Bloggers

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Who are they and what is their role in covering Texas politics? What does it require to be a political blogger: originality, whit, immediacy? Find out how these bloggers stay one step ahead of the pack.

Panelists:

Karen Brooks, The Dallas Morning News
Eileen Smith, In the Pink Texas blog
Bill Bishop, The Austin American-Statesman

Karen Brooks
Karen Brooks covers the House of Representatives as a capitol bureau staff writer for the Dallas Morning News in Austin. This is her fourth session to cover. She has been a reporter in Texas for 10 years, working for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Most recently, she spent almost three years covering Northern Mexico and the border for the Fort Worth paper. Ms. Brooks went to journalism school at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She grew up in Greenville, Mississippi.

Eileen Smith
Eileen Smith is Editor of In The Pink Texas, a blog on the Texas Capitol, politics (state and national) and culture, which launched in February. Eileen earned her Master’s in Journalism from Northwestern University and has worked in media and communications, government relations and non-profit advocacy.

During the 77th legislative session, Eileen worked as an analyst for the House Committee on Appropriations. Most recently, she worked as the state advocacy director for the American Heart Association --Texas Affiliate. A DC native, Eileen has lived in Austin since 2000.

State Advocacy Director; Director of Advocacy Communications – American Heart Association --Texas Affiliate (Jan. 2003-Jan. 2005)
Senior Analyst, Health & Human Services; Analyst, Criminal Justice & Judiciary – Texas House Appropriations Committee (Jan. 2001-Jan. 2003)
Health Policy Reporter – drkoop.com (2000)
Reporter – PC World Online News (1999-2000)
Reporter – The Daily Herald (IL)
Washington Political Correspondent – Waterloo Courier (IA)
Reporter – Medill News Service (NWU’s wire service)

Bill Bishop
Bill Bishop is a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, where he has worked since November 1999.

Before coming to Austin, Bishop was associate editor and columnist for the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, where he worked for 11 years. In the last year, Bishop and former University of Texas sociologist Robert Cushing have written a series on political segregation in the U.S.

More about this topic:

Texas Political Blogs

• In the Pink Texas
• Lasso
• Lone Star Rising
• Off the Kuff
• Quorum Report – must pay
• Blog Houston
• Pink Dome
• Rick Perry vs. the World
• The Jeffersonian
• Inside the Texas Capitol
• Postcards from the Lege
• Rio Grande Valley Politics
  
  Conservative Political Blogs / National
  
• Vodka Pundit
• Matt Welch
• Andrew Sullivan
• Tim Blair
• The Corner
• Little Green Footballs
• Instapundit
  
  Liberal Political Blogs/ National
  
• Daily Kos
• Tapped-The American Prospect
• Wonkette
• The Agonist
• Liberal Oasis
• Pandagon
• Seeing the Forest
• Talk Left
  

Blogging in the News

• "Blogs turn attention to Capitol politics"
  by Aman Batheja, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 26, 2005 (registration required)
• “Do Blogs Change the News?”
  Associated Press, Nov., 14, 2004
• “Blogs Blamed for Exit Poll Fiasco”
  Associated Press, Nov. 3, 2004
• “When Bloggers Blog Can the Employer Intervene?”
  by Tom Zeller Jr., The New York Times, April 18, 2005
  

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