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Mullin draws backlash over reporter violence ‘joke’
A: Main, news
April 16, 2025
Mullin draws backlash over reporter violence ‘joke’
By KATRINA CRUMBACHER GAYLORD NEWS

Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin received pushback Wednesday after “joking” that violence could solve “fake news” in a video posted on X late last week.

Freedom of Information Oklahoma’s Executive Director Kurt Gwartney called the whole matter “disheartening.”

“When political leaders joke about violence against those they disagree with or dislike, they demean their elected roles in American public life and the people they represent,” Gwartney said in a statement.

Founded in 1990, FOI Oklahoma is a statewide organization dedicated to supporting individuals and organizations trying to obtain access to open records or open meetings that have been “illegally closed,” according to its website.

The video, which made national headlines this week, opened with Mullin telling a story about a reporter who shot and killed a congressman-turned-lobbyist in 1890.

However, as the story came to an end, it took a dark turn.

“Now, there’s a lot we could say about reporters and the stories they write,” Mullin said, “but I bet they would write a lot less false stories — as President Trump says, ‘fake news’ — if we could still handle our differences that way.”

Across the United States in 2024, journalists were assaulted 80 times, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. Of the 1,100 incidents of assault that have been reported since the organization started keeping track in 2017, three happened in Oklahoma.

“Each assault can be viewed as an attack on First Amendment freedoms,” Gwartney wrote. “Using violence against journalists is an established chapter in the anti-democratic playbook used by politicians across the globe and here at home.”

FOI Oklahoma was not the first to air grievances about Mullins’s comments.

On Sunday, The Oklahoman published a news article about Mullin’s remarks, and a couple of hours later, Mullin responded on X, calling the newspaper “out of touch with Oklahoma.” The Oklahoman followed with an editorial on Monday, saying Mullin is “out of touch with the dignity of his office and the volatile environment our country currently finds itself in.”

“In a time when Mullin could have gone before the cameras to help alleviate all the fears that consume Oklahomans in these uncertain times — worry about their Social Security benefits, whether their Medicaid insurance will be cut, among others — he chose to talk about the potential benefits of harming journalists,” The Oklahoman editorial board wrote.

The editorial contrasted Mullin’s remarks with the Oklahoma Standard and the upcoming 30-year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19.

“Markwayne Mullin’s response to an argument is violence,” The Oklahoman wrote. “But thousands of Oklahomans, including survivors, families, friends and others affected by the bombing responded to an unspeakable horror 30 years ago with dignity, grace and kindness.”

On Tuesday in another post on X, Mullin again responded to “the few reporters pretending to be upset about this video.”

“If you watched… it was a *reporter* who shot a congressman in 1890. You don’t see me crying,” Mullin wrote. “Take a joke and quit trying to find a reason to be offended. Focus on your low readership and declining relevance.”

According to Gwarteny, violence isn’t something public officials should joke about.

“Expressions of violence in our political system are something you don’t joke about or expect from a member of the U.S. Senate unless you’re willfully ignorant of civics and history,” Gwartney wrote.

Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net.

School Board Association honors Pippenger, Madewell
A: Main, news
School Board Association honors Pippenger, Madewell
September 17, 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY - Eufaula School Board President Jeff Pippenger and Checotah School Superintendent Monte Madewell were honored for their contribution to education during the annual Education Leadership ...
A: Main, news
Brace yourself for traffic disruptions
September 17, 2025
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will begin its long-awaited street project on Main Street (SH 9) in downtown Eufaula next week. An ODOT spokesman said traffic control will begin Monday, Sept...
A: Main, news
McIntosh is Candidate for 2025 Miss Indian Oklahoma
September 17, 2025
Miss Janaya McIntosh of Eufaula is a candidate for the upcoming 2025 Miss Indian Oklahoma pageant. The Oklahoma Federation of Indian Women (OFIW) pageants offer young Native American women a chance to...
A: Main, news
Ford holding food drive
September 17, 2025
Ford dealers around the world are joining together to conduct the World’s Largest Ford Dealer Food Drive, now through Sept. 25. The local dealership where you may drop off food is Sam Wampler’s Freedo...
A: Main, news
LEA 2025 Golf Tournament Sept. 26
September 17, 2025
The 2025 Lake Eufaula Association Golf Tournament is just a week away, to be held Friday Sept. 26 at Arrowhead Golf Course, 3657 Main Park Rd., Canadian. Registration is at 8 a.m., shotgun start is at...
A: Main, news
POW/MIA Ceremony is Friday
September 17, 2025
On Friday, Sept. 19 the VFW Post 8798 Auxiliary will host a dinner in honor of soldiers who have not returned home from battle. The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the Post dining room on SH 9 east.
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A: Main, news
Lake Eufaula Out of Darkness Walk this Saturday
September 17, 2025
Don’t miss the Lake Eufaula Out of Darkness Walk this Saturday, September 20. Come walk and show your support as locals bring awareness to suicide and how you can prevent it. “Being able to see the wa...
A: Main, news
Flag exchange drive
September 17, 2025
VFW Auxiliary 8798 would like to help you properly dispose of your worn out flags. We will exchange your worn 3x5 United States American Flag for a brand new one. Dates will be shared over the upcomin...
A: Main, news
Tribal Town Spelling Bee Sept. 27
September 17, 2025
The Eufaula-Canadian Tribal Town and the MCN Language Preservation Program will host the 10th annual Mvskoke Language Spelling Bee Competition on Sept. 27 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Eufaula Indian Co...
A: Main, news
Suspect awaits sanity decision in Minner case
By MICHAEL BARNES 
September 17, 2025
When a June 10 headline shook the community—Selby Minner, beloved blues musician and cultural icon, found dead—the shock reverberated through Rentiesville and far beyond. The one arrested for her murd...
Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosts 4th Annual Capitol Camp
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Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosts 4th Annual Capitol Camp
By LaDonna Rhodes Staff Writer 
September 17, 2025
117 FFA and 4-H students from across the state convened at the Oklahoma State Capitol for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s 4th Annual Capitol Camp held Sept. 3 – 4. The camp was an immersive twoday experien...
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