OU Daily elected Peggy Dodd as its fall-spring editor-in-chief and Chase Pride to serve his second term as fall-spring advertising manager.
Dodd is a journalism junior and the current news managing editor. She joined the Daily in August of her freshman year in 2021 and has not left.
Dodd helped expand OU Daily’s coverage to the entire city of Norman as its city beat reporter and has deepened its relationships and reputations with prominent local government, business and community leaders. Dodd also helped restart OU's news podcast, "News Beat."
“OU Daily means everything to me,” Dodd said. “It has provided me an outlet to serve the community that I go to school in while gaining skills to take into my professional career. It also gave me confidence, and it's given me a supportive community.”
Dodd previously served as junior news reporter, senior news reporter and news editor. Last summer, Dodd interned at KOSU, NPR’s affiliate serving Oklahoma City and Stillwater. There, she wrote about the Metropolitan Library System’s “Recapturing OKC'' project and was featured on national NPR for the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s overturn of two abortion laws.
Dodd has also worked with KGOU, the NPR affiliate on OU’s campus, and traveled with Gaylord News to cover the Iowa caucus in January. This summer, Dodd will travel to Arizona State University as a News21 fellow.
As editor-in-chief, Dodd hopes to continue expanding city coverage, especially heading into a major election year. She also wants to increase diversity of both sourcing and staff through recruitment efforts and deeper looks at source diversity tracking. She wants to tell the story of OU Daily’s successes through community engagement and trust-building efforts.
“I want to build trust with our audience and let them know that OU Daily is here to serve them and their needs,” Dodd said. “By telling our story, I hope to earn the community’s trust and earn the privilege of telling their stories.”
Pride is a public relations junior and the current advertising manager for OU Daily. Pride led the advertising and marketing staff to meet its year-end goal in February and facilitated camaraderie between the advertising and newsroom staff. Pride also brought in national and local partnerships that were revenue boosters.
“The reason why I like (OU Daily) so much is the environment. I feel so respected and appreciated, but I also feel that people trust me, which is really reassuring. It's helped me grow as a leader and as a person, and I feel more confident in myself and my ability to do professional work,” Pride said. “This is my first professional experience. … (OU Daily) makes me feel really ready for the world.”
Outside of the Daily, Pride is a member of OU’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. He serves nationally on PRSSA’s PRoud Council, which facilitates diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives on a local and international level in public relations. Pride also is the vice chair of public relations for OU Campus Activities Council’s Sooner Scandals.
Heading into next year, Pride plans on expanding the Daily’s advertising and marketing department, introducing sponsored content and expanding its creative and innovative communication services.
“I think we can really turn this place into more than just a news source, but (on the advertising and marketing side), we can be more of a consulting type of place where anyone can come get assistance on communications and their brand image,” Pride said.
OU Daily will vote on and announce its summer editor-in-chief in April. Dodd and Pride start serving in their positions in August.
Read some of Peggy’s work:
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure and Ismael Lele.
