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Amy Slanchik is a Tulsa-based reporter whose field work and investigative series have repeatedly drawn national attention and helped shape public understanding of disasters and historical injustices. Her reporting—ranging from active disaster zones to ongoing centennial investigations—continues to influence how Oklahomans and wider audiences view community recovery and accountability.
Slanchik joined the KOTV-News On 6 newsroom in 2016 and quickly became known for hands-on journalism: going to scenes, following complex probes, and producing multi-part packages that place local stories in a broader context. Her assignments often connect immediate events to long-term consequences, whether public safety after storms or the search for answers tied to historic violence.
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Major stories and on-the-ground reporting
Among the high-profile projects that defined her reporting are in-depth coverage of a multi-fatal boating disaster in the Branson area and extensive investigation into the aftermath and graves research related to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. She has also traced historical threads from Tulsa to other cities—reporting on the 1898 Wilmington insurrection as part of commemorative coverage.
Her work is not limited to historical reporting. Slanchik has embedded with military personnel from Oklahoma aboard the USS George H.W. Bush in Norfolk, and she has reported from the front lines of major weather crises, including flood and tornado responses that demanded immediate, practical coverage for affected communities.
- Disaster reporting: Coverage of the 2017 Tulsa tornado and the 2019 Arkansas River floods, including the barge incident.
- Nationally noted investigations: Ongoing reporting on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre graves investigation and related centennial reporting.
- Historic commemoration: Reporting from Wilmington, N.C., on the 1898 insurrection during KOTV’s centennial series.
- Military features: Multi-part series following Oklahoma sailors aboard the USS George H.W. Bush.
Awards and earlier career
Editors and peers have recognized Slanchik’s visual and narrative work. She has earned multiple regional Edward R. Murrow awards and was part of a newsroom team honored with a national Edward R. Murrow award and a Heartland Emmy for an hourlong special marking the Race Massacre centennial. Her photography has been singled out by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters for feature work covering the annual bison roundup at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.
Before joining KOTV, Slanchik reported at a CBS affiliate in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where she tackled courtroom coverage, veteran-focused features such as Honor Flights, and human-interest profiles that reached beyond the state—like a story about a teen violinist invited to perform at Carnegie Hall.
While completing a journalism degree at the University of Oklahoma, she gained early Washington experience with multiple internships. Those placements put her in the halls of national power for coverage that included a regional water-rights Supreme Court case, the 2013 State of the Union address and inauguration events, and both major political conventions in 2012.
Today, Slanchik remains focused on reporting that matters locally and resonates nationally: detailed, evidence-based stories that document current events and trace their historical and social implications for communities across Oklahoma and beyond.
