Is there ever a right time for a vacation in the news business?

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

What a day. We've taxed our news staff to the limit keeping up with all of the news this week. Let us know what you think of Saturday's exhaustive print coverage. I also commend to you our online video coverage ...

What did you think of Tuesday's coverage?

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

Despite being a part of Tuesday's story, we tried hard to cover all sides of the indictments fairly, accurately and completely. Of course, any work done under daily deadline pressure is far from perfect. Even so, I'm proud of the ...

Why should you care about a free press?

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

Our editorial board's opinion was a little slow posting Sunday morning, but I hope you take the time to read it while you're reading Gabe Semenza's analysis of the Victoria District Attorney's contested records. We want to keep journalists out ...

Why should newspapers protect the newsgathering process?

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

An important hearing occurs Friday morning in the Victoria County Courthouse. At the risk of over-dramatizing, what's at stake is the First Amendment. Subpoenas like the one Gabe Semenza received this week have a chilling effect on newsgathering. We don't ...

What do you want in an entertainment section?

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

I want my "M3." OK, I'm showing my age with my reference to a 1985 Dire Straits song. Instead of relying on my personal pop culture tastes, we want to hear from you about what you want in your weekly entertainment section. ...

History demands more stories be told

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

Sheriff T. Michael O"Connor steered a steady stream of semis around the small crowd that stood Saturday alongside the road south of Victoria. Amid the somber speeches honoring the dead and the roar of the semis going in and out ...

Why do newspapers charge for obituaries?

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

Toni Anne asked this question to my previous post. Although I answered it there, I thought I'd create a separate item for this topic to keep the discussion separate from the previous one: The Advocate publishes the first 4.5 inches ...

What story deserves the front page and why?

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

When we place a story on the front page, we are not advocating for it. Rather, we make our news decisions based primarily on how interested and important our readers might be on any given article. In the case of ...

Thank you for honoring us with your support

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

I want to share this outstanding news with you from our circulation director, Hamp Rogers. To put another way what Hamp says below: We meet our community's needs better than any other newspaper in the state. Who says? Our readers say so with their quarters.   To help you with what may be ...

Series on the Fatal Funnel debuts Sunday

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

We hope you will take time Sunday to read the first installment of a special project spearheaded by Public Service Editor Gabe Semenza. The project examines the deaths of 19 immigrants who suffocated to death in the back of a ...

Is it time for the American Idol of Advocate comics?

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

A delightful woman came up to me at a Bach Festival event last month and told me she missed "Fred Basset." She and her husband had owned basset hounds since they were married about 40 years ago. She loved the ...

You have a new way to do your treasure hunting

By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog

We know people love garage sales. After midnight, we actually see a spike in Web traffic because that's when we have put our new listings online. Some people want to map out their treasure hunt as early as possible. They ...