Texas Watchdog
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Texas Watchdog was a nonprofit, nonpartisan news web site covering state and local government issues in Houston, Texas. It ceased operations in 2013 when it lost funding.[1]
The organization advocated for greater transparency in government, and sought to aid bloggers and citizen journalists in gaining access to public meetings and records.[2] Texas Watchdog was launched in August 2008 by journalist Trent Seibert.
Mission
Texas Watchdog stated that its mission was to seek open government at all levels, and to arm citizen-journalists with journalistic tools to keep their city halls honest.[3]
Leadership
Trent Seibert founded and served as the editor of the Texas Watchdog. From 2005 to 2007 Seibert worked as a political reporter for The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville. Later he worked as an on-air investigative reporter for WKRN-Channel 2 in Nashville, where he broke news about legislators’ conflicts of interest. In 2005 he won the newsroom’s Jimmy Davy Award, which recognized the newsroom’s most valuable player. Seibert also won an award as a reporter for The Denver Post in Colorado, where he uncovered widespread problems in the Colorado Lottery. He has also served as a city editor for The Tuscaloosa News in Alabama.
Transparency projects
Featured reports
- Legislators' finances via interactive map (Oct. 22, 2008)
- State Sen. Royce West's firm earned $1M from public agencies, many aided by his legislation (May 21, 2009)
- Lawmakers' relatives work for GEO Group prison co. as state weighs clamp-down on embattled firm (Apr. 27, 2009)
- Former state Rep. Fred Hill now lobbying on behalf of cities, counties (Feb. 19, 2009)
Trent TV
An interactive webinar for bloggers, citizen-journalists/journalists and activists which focused on how public records could be used to produce original local reporting.
Videos
Texas Watchdog provided a variety of "transparency training videos" on its website, which featured cases in which transparency issues played a role in the state of Texas. Such examples included voters' complaints in San Patricio, voter fraud, mail-ballot harvesting, and the contracts process in the Houston Independent School District (HISD).
Awards
2011
- Best Online Project -- Fort Worth Pro Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists' annual First Amendment Awards
2010
- Best Online Project -- Fort Worth Pro Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists' annual First Amendment Awards
2009
- The Society of Professional Journalists' Fort Worth Chapter Open Doors Award
- The Capitolbeat John Aubuchon Freedom of Information Award
- Texas Progressive Alliance Gold Star Texan
Membership
Board members
The individuals below were listed as Texas Watchdog board members in 2011.
Leon Alligood's professional experience includes working as a journalism professor at Middle Tennessee State University's School of Journalism in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He previously worked as a print reporter for 29 years. For 22 of those years, he worked in Nashville first for the Nashville Banner and later for The Tennessean. He primarily wrote human interest and narrative stories while working at The Tennessean. He also wrote on the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan and Iraq. His writing earned awards at regional, state, and national levels.[4]
Michael Berryhill began working at the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication in 2006. He previously worked as a journalist for over 25 years. During these years, he was a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Houston Press, fine arts editor for the Houston Chronicle, and editor of Houstonian Magazine and Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. He won awards at state and national levels for his environmental writing and investigative reporting. Before working as a journalist, he taught both creative writing and American literature at Vassar College. He received his A.B. in English from Kenyon College and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Minnesota.[4]
Susan Ihne was the executive editor at the Asheville Citizen-Times from 2005 to 2008. She was previously employed as executive editor of the St. Cloud Times. She began her career in journalism in 1977 as a reporter at the Amarillo Globe-News. She then worked for the El Paso Times from 1979 to 1985, where she was a reporter, night city editor, business editor, and features editor. She then worked for the Detroit Free Press from 1985 to 1987. In 1987, she began work for The Detroit News. Ihne joined the Pensacola News Journal in 1993, where she worked as deputy managing editor. She earned multiple awards. In 2004 she received the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership.[4]
Services
Texas Watchdog offered training opportunities for bloggers, citizen-journalists, journalism students, and activists. These training modes taught investigative journalism skills, such as those needed to draft public records requests, utilize multimedia, develop sources, and understand legal issues.
| Training | Description |
|---|---|
| Trent TV | An interactive webinar for bloggers, citizen-journalists/journalists, and activists which focused on how public records could be used to produce original local reporting. |
| Group training | Training sessions were geared toward those who wanted training and time flexibility. Participants learned skills that could be applied directly to their blogs, web sites, or other research projects. |
| One-on-one help | Guidance and one-on-one help for activists who wanted personalized assistance. |
Funding loss
On June 17, 2013, Texas Watchdog editor Trent Seibert announced the publication had run out of money to continue operating. He wrote, "We’ve had many generous donors since we launched in the summer of 2008, but a key donor for our operation in 2012, the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, announced last year they would not be supporting independent journalism operations in 2013. We remain grateful for their support."[1]
See also
- Texas transparency advocates
Additional reading
Footnotes
