On July 16, Texas Watchdog posted a story by Rosanna Ruiz on one of METRO’s expensive no-bid contracts. The balanced reporting contained questions from others about the contracts, and included comments from METRO defending the contracts.
On July 22, KHOU-11’s Brad Woodard picked up the story. KHOU’s reporting included comments from Texas Watchdog raising concerns about the outside contracts, as well as comments from METRO defending the contracts.
Yesterday, the Chronicle decided to report on some of METRO’s no-bid contracts. The story does not reference the earlier reporting by Texas Watchdog or KHOU. Indeed, the reporting doesn’t even acknowledge that anyone raised any concerns whatsoever about the no-bid contracts. The only comments included in the story came from pro-contract people praising the contracts. It reads like something that might appear on METRO’s expensive blog.
Apparently, that represents Jeff Cohen’s vision of watchdog reporting at the new, slimmed-down Chronicle (or as Cory Crow has taken to calling it, Houston’s Biggest Blog).
BLOGVERSATION: Texas Watchdog.
