Looking forward to the future of journalism

Why journalists should create their own Web sites

Tony Rogers at About.com wrote a good post on why journalists should make their own Web sites, and yours truly was one of the reporters mentioned. Tony did a nice job laying out the benefits of publishing a portfolio of your best work. He found some horror stories of reporters losing years of work because … Read more

Six useful tips for shooting better video of anything

Cow poo pens on Vimeo

Cow poo pens from Angela Grant on Vimeo. Angela Grant, the first full-time video guru at the San Antonio Express-News, gave me some fantastic tips for anyone who wants to improve their skills in shooting and editing video. If you’re tired of uploading shaky cell phone clips to YouTube, these pointers are for you. Angela … Read more

A tragic death, a stolen urn, and how the media helped

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcdfw.com/video. It had been a long time since I last heard from John Putnam. I met him in person once when we attended a court hearing at an old, eerily quiet courthouse in Llano, Texas, but we’ve had countless conversations by phone. And when the phone rang at my desk … Read more

Texas bill would ban ‘patient dumping’ by mental hospitals

Express-News Reporter Karisa King wrote a follow-up story today about mentally ill patients who are dropped off at bus stations and left to fend for themselves. There’s now a bill in the Texas Legislature that attempts to fix the problem. If the bill becomes law, it will require the state’s mental hospitals to devise a … Read more

Good read: Book review of ‘Telling True Stories’

Telling True Stories, a book about journalism

“Telling True Stories” is a collection of essays by the most thoughtful and talented people in the business. It’s essentially a how-to book written by giants like Tom Wolfe, who wrote the “The Right Stuff;” David Halberstam, who wrote “The Best and the Brightest;” and Gay Talese, who wrote legendary celebrity profiles such as “Frank … Read more

Local officials try closing loophole in San Antonio’s tree ordinance

Last week, state Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, and Mayor Phil Hardberger announced an effort to fix a city ordinance that was meant to protect San Antonio’s diminishing tree canopy from urban sprawl. A loophole in the ordinance allows real estate developers to bulldoze trees for ranching and farming. For those who want to learn … Read more

A primer on Michael Fontana, a nurse accused of killing three patients

Last week military reporter Scott Huddleston and I covered the story of Capt. Michael Fontana, a nurse who has been charged by the Air Force of killing three patients at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio. This is Military City, USA, and there’s lots of interest in the case and concern about it. Here … Read more