Investigative Journalist in Houston, Texas
What are shining examples of investigative journalism? How do we keep it alive while the media industry is imploding? That’s what this blog is all about.
What others are saying about watchdog journalism: Jane Podesta: Lou Grant-style editor J. Todd Foster didn’t cut back on investigative journalism at his small newspaper, which won a Pulitzer Prize. Nieman Journalism Lab: High-quality investigative journalism can’t rely on just one or two sources of cash. Texas Tribune Founder John Thornton says news ventures must …
Rosland Gammon had an interesting Q&A with investigative reporter Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who uncovered rampant fraud in a $350 million, taxpayer-subsidized child-care program. Her series of stories, Cashing in on Kids, led to criminal charges against the scammers. A video profiling Rutledge offers a glimpse at the tedious grunt work required …
What others are saying about watchdog journalism: Nieman Journalism Lab: Former Washington Post Editor Len Downie says for-profit news orgs won’t create enough journalism. The Guardian: How investigative reporting makes use of the internet. Now the Details: Jeffrey Dvorkin argues there’s a downside to nonprofit investigative reporting.
What others are saying about watchdog journalism: True/Slant: Matt Stroud interviews investigative journalist Steve Weinberg about his decision to work with journalists paid by the Church of Scientology to investigate the St. Petersburg Times. “Is it OK for veteran investigative reporters to write for the Scientologists? Or is working for an organization ‘so hostile to …
Here’s a well-articulated explanation of why it’s important for journalists to seek out documents and data. Read more about public documents: How to research a property’s history using Bexar County’s free records search Brant Houston is the Knight Chair in Investigative Reporting at the University of Illinois, and the former executive director of Investigative Reporters …
What exactly is an investigative journalist? Is a journalist someone who does the tedious work of digging through records, analyzing data, and finding good human sources to ferret out the truth? Or is a journalist someone who dresses up like a pimp, straps on a hidden camera, and tricks workers at ACORN to say really …
What others are saying about watchdog journalism: California Watch: Mark Katches put out a call for the most memorable investigative stories of 2009. “Despite our industry woes, strong watchdog reporting is thriving at news organizations large and small — including nonprofit newsrooms.” Nieman Journalism Lab: What qualifies as a Spotlight story on Google News? Here …
What others are saying about watchdog journalism: PolitiFact Texas: New watchdog site checks the truthiness of claims by Texas political candidates. California Watch: Yet another watchdog site goes live, this one in California. The Daily Caller: Tucker Carlson launches his own watchdog site with the help of $3 million.
Express-News reader Rick Pratt wrote an interesting letter to the editor that discussed the consequences of our spending habits: Dr. Carbonell suggests we shouldn’t travel to Cuba because we would only be lining the pockets of its dictatorial leaders, the Castro brothers. This is probably true, but where would he suggest we spend our hard-earned …
What others are saying about watchdog journalism: FishbowlNY: The public is hungry for investigative journalism — and willing to donate money to nonprofit journalism start-ups. “It truly is journalism for the people. And if traditional orgs don’t have the resources to give the people what they want to read, we’ll have to pay for it …