| Description: | Texas Watchdog is a news website and training center that scrutinizes the actions of government agencies, bureaucracies and politicians in Texas. |
| Begun: | 2008 |
| Website: | http://www.texaswatchdog.org/ |
| Office Location: | 945 McKinney St., #221 Houston, TX |
| Structure: | 501(c)(3) organization |
| Founder: | Trent Seibert |
| Executive Director: | Trent Seibert (executive editor) |
| Approximate number of full-time staff: | 6 |
| Number with prior professional journalism experience: | 6 |
| Annual operating budget: | Not available |
| Annual salaries posted, or accessible via 990 form: | No |
| Editorial/ethics policy statement: | Yes |
| Diversity statement: | No |
| IRS 990 form posted on website: | No |
| Major donors disclosed: | Yes* (The principal donor since 2008 has been a Chicago-based nonprofit called the Sam Adams Alliance, which doesn’t disclose its sources of funding. The principal source of earned income (fees for training) is from the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, which also doesn’t disclose its sources of funding. According to the National Journal (“Conservative Watchdogs Awake,” by Judy Kosterlitz, 12/12/09, p. 52), both organizations are headed by former state Republican Party officials.). The Greater Houston Community Foundation is also a major donor. |
| INN Member: | Yes |
| Awards: | The 2009 Fort Worth Chapter Open Doors Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the 2009 Capitolbeat John Aubuchon Freedom of Information Award and the 2009 Texas Progressive Alliance Gold Star Texan award. |
| Contact: | news@texaswatchdog.org or 713-980-9777 |
New Economic Models
Investigative News Network
This group of more than 20 nonprofit news organizations was formed in July 2009 to organize the best investigative reporting sites out there. Workshop executive editor Charles Lewis, one of the original four board members, announces the group's first CEO, Kevin Davis.
World Investigative Reporting Enterprises
Inside the iLab, we are incubating WIRE, a new, online social utility platform bringing together the best investigative journalists in the world. WIRE will publish original, multimedia work. This highest quality journalism will be organized, made digitally accessible and searchable and disseminated in an entirely new way, via social networks.
iLab Projects
Citizen journalists work undercover in North Korea to show daily life
Japanese journalists have been training citizens in North Korea to take audio and video recordings of everyday life in an effort to document the hardships, including food shortages, prevalent there. Meet the man behind the training, Jiro Ishimaru.
