Oakdale Audit News Article

For this public accountability story, I reported on 11 inconsistencies identified in the City of Oakdale’s recordkeeping through a Louisiana Legislative Auditor report. The article translated a complex municipal audit into a clear, accessible news story for Central Louisiana readers, highlighting issues involving expired sales tax collections, public bid procedures, construction documentation, utility operations, police department recordkeeping and elected official compensation.

The story required careful review of LLA materials, additional research into the auditor’s findings and correspondence with digital leads across Nexstar sister stations in Louisiana to ensure the reporting was accurate, authentic and useful to a wider regional audience. I approached the story with care, bringing visibility to issues within Oakdale’s government in a tasteful way while still holding public officials accountable and providing readers with clarity on matters that could affect taxpayers and public trust.

In addition to writing the article, I created social media headlines and visuals to increase accessibility, improve audience understanding and create a smoother digital experience across platforms. This piece demonstrates my ability to analyze public documents, collaborate across newsroom teams, synthesize complicated information under deadline pressure and produce community-focused journalism that connects government transparency to everyday readers.