Texas Watchdog is a news Web site and training center that scrutinizes the actions of government agencies, bureaucracies and politicians in Texas. It is an independent, nonpartisan entity founded on the belief that our American democracy depends on transparency in government.

Texas Watchdog will serve as a government watchdog and training center where reporters, bloggers and activists of any stripe will learn how to uncover waste, fraud and corruption in state and local governments. This combination of news outlet and training facility will create a two-tiered approach to holding governments and officials accountable for their actions.

In addition to reporting on government waste, fraud and corruption on a regular basis, we will offer training – ranging from two-hour programs to three-month fellowships – on how Texas residents can use journalistic skills to keep their local city halls and corridors of government honest. Topics may include, but are not limited to, investigating municipalities, school systems and lawmakers’ actions. We will also examine key state races and vet the candidates' backgrounds.

Texas Watchdog adheres to no political or social philosophy other than a belief in open government at the local, state and federal levels. It endorses the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Why now?

Texas Watchdog seeks to be on the leading edge of a national trend toward investigative and enterprise journalism taking place on the Web and outside the traditional newsroom.

We’re launching this service because the owners of newspapers and television news teams have, in too many cases, cut back on investigating government and chipped away at their ability to be a watchdog for the voter and the taxpayer.

Experts may disagree about the many reasons for this, but they agree that newspapers are on the decline nationwide. In 2007, newspaper newsroom staffs fell by 2,400 – the largest drop in 30 years. And this does not include hundreds more newsroom buyouts and layoffs already imposed in 2008. Dozens of major newspapers have announced staff cuts, including the elimination of long-time investigative reporters and experienced writers.

Furthermore, some studies indicate that reporters who are launching journalism careers don’t have the training they would desire to be watchdogs and to do the digging that is needed for enterprise reporting. Editors say that many journalism school graduates are ill-prepared for the job, and the vast majority of recent graduates – 82 percent of young journalists in one recent study – say they need more training “very much.”

We hope to be a resource for reporters seeking those skills, as well as for bloggers who seek to learn more about digging up their own original content. We also want to be a place where residents can learn more about how to make their city halls and school systems more transparent – and to keep public officials honest. We hope to launch a more fully featured Web site soon.