Cherokee Ballard Visits OU

Former news reporters Cherokee Ballard and Britten Follet spoke at Gaylord College Hall of Fame to discuss their experiences and their most interesting story, the murder of Kelsey Smith. The two reporters walked their listeners through their life in news reporting to their current positions. They occasionally showed past news packages about the Kelsey case and demonstrated how powerful investigative reporting can be and how making the guilty accountable can change someone's life.

(PHOTO: Matthew Shaffer)

Given the question of how would Follett do differently if given the chance to start her first job over, the two talk about the importance of holding those in power accountable and give students the chance to think this way before starting their careers as journalists. AUDIO: Matthew Shaffer runs 2:04



According to the two reporters and the news reports that were shown, Kelsey Smith-Briggs's father, Lance, was involved with the Iraq War and had to leave Kelsey at home. On a weekend trip home, he found her bruised and with a broken collar bone. Eventually, she would be recieve more abuse from an unknown abuser while Lance was in Iraq, and she would be killed. The killer is still unknown today, but Ballard was responsible for the 7-minute package shown on Eyewitness News 5. Many of the students who were shown this package said they couldn't believe it was seven minutes, saying it felt much shorter.

Ballard used to work for Eyewitness News 5, but unfortunately she was eventually diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. She then became a spokesperson for The State Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to raise awareness of the cancer. However, due to Ballard's journalistic attitude, she became a little unpopular at the medical examiner, and she moved on to communications manager for Oklahoma Natural Gas.

Ballard and Follet admit that they would return to their past jobs under certain conditions, but the two feel that their abilities are required elsewhere. Ballard continues to work at Oklahoma Natural Gas while Follet works as a Marketing Manager at Follett International. The two hope that the session has given students a valuable insight into the world of journalism.