KFOR aired an investigative report last night that featured your buds here at The Pickup as a reputable source.
Spencer Humphreys at KFOR did a nice job connecting the dots between the recent 3.8 million-gallon water leak at an El Reno bitcoin mine and a 2024 law that effectively signaled to the cryptomining industry that Oklahoma was open for business.
We pointed out the legislation last year, which avoided the scrutiny of the Oklahoma media at the time of its passage. How we came about the story in the first place is all because of Katie Wiehe, our editorial assistant. A student journalist at the time, she took a closer look at the text of the legislation and realized that it matched the model policy written by the crypto lobbyists nearly word for word.
To put it more directly: state legislators let the crypto industry write its own laws.
Reflecting on it all, I’m glad that local news here in Oklahoma is paying attention to the deleterious effects of big tech as it creeps across the country. Schools in El Reno were shut down for two days because of the leak — a clear strain on municipal government that we’re also seeing in Muskogee as it struggles to negotiate with another crypto mine without any help from the state.
These are the kinds of stories we want to do here at The Pickup. Not just the who, what, where and when of daily news journalism, but the why. Richer stories that bring you as a reader along to a deeper understanding of a particular issue, person or trend. (As a brief aside, if you want more of that in your life, you can hit this button to become a paid subscriber.)
Anyway, here’s KFOR’s story. Enjoy that riveting B-roll of, ah, me on the computer and Katie ... also on the computer. That's pretty much what a typical day at the office is like for us.