Oklahoma newspapers and culture
Newspapers in Oklahoma have been influencing communities since their beginning.
From the bilingual pages of the original Cherokee Advocate to the four-color images of today's publications, Oklahoma newspapers have spent the past 100 years not only reporting on their communities but also helping to shape the culture of those communities.
Oklahoma newspapers embrace their communities and, no matter what the newspaper's philosophy, work to make those communities stronger.
"All journalism in Oklahoma is community journalism," said Dr. Terry Clark, chairman of the University of Central Oklahoma's Department of Mass Communication. 
It's Oklahoma's populist heritage, Clark said, that makes Oklahoma newspapers vital to their communities - not only as an information source, but as a "booster" and an advocate for growth.
"At one time every little community in Oklahoma had at least one newspaper," he said. "This was a boom time, a time of opportunity."
In fact, Clark said it "wasn't unusual" for a small town to have "four or five newspapers at once."
Yet even with their different styles, beliefs and staffs, all newspapers had a common tie - their support and their connection to the community.
"With the booming economies of both agriculture and technology, growth was the culture," Clark said. "The economic and social growth of the community. The growth of the state. The growth of business. The culture was simply growth."
It would last about 30 years.
Then, in the late 1920s, the state fell hard.
"Growth got us through the first 30 years," Clark said. "Then the Depression hit and there wasn't anything to change."
Between the stagnant economy and the Dust Bowl, the Depression caused many Oklahomans to seek a better life elsewhere.
And it killed many smaller, struggling newspapers.
"During the Depression papers began consolidating," Clark said. "And that has continued."
Yet even with fewer papers, Oklahoma journalism continues to thrive.
"As it was true in many areas, many papers died," Clark said. "Today, The Oklahoman and Tulsa World are the survivors of many papers in those cities."
And now, at its 100th birthday, Clark said the state has fully developed a culture.
Today, huge influxes of new cultures are bringing "new energy and new ideas that we desperately need," said Clark.
They are also changing the state's newspapers.
"Oklahoma newspapers have become much more diverse in their coverage," Clark said. "Several small papers are periodically publishing Spanish language editions. Things are really changing.
"Today, newspapers still influence culture," he said. "It's funny, but the newspaper's biggest challenge is telling the public how important they are."
And becoming even more of the social fabric of the communities they serve.