OU Nightly Students

University of Oklahoma

OU Nightly: Tornado Outbreak 11.4.24

In the early hours of Monday, November 4, 2024, central Oklahoma experienced a tornado outbreak. OU Nightly students rose to the occasion, covering three tornadoes that struck between 3:30 and 7:00 a.m. Operating as multimedia journalists (MMJs), the students independently shot, wrote, and edited their packages. One student, a licensed drone pilot, captured aerial footage of the damage, showcasing an advanced skill set uncommon at the undergraduate level.

By 9:30 a.m., students departed Norman—about 20 miles from each tornado-affected area, including Oklahoma City to the northeast and Newcastle to the southwest. Despite the tight timeline, they were live on-air at 4:30 p.m. for OU Nightly, the student-led newscast produced at Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Their work was unaided by faculty, limited only to one academic staff member, who offered only a quick review of scripts emailed into the newsroom for approval. Remarkably, the tornado damage coverage for this collegiate newscast was completed faster than many professional newsrooms would manage for a same-day story; less than 7 hours form departing campus until air time.

Senior (student) Meteorologist Chloe Arroyo provided comprehensive weather updates, covering the ongoing multi-day severe weather outbreak across the state.

Meanwhile, newsroom students previewed election coverage for the following day, worked on a franchise report titled "Money Matters," and sports anchors and reporters recapped the Sooner Football press conference after the team’s weekend game.

What sets this newscast apart is the extraordinary effort of undergraduate students working entirely without faculty involvement. On this particular day, Gaylord College’s (staff member) engineer was absent. In a display of resourcefulness, journalism students contacted the OU Athletic Department to borrow a live unit, enabling live shots from three different locations hit by the tornadoes. An undergraduate student collaborated with the Athletic Department’s engineer to establish the connection, ensuring the broadcast’s success. Showing their dedication to covering the big story even when facing challenges.