D.E. Smoot

DeWayne E. Smoot is a senior staff writer at the Muskogee Phoenix, where he has earned numerous awards for investigative reporting and his coverage of local and state government, environmental issues and general-interest news events. He regularly covers local and state government, politics and environmental issues for the Muskogee Phoenix and sister newspapers in Oklahoma owned by CNHI / Raycom Media. Smoot is honing his skills as a data analyst and constantly works to increase his knowledge regarding the application of social science methods to analyze statistics and the use of visualization tools to enhance his reporting. In addition to his regular reporting duties, Smoot fills in as city editor and editorial writer as needed. He serves as a mentor for the newspaper's reporting staff, working with them to improve their beat coverage, reporting and writing skills. Smoot is licensed to practice law in Oklahoma, where he was admitted in April 2002 to practice in all state courts. He has been admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Oklahoma and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. He has been a member in good standing for nearly 16 years with the Oklahoma Bar Association. Smoot is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, Investigative Reporters & Editors, and the Society of Environmental Journalists.