Looking forward to the future of journalism

Nuclear power: A primer on CPS Energy’s proposal to San Antonio

The San Antonio Express-News is investigating CPS Energy’s plans to invest $5.2 billion in a proposed expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear plant in Matagorda County. Here some more resources about the project and the nuclear plant: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Includes links to inspection reports and enforcement actions at STP. San Antonio Current: …

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Watchdog blog roundup for 8-10-09

What others are saying about watchdog journalism: Editorsweblog: Buy some reporting talent at the Journalism Shop — former L. A Times investigative journalists market themselves. The Next Web: Why Rupert Murdoch’s plan to charge for online content will benefit bloggers, not the media. Andrea James: Another bright, young reporter leaves the business. Here’s why. Knowledge …

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Dead by mistake: Hearst investigation probes medical errors

A team of journalists working for Hearst-owned newspapers and television stations across the country have spent months investigating the little-known but deadly problem of medical errors in the United States. The stories reveal that more people die every year from medical mistakes than car accidents. At the San Antonio Express-News, Database Editor Kelly Guckian analyzed …

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Car advice in 1907 and other archived awesomeness

Meg Marco at the Consumerist blogged about a quirky New York Times article that offered car maintenance tips — from 1907. In the process, she highlighted the usefulness of an awesome research tool: Digital, searchable newspaper archives dating to the 1800s. We were poking around the NYT archives when we stumbled across this gem, car …

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For journalism students: How hidden facts got me hooked on journalism

Administration building at the University of the Incarnate Word

The latest issue of the Incarnate Word Logos, the student newspaper of the university in San Antonio where I studied journalism, published an article in May about the school cafeteria, and how some students are unhappy with their meal plans. The article stirred up ancient memories. My very first news story was published in the …

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Watchdog blog roundup for 8-5-09

Printing Press

What others are saying about watchdog journalism: SF Weekly: The Hearst-owned San Francisco Chronicle has lost its last full-time investigative reporter, Lance Williams. Temple Talk: Former Rocky Mountain News Editor John Temple continues his profiles of Pulitzer-prize winning journalists who lost their jobs. Columbia Journalism Review: Bill Grueskin examines whether Gawker’s quick-hit blog posts are …

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Public litter data: Don’t Mess with Texas

Even people living outside Texas have heard of Don’t Mess with Texas, the public relations campaign by the Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT wants to persuade litter bugs to stop throwing trash out of their cars. Buy what exactly do people tell TxDOT when they report a litterer? In her newspaper column today, Peggy Fikac …

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EMS scanners to fall silent to the public

The crackly radio chatter of police, firefighters and paramedics doing their jobs has always been a lively soundtrack in the newsroom. But Columnist Scott Stroud explains how the scanner traffic in San Antonio is about to grow quieter: Related: Fake Steve Jobs misses the real point Starting today, reporters at the Express-News and other local …

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Watchdog blog roundup for 7-30-09

Hand Press

What others are saying about watchdog journalism: Temple Talk: A way for newspapers to make sure others don’t unfairly profit from their work on the Web — without erecting a pay wall. San Antonio Express-News: Peggy Fikac’s interview with former Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith, who is leaving the magazine to edit a new nonprofit …

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How Investigative Reporters and Editors shaped my first investigative story

IRE Conference 2013

Investigative Reporters and Editors is in the middle of a fundraising campaign. If you care about watchdog journalism, you might want to think about helping the cause. I first heard about IRE from Ken Dilanian, who was an investigative reporter for the San Antonio Express-News in the mid-1990s. I was a skinny dude with a …

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