Newsletter
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How much do you value the public's right to know?
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
Our democracy rests on an intricate set of checks and balances, brilliantly envisioned by our forefathers. Yet, our lawmakers too often want to chip away at democracy's cornerstone -- the public's right to know. Some of the offending legislation is ...
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What happens if you raise a smart aleck?
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
Drawing by Julie Zavala When I saw a segment on the morning news about a giant African land snail invading Houston, I immediately thought of our son. A Sam Houston State University researcher warned against picking up this invasive species ...
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How do you best honor a legacy?
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
When I was a cub reporter of only 22 in Colorado Springs, I worked with a larger-than-life assistant city editor whose voice and laughter bounced around the newsroom's walls. I was still learning the trade, but Jim Bishop, who went ...
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How do we reflect society without glorifying the mistakes some make?
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
One formula for a good newspaper story goes like this: A person makes a serious error or has something bad happen to her and then she works against all odds to overcome that mistake or misfortune. That's how our Sunday ...
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How should a newspaper change with the language and the times?
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
When I was editor of my high school newspaper, I had a lively discussion with my journalism teacher, Mr. Nesbitt, about my repeated use of the word "suck." He noted this was a term of which my elders would not ...
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Why didn't we jam-pack downtown for Jam Fest?
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
Perhaps free isn't a good enough deal for people. I was blown away by the performances of Monte Montgomery and then headliner Delbert McClinton Saturday night at Jam Fest in downtown Victoria. Montgomery was rated by Guitar Player magazine as ...
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How much do 2 words matter to the illegal immigration debate?
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
The so-called vocabulary wars struck newspapers this week with the announcement by the Associated Press that it would no longer use the term "illegal immigrant." This ruling reaches across the country and beyond because the AP Stylebook is considered the ...
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What would you do if a speaker hit on you during his talk?
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
Critically acclaimed author Sherman Alexie turned out to also be a first-rate stand-up comedian, the funniest I've heard in Victoria since 2008. I had no idea I'd be laughing out loud throughout Alexie's Victoria College Lyceum series talk Tuesday evening ...
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Will Facebook be relevant in 5 years?
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
My teenage children tell me Facebook is no longer the place to be. Old people like me have spoiled the fun. I imagine that's why Facebook announced last week that it was jazzing up its look. Anyone remember Friendster or ...
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Advocate report on Santa Muerte followed by national story
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
Advocate police reporter Caty Hirst wrote a story in December on the growing popularity of an underworld saint. I found the story fascinating because I had never heard of Santa Muerte, thought to be a blend of a blend of ...