stories. While these efforts did broaden coverage, they also increased the cost of running the publication. Fortunately, a few donors, subscribers, and sponsors began to contribute which helped for a while. However, the growth of the publication’s success resulted in the growth of the costs to sustain it, making it difficult for Seth and Reanna to keep up with just a few contributors and their own budgets.

Fortunately, Dark Roast Report was fortunate enough to catch the attention of Tiny News Collective though their hyper-focus on community and local news. Tiny News Collective is an organization founded to support local, independent news organizations and help get them on their feet. Dark Roast Report soon gained a fiscal sponsorship through this partnership, and through that, we’re finally able to obtain a 501(c)3 status. This allowed them to offer tax-deductible donation options to supporters, as well as better their chances of obtaining grants.

Though the road to growing the publication and covering the good and bad news that directly impacts the community has been rocky at times, Seth and Reanna are devoted to the Texoma community. They’re aware of its downsides and areas needing growth, but also of its unique charm and the diverse and caring community members that make it up. Seth and Reanna have full intentions of continuing to grow the publication and increase coverage — both in the areas they cover and the distribution of printed editions — and eventually, bring additional writers on board.