Training
Texas Watchdog offers training that ranges from two-hour sessions to intensive three-month fellowships. Classes are tailored to the needs of bloggers, citizen-journalists and journalism students.
Training is well-suited for those who have an interest in learning the tools that reporters use, an enthusiasm for shedding light on government and a healthy skepticism of the promises of politicians and bureaucrats.
Trainees learn investigative journalism skills: crafting a public records request, effective interviewing, using and presenting multimedia, developing sources, understanding libel law and legal issues and other skills.
If you’re interested in our training programs, call Lee Ann O’Neal at 713-980-9777 or e-mail leeann@texaswatchdog.org.
(NEW!) Spring internship
Job description: Texas Watchdog, an online news site based in Houston, is seeking a spring semester intern to assist in the development of a Web-based database showing Texas political players and their family/business/political connections. We are developing a page on our www.texaswatchdog.org site that will enable the public to do their research into social network analysis on Texas’ political scene. This page will help the public better understand the connections between money and politics on Texas’ Capitol Hill — and the interconnections among the politicians, partisans, lobbyists, advocates and donors there.
The intern will spend half her time working on the social network page of Texas political players. The remaining time will be spent blogging on www.texaswatchdog.org and reporting and writing original investigative stories focused on local government.
The ideal candidate will show an enthusiasm for investigative journalism that holds public officials and government agencies accountable and an interest in developing online, writing and reporting skills. Interns must receive college credit for work.
Contact: Lee Ann O’Neal at news@texaswatchdog.org. Please send a resume, cover letter and three to five work samples.
Done-in-a-day training
For those who want training but need a flexible time commitment, Texas Watchdog offers two-hour to full-day training for individuals and groups. This service is ideal for working adults with an interest in journalism and a natural curiosity about the workings of government.
We teach investigative journalism techniques such as filing a public records request, using Texas’ open meetings law, interviewing techniques and other skills.
Citizen-journalists and activists care deeply about their communities, and many already have the instincts of an investigative journalist. But they may want to know more about the proven tools paid journalists use. That’s where Texas Watchdog can help.
Texas Watchdog can customize training to meet the needs of an individual or group. Our training is suitable for conferences and established civic and activist groups who already meet regularly. We will come to you.
Training participants should expect to take away tangible skills that can be applied immediately to their blogs, Web sites, or other research projects.
Fellowships
Texas Watchdog offers fellowships for bloggers, journalism students and interested residents.
The fellows accepted into the Houston-based program will learn investigative skills by digging into Texas state and local government. They will produce investigative reports based on their findings, which will include both long-term projects and daily updates published on our Web site. Veteran journalists who specialize in investigating state and local government will advise and mentor fellows.
Fellowships will last three months. There is a small monthly stipend. We feature guest speakers, from award-winning journalists who are skilled in digging to political operatives who work at hiding information from the public and are willing to tell their secrets. The fellowship program has a rolling application deadline.
Why is this important now?
With a decline in newsroom jobs and an increasing number of newspaper buyouts, taxpayers and voters are losing their government watchdogs – which have traditionally been mainstream media reporters.
You can help by joining a new generation of watchdogs.
