How some journalists are encouraging bloggers to republish their stories
The Guardian offers a WordPress plugin that lets bloggers republish stories. In return, a Web advertisement automatically runs at the bottom of the post.
Tips
From surgeon to bank robber: What caused Dr. John Christian Gunn’s fall from grace?
“I’ve been watching doctors do lots of bizarre things for many years, but robbing a bank was new.”
Mechanical problems with your plane? Check its safety record online
You can search the safety history of the plane you’re going to board.
Developers get tax breaks, while the poor get not-so-affordable housing
Struggling families paid as much as $1,040 a month in rent last year for a three-bedroom apartment.
How to spark readers’ interest and tell a hell of a story they won’t forget
Chivers left us hanging. He didn’t immediately tell us if the boy lived. And that suspense is a good thing.
Reporting tool: Taking notes with Evernote
Shawn Miller wrote an amazingly detailed review of Evernote, a free service that lets you take notes, pictures and recordings; sync them with Evernote; and read and search all your material on Web browsers, desktop software, and mobile apps: Why install the same application in so many different places? Evernote stores your collected items in … Read more
Does risk of police chases outweigh benefits of capturing suspects?
I had always wanted to write a story about police chases after I watched a crazy high-speed pursuit unfold on local TV. I wondered how often these chases go bad, and how the San Antonio Police Department keeps track of that information. Law enforcement agencies usually churn out paperwork for every situation known to man. … Read more
Reporter’s notebook: Tips for putting together the pieces of a puzzling, complex story
On March 26, City Hall reporter Josh Baugh got an adrenaline-pumping tip: FBI agents had seized files at the office of Fernando De León, a city official who reviewed permits for real estate development in San Antonio. The tip sparked a frantic series of phone calls that afternoon as Josh and I tried to figure … Read more
Firm tied to San Antonio official landed plum job at the Rim shopping center
City hall reporter Josh Baugh and I learned a few more scraps of information about fired city employee Fernando De León; the permit company owned by his sister; and possible reasons why the FBI and police are investigating them. First, some background: On March 26 — a lazy, Friday afternoon in the newsroom — Josh … Read more
Home sellers could pay hidden fee to real estate developers for generations
Jennifer Hiller wrote an interesting story about a company started in Austin that is trying to sell developers on a novel way to make a profit: Here’s a new concept in real estate: Buy a house, and when you go to sell it years later, owe the original developer or builder 1 percent of the … Read more