The Texas Observer
Encyclopedia
The Texas Observer is an American political
newsmagazine
published bi-weekly and based in Downtown
Austin, Texas
. The non-profit magazine is nonpartisan, but the publication has historically been an advocate for liberal politics.
The Observer was founded by Frankie Randolph and founding editor Ronnie Dugger in Austin in 1954 to address topics ignored by daily newspapers in the state — such as issues affecting working people and concerning class and race. Upon its founding, Dugger declared the paper's manifesto as "We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to the truth as we find it and the right as we see it." The publication continues this mission through today by focusing on covering what the mainstream press
does not.
For instance, the Observer broke the story of an allegedly crooked narcotics investigation in Tulia, Texas
, that led to front-page coverage in The New York Times
and other national news outlets. Tom Coleman, the narcotics investigator in the tiny town, was eventually accused of trumping up drug bust information, mostly aimed at African American
s. Coleman claimed he had made more than 100 undercover drug purchases from 46 different drug dealers (40 of whom were black). About a dozen of the accused were sentenced, some for up to 90 years (based almost entirely on his personal accounts with virtually no corroborating evidence) before authorities stopped to investigate Coleman's practices, largely due to the Observers reporting. Coleman was found guilty of one charge of perjury, for which he was sentenced to seven years probation.
Fitting with its "muckraking
" reputation, the publication's slogan is: "Sharp reporting and commentary from the strangest state in the Union." The Observer often garners more laurels from those who live outside Texas's borders than those within — The New York Review of Books
described it as "That outpost of reason in the Southwest." John Kenneth Galbraith
said the Observer is a "well-researched journal which more orthodox Texas statesmen feel should not have the protection of the First Amendment
."
The Observer operates on a shoestring budget — it accepts few advertisements, supporting itself through donations and benefit banquets.
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
newsmagazine
Newsmagazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published piece of paper, magazine or a radio or television program, usually weekly, featuring articles or segments on current events...
published bi-weekly and based in Downtown
Downtown Austin
Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas. Downtown is located on the north bank of the Colorado River. The approximate borders of Downtown include Lamar Boulevard to the west, 11th Street and sometimes Martin Luther King, Jr...
Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. The non-profit magazine is nonpartisan, but the publication has historically been an advocate for liberal politics.
The Observer was founded by Frankie Randolph and founding editor Ronnie Dugger in Austin in 1954 to address topics ignored by daily newspapers in the state — such as issues affecting working people and concerning class and race. Upon its founding, Dugger declared the paper's manifesto as "We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to the truth as we find it and the right as we see it." The publication continues this mission through today by focusing on covering what the mainstream press
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
does not.
For instance, the Observer broke the story of an allegedly crooked narcotics investigation in Tulia, Texas
Tulia, Texas
Tulia is a city in, and county seat of, Swisher County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,117 at the 2000 census; in the 2005 census estimate, it had fallen to 4,714. The city is at the junction of U.S. Route 87 and Texas State Highway 86, approximately two miles east Interstate 27...
, that led to front-page coverage in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and other national news outlets. Tom Coleman, the narcotics investigator in the tiny town, was eventually accused of trumping up drug bust information, mostly aimed at African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s. Coleman claimed he had made more than 100 undercover drug purchases from 46 different drug dealers (40 of whom were black). About a dozen of the accused were sentenced, some for up to 90 years (based almost entirely on his personal accounts with virtually no corroborating evidence) before authorities stopped to investigate Coleman's practices, largely due to the Observers reporting. Coleman was found guilty of one charge of perjury, for which he was sentenced to seven years probation.
Fitting with its "muckraking
Muckraker
The term muckraker is closely associated with reform-oriented journalists who wrote largely for popular magazines, continued a tradition of investigative journalism reporting, and emerged in the United States after 1900 and continued to be influential until World War I, when through a combination...
" reputation, the publication's slogan is: "Sharp reporting and commentary from the strangest state in the Union." The Observer often garners more laurels from those who live outside Texas's borders than those within — The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
described it as "That outpost of reason in the Southwest." John Kenneth Galbraith
John Kenneth Galbraith
John Kenneth "Ken" Galbraith , OC was a Canadian-American economist. He was a Keynesian and an institutionalist, a leading proponent of 20th-century American liberalism...
said the Observer is a "well-researched journal which more orthodox Texas statesmen feel should not have the protection of the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
."
The Observer operates on a shoestring budget — it accepts few advertisements, supporting itself through donations and benefit banquets.
Awards and distinctions
- Association of Alternative NewsweekliesAssociation of Alternative NewsweekliesThe Association of Alternative Newsmedia is a diverse group of covering every major metropolitan area and other less-populated regions of North America. AAN members have a combined weekly circulation of over 6.5 million as well as a print readership of nearly 17 million active, educated and...
— 23 awards - Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors Excellence in State Government Reporting
- Houston Environmental Coalition
- Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment AwardHugh M. Hefner First Amendment AwardThe Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards are given to people who a panel of judges believes have made significant contributions to the protection and enhancement of the rights enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution...
- James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism
- Katie Award (Press Club of Dallas) — finalist
- Livingston AwardLivingston AwardThe Livingston Awards are American journalism awards issued to media professionals under the age of 35 for local, national, and international reporting...
s for Young Journalists — finalist - National Magazine AwardNational Magazine AwardThe National Magazine Awards are a series of US awards that honor excellence in the magazine industry. They are administered by the American Society of Magazine Editors and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City...
— finalist - Project CensoredProject CensoredProject Censored is a non-profit, media criticism and investigative journalism project within the Sonoma State University Foundation. It is managed through the School of Social Sciences at the university....
— eight awards (1991–2003) - State Bar of TexasState Bar of TexasThe State Bar of Texas is an agency of the judiciary under the administrative control of the Texas Supreme Court. The Texas Bar is responsible for assisting the Texas Supreme Court in overseeing all attorneys licensed to practice law in Texas...
Gavel Award — three-time winner - Utne ReaderUtne ReaderUtne Reader is an American bimonthly magazine. The magazine collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment from generally alternative media sources, including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music and DVDs...
Best Political Magazine 2005
Notable staff and contributors
Notable Observer staff and contributors, past and present:- Jake BernsteinJake BernsteinJake Bernstein is President of Network Press, Inc. in Santa Cruz, California. Bernstein claims expertise in seasonal trading and has developed methods of trading in futures markets, and has been a featured speaker at many investment conferences and trading seminars.-Publisher and author:Bernstein...
- Nate Blakeslee
- Bill Brammer
- Rod DavisRod DavisRod Davis is a professional American and Canadian linebacker for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings...
- J. Frank DobieJ. Frank DobieJames Frank Dobie was an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range...
- Lou Dubose
- Ronnie Dugger
- John Henry FaulkJohn Henry FaulkJohn Henry Faulk from Austin, Texas was a storyteller and radio show host. His successful lawsuit against blacklisters of the entertainment industry helped to bring an end to the Hollywood blacklist.-Early life:...
- James K. GalbraithJames K. GalbraithJames Kenneth Galbraith is an American economist who writes frequently for mainstream and liberal publications on economic topics. He is currently a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and at the Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Senior...
- Dagoberto GilbDagoberto GilbDagoberto Gilb is an American writer born in Los Angeles, California, whose reputation, after years between L.A. and Texas, is as one of the leading voices from the American Southwest....
- Lawrence Goodwyn
- Jim HightowerJim HightowerJames Allen "Jim" Hightower is an American syndicated columnist, activist and author.-Life and career:Born in Denison, Texas, Hightower came from a working class background. He worked his way through college as assistant general manager of the Denton Chamber of Commerce and later landed a spot as...
- Molly IvinsMolly IvinsMary Tyler "Molly" Ivins was an American newspaper columnist, populist, political commentator, humorist and author.-Early life and education:Ivins was born in Monterey, California, and raised in Houston, Texas...
- Larry L. King
- Maury Maverick, Jr.Maury Maverick, Jr.Maury Maverick, Jr. was an American lawyer, politician, activist, and columnist from the U.S. state of Texas...
- Larry McMurtryLarry McMurtryLarry Jeff McMurtry is an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work is predominantly set in either the old West or in contemporary Texas...
- Willie MorrisWillie MorrisWilliam Weaks "Willie" Morris , was an American writer and editor born in Jackson, Mississippi, though his family later moved to Yazoo City, Mississippi, which he immortalized in his works of prose. Morris' trademark was his lyrical prose style and reflections on the American South, particularly...
- Kaye Northcott
- Americo ParedesAmerico ParedesAmerico Paredes was a Mexican-American author born in Brownsville, Texas who authored several texts focusing on the border life that existed between the United States and Mexico, particularly around the Rio Grande region of South Texas. His family on his father’s side, however, had been in the...
- Eileen WelsomeEileen WelsomeEileen Welsome is an American journalist. She received a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1994 while a reporter for The Albuquerque Tribune. She was awarded the prize for her articles about the government's human radiation experiments conducted on unwilling and unknowing Americans during...
- Alan PogueAlan PogueAlan Pogue is a photojournalist who works exclusively in black-and-white still documentary photography. His career focuses on social justice and Texas politics from the early 1970s to the present....