About Crosswinds News

Crosswinds News - or simply Crosswinds - is a Native-owned newsroom based on the Muscogee Nation Reservation and informed by local Native American communities.

Our story began in 2018 as Verified News Network (VNN), a social news platform built to create space for community-driven reporting. Over time, VNN became a home for stories that mainstream outlets overlooked - especially those of Native communities across Oklahoma.

After seven years of listening, reporting, and collaborating with Native families, tribal leaders, and grassroots organizations, VNN evolved into something more focused, more responsive, and more reflective of the communities we serve. That evolution gave rise to Crosswinds News.

Today, Crosswinds is primarily Native-focused and Native-staffed, with multimedia journalists, community members, cultural advisors, and mission-aligned organizations leading the work. Our mission is to carry stories from Oklahoma’s 39 tribes - connecting Native families and allies from the heart of Indian Country.

As a community news organization, we believe it is our duty to do more than just produce content. We engage in community listening, develop resources, host in-person events and create safe spaces where people can come together. Through this work, we support Native perspectives, honor cultural knowledge, and encourage conversations that move us toward understanding and peace.

Our inspiration comes from the intersections of identities, races, and experiences that shape Native families connected to Oklahoma’s 39 tribes - whether they live in their Tribal community or elsewhere. These diverse perspectives guide our work and remind us that the stories we carry are not bound by geography, but by the people they come from.