{"id":14206,"date":"2018-01-14T15:15:03","date_gmt":"2018-01-14T20:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/?p=14206"},"modified":"2024-12-23T14:35:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T19:35:48","slug":"must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>If it seems like facts no longer matter in politics, there\u2019s a sliver of good news:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the latest examples of watchdog stories in Texas that show why facts still matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/local\/article\/Gov-Abbott-s-appointees-have-given-him-more-12477690.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s appointees have given him more than $14 million<\/strong><\/a> | <em>The San Antonio Express-News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Despite pleas for more diversity and less of a big-money presence, Gov. Greg Abbott&#8217;s appointments to state boards and commissions remain mostly Anglo, largely male and liberally sprinkled with donors to a giant campaign war chest years in the making, a San Antonio Express-News analysis shows.&#8221; <em>Story by Peggy Fikac and Annie Millerbernd<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20190812030551\/http:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/crime\/2017\/12\/21\/cruel-unusual-dallas-county-juvenile-detainees-locked-indoors-months\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cruel and unusual: Dallas County teen inmates locked indoors for months<\/a> | <em>The Dallas Morning News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We just published a months-long investigation that revealed that teenage boys locked up in Dallas County went months, sometimes more than a year, without going outdoors more than a few times. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wk3TlV3PMU\">https:\/\/t.co\/wk3TlV3PMU<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IgGAW8kTdi\">pic.twitter.com\/IgGAW8kTdi<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dallasnews\/status\/943906216862015488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 21, 2017<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Death row inmates in Texas are given at least an hour a week outdoors. Hardened criminals inside California&#8217;s famous San Quentin prison get 10 hours. Yet kids at a Dallas County correctional center for boys went months, sometimes more than a year, without going outdoors more than a few times.&#8221; <em>Story by Steve Thompson and Naomi Martin<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2017\/12\/29\/how-south-texas-bureaucrat-became-multimillionaire-amid-rush-build-bor\/?utm_campaign=trib-social-buttons&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How a South Texas bureaucrat became a multimillionaire amid the rush to build a border fence<\/a> | <em>The Texas Tribune and ProPublica<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Proud of this one: How a South Texas bureaucrat became a multimillionaire amid the rush to build a border fence <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7eK5ZzsZEN\">https:\/\/t.co\/7eK5ZzsZEN<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TexasTribune?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TexasTribune<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Kiah Collier (@KiahCollier) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KiahCollier\/status\/946794206529388546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 29, 2017<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;A decade ago as the federal government rushed to construct 60 miles of barrier in the Rio Grande Valley, it entrusted the chief of a little-known local agency to execute a compromise project. What it didn\u2019t know was that he \u2014 and his family \u2014 stood to make millions from it.&#8221; <em>Story by Kiah Collier, T. Christian Miller and Julian Aguilar<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/news\/defenders\/records-county-housing-official-tried-to-get-herself-big-raise-weeks-after-starting-job\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Records: County housing official tried to get herself big raise weeks after starting job<\/a> |<em>KSAT 12<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdnapisec.kaltura.com\/p\/1636891\/sp\/163689100\/embedIframeJs\/uiconf_id\/36216731\/partner_id\/1636891?iframeembed=true&amp;playerId=media-preview_0_0_txx6jrbp&amp;entry_id=0_txx6jrbp&amp;flashvars[streamerType]=auto\" width=\"720\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Email records obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders confirm that the recently hired operations coordinator for the Housing Authority of Bexar County tried to arrange a large raise for herself, 10 weeks after starting her position. The employee, Amy Hopper, resigned in October, hours after the Defenders requested emails related to the pay increase.&#8221; <em>Story by Dillon Collier<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/local\/article\/Bibles-boots-and-booze-Lawmakers-go-big-with-12445037.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bibles, boots and booze: Lawmakers go big with campaign cash gifts<\/a> | <em>The San Antonio Express-News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Bibles, boots and booze: Lawmakers spent $357,000 in campaign funds on gifts in the first half of 2017: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/w2OvXj1iph\">https:\/\/t.co\/w2OvXj1iph<\/a> Nice digging by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MorrisReports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@MorrisReports<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VZQNhkIOHx\">pic.twitter.com\/VZQNhkIOHx<\/a><\/p>&mdash; John Tedesco (@John_Tedesco) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/John_Tedesco\/status\/943607447893237761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 20, 2017<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It\u2019s the season for giving. But state lawmakers already have been gifting generously all year, using campaign cash to buy spa services, alcohol, porch rockers, Bibles and other items for their staff, constituents and fellow legislators.&#8221; <em>Story by Allie Morris<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/news\/houston-texas\/houston\/article\/For-buyers-within-flood-pools-no-warnings-12434078.php?utm_campaign=twitter-premium&amp;utm_source=CMS%20Sharing%20Button&amp;utm_medium=social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">For buyers within \u2018flood pools,\u2019 no warnings from developers, public officials<\/a> | <em>The Houston Chronicle<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Public officials and developers never warned the buyers within \u2018flood pools\u2019 of Houston\u2019s reservoirs and 9,000 structures flooded during Harvey.<br><br>Now a large group of homeowners is suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the dams. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fHzpy2gepZ\">https:\/\/t.co\/fHzpy2gepZ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; ProPublica (@ProPublica) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProPublica\/status\/943950327694479361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 21, 2017<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;A Houston Chronicle review of how more than 100 subdivisions were approved shows that flooding spawned by Harvey was predicted for 26 years in obscure local and federal reports that were either ignored or not widely distributed. The record rainfall came from nature, but its impact was multiplied by man.&#8221; <em>Story by Lise Olsen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2018\/01\/09\/transportation-commissioner-mixes-state-business-auto-industry-advocac\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Transportation commissioner billed taxpayers for trips while advocating for auto industry<\/a> | <em>The Texas Tribune<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Yet another stunner <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/byjayroot?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@byjayroot<\/a> investigation: Texas\u2019 transportation commissioner billed taxpayers for trips while advocating for auto industry <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mPYBbrcOW8\">https:\/\/t.co\/mPYBbrcOW8<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FN7ea7Mot0\">pic.twitter.com\/FN7ea7Mot0<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Emily Ramshaw (@eramshaw) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eramshaw\/status\/950734633175576576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 9, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Texas Transportation Commissioner Victor Vandergriff repeatedly conducted private business in Austin while the Texas Department of Transportation paid for his travel and other expenses, blurring the lines between his role as a gubernatorial appointee and his paid consulting gigs, according to a Texas Tribune investigation of government travel vouchers and agency correspondence. <em>Story by Jay Root<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Did I miss a good story? <a href=\"http:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Contact me<\/a> or leave a comment below. Don\u2019t forget to <a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sign up for blog updates<\/a> and check out more <a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/category\/must-reads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">watchdog journalism from the great state of Texas<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><em>If it seems like facts no longer matter in politics, there\u2019s a sliver of good news:<\/p>\n<p>Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the latest examples of watchdog stories in Texas that show why facts still matter.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/news\/local\/article\/Gov-Abbott-s-appointees-have-given-him-more-12477690.php\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Gov. Abbott\u2019s appointees have given him more than $14 million<\/a><\/strong> | <em>The San Antonio Express-News<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Despite pleas for more diversity and less of a big-money presence, Gov. Greg Abbott&#8217;s appointments to state boards and commissions remain mostly Anglo, largely male and liberally sprinkled with donors to a giant campaign war chest years in the making, a San Antonio Express-News analysis shows.&#8221; <strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read more &#8230;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,759],"tags":[763,242,281,766,451,526,587],"class_list":["post-14206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-express-news-stories","category-journalism","category-must-reads","tag-dallas-morning-news","tag-houston-chronicle","tag-ksat","tag-must-reads","tag-san-antonio-express-news","tag-texas-tribune","tag-watchdog-journalism","infinite-scroll-item","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018 | John Tedesco<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If it seems like facts no longer matter in politics, there\u2019s a sliver of good news: Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If it seems like facts no longer matter in politics, there\u2019s a sliver of good news: Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"John Tedesco\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-14T20:15:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-23T19:35:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"475\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John Tedesco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@john_tedesco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@john_tedesco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"John Tedesco\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"John Tedesco\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/65215f1cfbc6d6af95b00ec1b6e8eac5\"},\"headline\":\"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-14T20:15:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-23T19:35:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":600,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/65215f1cfbc6d6af95b00ec1b6e8eac5\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Dallas Morning News\",\"Houston Chronicle\",\"KSAT\",\"Must Reads\",\"San Antonio Express-News\",\"Texas Tribune\",\"Watchdog Journalism\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Express-News Stories\",\"Journalism\",\"Must Reads\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/\",\"name\":\"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018 | John Tedesco\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-14T20:15:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-23T19:35:48+00:00\",\"description\":\"If it seems like facts no longer matter in politics, there\u2019s a sliver of good news: Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":475,\"caption\":\"Photo credit: San Antonio Express-News\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/14\\\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"John Tedesco\",\"description\":\"Investigative Journalist in Houston, Texas\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/65215f1cfbc6d6af95b00ec1b6e8eac5\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/65215f1cfbc6d6af95b00ec1b6e8eac5\",\"name\":\"John Tedesco\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/John-Tedesco-investigative-journalist.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/John-Tedesco-investigative-journalist.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/John-Tedesco-investigative-journalist.jpg\",\"width\":250,\"height\":233,\"caption\":\"John Tedesco\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/John-Tedesco-investigative-journalist.jpg\"},\"description\":\"Investigative reporter for the Houston Chronicle\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/johntedesco.net\\\/blog\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/johntedesco\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/john_tedesco\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/john_tedesco\",\"https:\\\/\\\/mastodon.online\\\/@John_Tedesco\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Key Topics Editor\",\"worksFor\":\"Houston Chronicle\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018 | John Tedesco","description":"If it seems like facts no longer matter in politics, there\u2019s a sliver of good news: Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018","og_description":"If it seems like facts no longer matter in politics, there\u2019s a sliver of good news: Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.","og_url":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/","og_site_name":"John Tedesco","article_published_time":"2018-01-14T20:15:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-12-23T19:35:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":475,"url":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"John Tedesco","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@john_tedesco","twitter_site":"@john_tedesco","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"John Tedesco","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/"},"author":{"name":"John Tedesco","@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/65215f1cfbc6d6af95b00ec1b6e8eac5"},"headline":"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018","datePublished":"2018-01-14T20:15:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-23T19:35:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/"},"wordCount":600,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/65215f1cfbc6d6af95b00ec1b6e8eac5"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg","keywords":["Dallas Morning News","Houston Chronicle","KSAT","Must Reads","San Antonio Express-News","Texas Tribune","Watchdog Journalism"],"articleSection":["Express-News Stories","Journalism","Must Reads"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/","url":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/","name":"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018 | John Tedesco","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg","datePublished":"2018-01-14T20:15:03+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-23T19:35:48+00:00","description":"If it seems like facts no longer matter in politics, there\u2019s a sliver of good news: Investigative journalists are still writing powerful, evidence-based stories that help us understand a complicated world.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg","width":720,"height":475,"caption":"Photo credit: San Antonio Express-News"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/must-reads-texas-watchdog-journalism-roundup-for-jan-14-2018\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Must reads: Texas watchdog journalism roundup for Jan. 14, 2018"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/","name":"John Tedesco","description":"Investigative Journalist in Houston, Texas","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/65215f1cfbc6d6af95b00ec1b6e8eac5"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/65215f1cfbc6d6af95b00ec1b6e8eac5","name":"John Tedesco","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/John-Tedesco-investigative-journalist.jpg","url":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/John-Tedesco-investigative-journalist.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/John-Tedesco-investigative-journalist.jpg","width":250,"height":233,"caption":"John Tedesco"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/John-Tedesco-investigative-journalist.jpg"},"description":"Investigative reporter for the Houston Chronicle","sameAs":["https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/johntedesco\/","https:\/\/x.com\/john_tedesco","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/john_tedesco","https:\/\/mastodon.online\/@John_Tedesco"],"jobTitle":"Key Topics Editor","worksFor":"Houston Chronicle"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Texas-Governor-Greg-Abbott-greets-supporters.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LGaa-3H8","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14206"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16260,"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14206\/revisions\/16260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johntedesco.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}