Comments for John Tedesco

Comment on WOAI fought long battle to obtain TxDOT’s auto-accident data by What’s More Disturbing ? | Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas

What’s More Disturbing ? | Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:12:52 +0000

[...] More Disturbing ? Posted: March 11th, 2010 ShareThe investigative expose involving the dangers of distracted drivers using cellphones in Texas by reporter Brian Collister, [...]

Comment on New blog: The Art of Access by John Tedesco

John Tedesco — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:35:04 +0000

Thanks for the comment, T.J.

Comment on New blog: The Art of Access by T. J. Connolly

T. J. Connolly — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:18:32 +0000

John:

Good points. A lesson I learned, with a public utility, transparency (which is becoming a most over-used term) is important. And the rate payers/customers deserve it.

You may add to the list of my mistakes, the cavalier (yet legal) approach I took in trying to delay release of information the public had a right to.

My mistake. My screw-up. My error in judgement.

T. J.

Comment on Mapping voting sites with ZeeMaps by Mike Padgett

Mike Padgett — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:52:37 +0000

John:
Thanks for sharing ZeeMaps. Wish this had been available when I was writing about elections in Arizona.
Mike

Comment on Tipsheet: How to bulletproof a story by billdinTO

billdinTO — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:57:33 +0000

RT @John_Tedesco: Check out my tipsheet about how editors and reporters can fact-check news stories. Feel free to chime in: http://bit.l …

Comment on James O’Keefe: Journalist or prankster? by John Tedesco

John Tedesco — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:38:36 +0000

Richard, thanks for commenting. But I don’t think journalists are beholden to liberal causes like ACORN. I’ve covered all kinds of stories, some of which probably didn’t please some Democrats. One story that comes to mind is our coverage in 2004 of a local Head Start organization that paid its top executive a six-figure salary, but underpaid teachers. Here’s a link to a Congressional press release about Head Start that mentioned the story:

http://republicans.edlabor.house.gov/archive/press/press108/second/02feb/headstart021904.htm

I wrote other stories that probably angered some conservatives. And I’ve written other stories that are essentially apolitical. The main thing I care about is whether it’s a good story — an article based on new facts that I dug up and that tell people something new about the world.

Comment on James O’Keefe: Journalist or prankster? by Richard Aubrey

Richard Aubrey — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:01:02 +0000

Well, I suppose the reason O’K did what he did and how he did it is because no–which is to say not a single–reporter of the legitimate kind you describe has ever gone near ACORN.
Some may have wanted to, but they also wanted to remain employed.
You probably didn’t know this.

Comment on Was cracked retaining wall built correctly? by Wayne Caswell

Wayne Caswell — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:02:06 +0000

Our analysis of USDA Web Soil Survey data (http://www.homeownersoftexas.org/Rivermist_Soil_Survey.pdf) shows the subdivision sits on expansive clay soil that’s unsuitable for building. Maybe that’s why homes blocks away are showing cracks in walls & trim due to foundation problems. A new law that went into effect in September requires new homes built on expansive soil to have engineered foundations, but that doesn’t help these homeowners. And even if other new laws are passed to protect people guard against other kinds of construction defects, they too won’t help people with problems today. That’s why people in the know look at older homes built before 1989 when RCLA was passed and builders shielded themselves from accountability.

Comment on San Antonio officials paid scant attention to towering retaining walls by John Gibbons

John Gibbons — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:16:41 +0000

Golly, all those hard surfaces that are now coming down can be replaced and properly rebuilt with more carbon producing concrete block! Adding more heat sinks and reflective surfaces to the planet.

Or………..use a Deltalok USA earthen building block utilizing the same MSE, Mechanically Stabilized Earth, methods and reduce the carbon footprint by 97% over concrete block. Vegetate the wall with native plants and create beautiful permanent greenscapes!

Comment on Essential tools for mobile journalists who can’t afford iPhones by Mike Padgett

Mike Padgett — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:19:23 +0000

John:
Thanks for this look inside your professional life. Being alert 24/7 for that unexpected story is what journalism is all about. It’s a career with rewards beyond those of most other professions, except for education and medicine, because of how much it can impact peoples’ lives.