'Dead child reporters' teach dedication

Photo By: Carmen Forman

Former reporters, Britten Follet and Cherokee Ballard talk to Gaylord students about the Kelsey Smith-Briggs case.

After extensively covering the case, the two decided to publish a book of their findings called, "Who Killed Kelsey."

Two "dead child reporters" talked to Gaylord students about the importance of holding state agencies accountable in order to promote transparency in government.

Oklahoma journalists Cherokee Ballard and Britten Follet took on the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and tried to make it more transparent in the crusade to find out who killed Kelsey Smith-Briggs.

Ballard and Follet started covering the Briggs case in 2005 after Kelsey's death at age two.

The two journalists dug deeper into the multiple child abuse reports made to Oklahoma DHS to try and find the killer. They also covered the trials of Kelsey's mother and stepfather.

Both Briggs' mother, Raye Dawn Smith and her then husband Michael Porter are serving more than 20 years in jail time for child abuse.

The two reporters had a tough time getting any information out of DHS as to why Briggs was put back into the custody of her mother after reports of child abuse were filed. Ballard and Follet also questioned why the caseworker on Briggs' case was not fired after the death of the two year old.

"When you try to hold a state agency accountable you get a lot of doors slammed in your face," Ballard said.

Follet said they tried to get both sides of the story but DHS never shared theirs. DHS avoided saying it had done anything wrong.

Follet did a story on Briggs' caseworker, who, after Kelsey's death, was put on another case of a child being abused. After placing the child back in the custody of father, the child was killed.

Follet would also do stories on calls she received from other people reporting cases of child abuse or flaws on the part of DHS.

Stories by these two journalists during and after the Briggs' trial helped hold DHS at fault for the abuse and death of innocent children.

"Reporters can help hold state agencies accountable," Ballard said.