This is the best thing to hit my Inbox in a while:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2017
Contact: Trent Seibert / 832-258-6119
Award-winning reporters launch investigative media outlet to cover public integrity in state and local government
The Texas Monitor to report on Texas lawmakers, government officials through digital enterprise journalismHOUSTON – A small team of award-winning investigative journalists announced today the launch of The Texas Monitor, an independent, non-profit, digital-journalism outlet that will cover public integrity in state and local government.
“Deep-dive, investigative and enterprise journalism is more necessary than ever,” said editor and founder of The Texas Monitor Trent Seibert. “While many news teams still provide superior investigative reporting, newspapers and television news teams have in too many cases cut back on investigating government and chipped away at the critical public service they once delivered. We launched The Texas Monitor to investigate reports about improper actions of our government officials, and to expose breaches of the public trust.”
The Texas Monitor will also highlight the solid, investigative work that is being produced throughout the state.
Seibert most recently served as the investigative producer for Houston’s KTRK-TV ABC-13. He was also the editor and founder of Texas Watchdog.
In addition to its online news articles, The Texas Monitor will deliver investigative, nonpartisan digital journalism through video and radio reports.
Veteran newsman, Chris Marrou, who commanded the anchor chair of San Antonio’s KENS 5-TV for over three decades will serve as anchor for The Texas Monitor News Desk.
“With so many readers now getting their news through social media, we’ll be meeting them there with broadcast reports they aren’t getting anywhere else,” Marrou said. “Few people know what’s happening at their statehouse or their city hall — Texas Monitor will fill that void and provide information that politicians don’t always want you to know.”
To learn more about The Texas Monitor, visit texasmonitor.org.
About The Texas Monitor Team:
Trent Seibert, Editor and founder of The Texas Monitor
Trent is an award-winning editor and reporter who previously worked at The Denver Post, The (Nashville) Tennessean, and the San Diego Union-Tribune. Most recently, he was the investigative producer for Houston’s KTRK-TV ABC-13. He was also the editor and founder of Texas Watchdog, a groundbreaking news group that paved the way for this project. Trent is a teacher of journalism skills, and has shown hundreds of reporters and citizen-journalists how to use public records, databases and journalism tools to keep a watchful eye on their own local government.
Steve Miller, Reporter
Steve is a long-time journalist who previously worked at the Dallas Morning News and the Washington Times, as well as Texas Watchdog. His work has also appeared in the Houston Press, the Dallas Observer, High Times Magazine, and the Fort Worth Weekly. He travels the country writing true crime books. His writing has won awards in national, regional and state contests.
Chris Marrou, Anchor
Chris is the former news anchor for KENS 5-TV in San Antonio. He commanded the anchor chair from 1973 to 2009. He consistently was lauded by the Associated Press for best news-writing awards and was a viewer favorite. He was inducted into the Texas Emmy Silver Circle in 2010. Chris also has a law degree from St. Mary’s University and passed the Texas bar exam in November 2007.
It’s a tough business to be in but these guys might be able to make it work. I know Trent and Steve from their days at the Texas Watchdog and they are relentless in the ‘deep dive’ type of journalism that is missing in Texas. Most of the media outlets in Texas today are little more than shills for their publisher’s particular viewpoint. If you don’t believe me, try reading the Houston Chronicle for a week. Or the San Antonio Express News. Or the Austin Statesman. The Dallas Morning News is probably the best we have in Texas but even they are increasingly focusing on opinion and not objective reporting. Siebert and Miller have no problem putting the bullseye wherever the data leads them without regard to a preconceived viewpoint.
So now that I’ve gotten the kudos out of the way, let’s give them some work. Next year’s primary season has already started in Harris County and it is already nasty in the Family Court races. Here are two messages that I received via our Contact page this weekend:
Please contact me regarding REDACTED and REDACTED …I need to bring to light some family law corruption in the ***th…he has stolen almost $500k and collaborately caused over $800k in legal feeS…
and
Can you help me with exposing a judge’s bias against a father in the Harris County Family Law court?
OC files for interim attorney’s fees. My ex brags to the previous amicus that this judge hates me. I have never been reprimanded or had cross words with this judge. Despite objections, the judge hears evidence that I non-suited the previous case, filed bankruptcy resulting in part of her previous award being reduced but no allegations of any reason I should not be able to modify from the other parent... The judge awards 50,000 in attorney’s fees… Furthermore, again despite objections, re-appoints the same amicus who I filed a complaint against.
The Family Courts are a disaster in Harris County and judge/amicus relationships are a large part of the problem. Greg Enos writes The Mongoose newsletter to try and expose some of the fraud but it is going to take some ‘deep diving’ by skilled journalists to expose the depth of the corruption in those courts. Mind you, the criminal courts are no better but those two emails came in this weekend. Don’t worry, there will be lots more between now and the primary, either from disgruntled parties or potential candidates. I don’t want to put the court information or judges involved at this point but if Trent or Steve are interested, they know how to find me.
Best of luck to The Texas Monitor!