Investigative Journalist in Houston, Texas
Have you heard of the nuclear accident at the SL-1 military facility that killed three men in 1961? Some readers of the San Antonio Express-News know about it. And today they questioned claims by nuclear plant owner CPS Energy that no one has ever been harmed by operations at a nuclear plant in the United …
Ben Popken and Meg Marco at the Consumerist wrote a 3,500-word muckraking blog post examining the business practices of Cash4Gold, the company that pays “top dollar” for your unwanted gold trinkets. The company’s pitch has aired in commercials nationwide — including during the Super Bowl. Blogs are often viewed as venues that pilfer and riff …
Express-News Reporter Guillermo Contreras has been covering an unusual scandal at the Bexar County courthouse: Thousands of stolen airline tickets were sold at a discount to county employees — including judges and other public officials: What happens in Las Vegas may stay in Vegas, but how you got there apparently doesn’t — at least not …
What others are saying about watchdog journalism: Steve Buttry: A great explanation by Buttry about how public data empowers journalists to write compelling, authoritative stories — yet many times, journalists aren’t seizing that opportunity. American Journalism Review: “A newspaper editor converts her investigative team into a nonprofit — with her former paper as partner and …
If you were under investigation by both mainstream journalists and bloggers, who would be easier to intimidate: One single newspaper, or dozens of bloggers? Pulitzer-prize winner Alex Jones says the downfall of newspapers threatens investigative reporting, because papers have the legal muscle to shrug off threats of lawsuits. Michael Masnick at Techdirt and Tim Lee …
As CPS Energy seeks to invest in an expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear plant, the San Antonio Express-News set up a timeline of the plant’s history and safety record. You can check out what we’ve found so far, and also submit information in an online forum. We’ll plug relevant events into the chronology. …
Texas relies heavily on property taxes to raise revenue, and homeowners have a right to protest the appraised value of their land set by county officials. The lower the appraisal, the lower the tax bill. Express-News Reporter Karisa King has been examining a county database that tracks protests filed by homeowners. She obtained the data …
Introducing Baby Pete Tedesco: 7 pounds, 1 ounce of total cuteness.
Six months after the San Antonio Express-News cut a third of its newsroom, Texas Public Radio interviewed journalists at the newspaper — including yours truly — to measure the impact of the cutbacks. Terry Gildea’s story was featured today on the radio program Texas Matters. Terry interviewed a broad spectrum of the newsroom: Top editor …
What others are saying about watchdog journalism: Poynter: The trials, tribulations and victories of Wisconsin Watch, a nonprofit investigative organization. Temple Talk: Former Rocky Mountain News Editor John Temple continues his profiles of Pulitzer-prize winning reporters who lost their jobs in the newspaper business. Splice Today: Bill Wyman’s five-part series on why newspapers are failing.