Statehouse journalists dwindling
Future journalism students in danger
Rose Pulido
Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: News
Newspaper readership across the nation consistently declines forcing publication staff to minimize their investigative coverage on state governmental events that could prevent relevant information from reaching the people.
This diminishing state coverage has reached close to home at The Houston Chronicle.
"Our state reporters have been reduced in Austin year round," George Haj, managing editor for The Houston Chronicle, said. "There gets to be a lot of reporters covering the same event."
The 81st Texas Legislature is in session, requiring state reporters to cover related events. However, once the Legislature adjourns, state events will only be covered to a minimum.
"Right now during the Legislature, we have three reporters in Austin, and The San Antonio Express, our sister paper, has two," Haj said. "After the Legislature, it will decrease to three state reporters between the Chronicle and San Antonio."
Newspapers have begun experiencing the repercussions of the age of technology as they consistently lose their readers to online news sources that education is also evolving for aspiring journalism majors
"In this Digital Age, with its reformation of traditional media and rebirth of citizen journalism, the role of the investigative watchdog is evolving," Brenda Silva, government professor, said, "yet the imperative of its mission to safeguard our civil rights and liberties must hold true."
There is definitely a reformation of traditional media occurring, to the extent that traditional media is becoming extinct due to the overactive participation of non-journalism reporting over the Internet. Insufficient coverage at state events allows imperative government information to be overlooked.
"Not having as many reporters, state coverage will suffer a bit," Debbie Hyatt, managing editor for The Austin-Statesman, said. "There will be fewer eyes on that sort-of reporting."
The Austin-Statesman currently assigns six reporters to cover the Texas Legislature and has two full-time state editors.
"After the Legislature, our coverage will not decrease," Hyatt said.
However, due to the overall decline of state government coverage, aspiring journalism students may soon face a more non-traditional curriculum.
method of how news is becoming more digitally delivered has become part of a new tradition in the classroom.
"As a nation, America has relied heavily upon the Fourth Estate to investigate, educate, and perform a watchdog role over the three branches of the federal government," Silva said, "To serve as the people's "check and balance" over the manner in which our government serves our interest."
Meanwhile, state government activities continue to be overlooked.
This diminishing state coverage has reached close to home at The Houston Chronicle.
"Our state reporters have been reduced in Austin year round," George Haj, managing editor for The Houston Chronicle, said. "There gets to be a lot of reporters covering the same event."
The 81st Texas Legislature is in session, requiring state reporters to cover related events. However, once the Legislature adjourns, state events will only be covered to a minimum.
"Right now during the Legislature, we have three reporters in Austin, and The San Antonio Express, our sister paper, has two," Haj said. "After the Legislature, it will decrease to three state reporters between the Chronicle and San Antonio."
Newspapers have begun experiencing the repercussions of the age of technology as they consistently lose their readers to online news sources that education is also evolving for aspiring journalism majors
"In this Digital Age, with its reformation of traditional media and rebirth of citizen journalism, the role of the investigative watchdog is evolving," Brenda Silva, government professor, said, "yet the imperative of its mission to safeguard our civil rights and liberties must hold true."
There is definitely a reformation of traditional media occurring, to the extent that traditional media is becoming extinct due to the overactive participation of non-journalism reporting over the Internet. Insufficient coverage at state events allows imperative government information to be overlooked.
"Not having as many reporters, state coverage will suffer a bit," Debbie Hyatt, managing editor for The Austin-Statesman, said. "There will be fewer eyes on that sort-of reporting."
The Austin-Statesman currently assigns six reporters to cover the Texas Legislature and has two full-time state editors.
"After the Legislature, our coverage will not decrease," Hyatt said.
However, due to the overall decline of state government coverage, aspiring journalism students may soon face a more non-traditional curriculum.
method of how news is becoming more digitally delivered has become part of a new tradition in the classroom.
"As a nation, America has relied heavily upon the Fourth Estate to investigate, educate, and perform a watchdog role over the three branches of the federal government," Silva said, "To serve as the people's "check and balance" over the manner in which our government serves our interest."
Meanwhile, state government activities continue to be overlooked.
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