Ziva Branstetter

2015 Hall of Fame

B.S. Journalism, '88

Ziva Branstetter entered journalism school at Oklahoma State University where she became well known for her unwavering investigative journalism skills.

 

Upon graduation, she took her enthusiasm to the Tulsa Tribune, where she covered crime and politics. In 1992, she and her husband moved to Philadelphia where she worked at the Daily News for a few years.

 

Branstetter returned to Tulsa and began working for the Tulsa World, where for two decades she covered stories such as the Oklahoma City Bombing, deadly tornadoes, government waste and fraud.

 

Her investigation into an ineffective state board governing nurse home administrators led to the removal of nearly all its members and a change in state law. In April, she and reporting partner Cary Aspinwall were named finalists for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting for their coverage on the botched execution of Clayton Lockett.

 

Despite her reputation for asking the tough questions, she is also known for her dedication to her field, her coworkers and to her two sons, Jordan and Parker.