Jennifer Peebles
Journalist in Houston, Texas
Deputy Editor at Texas Watchdog, doing computer-assisted reporting, mapping and open government advocacy. I (heart) public records.
- Email: jennifer@texaswatchdog.org
- Website: Texas Watchdog
- Phone: (281) 656-1681
- Address: 945 McKinney St., #221, Houston, Texas 77002
Personal & Professional Profile
I'm an old newspaper dog now doing new media tricks and trying to help other mid-career journalists make the transition. I'm deputy editor at Texas Watchdog, a nonprofit online news outlet based in Houston, creating original investigative journalism with an additional focus on mapping and interactive and multimedia projects. I'm also an advocate for government transparency and the First Amendment.
I'm also chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists' Digital Media Committee, trying to help other mid-career journalists retrain for the brave new online world.
Skills
- Seasoned line editor and newsroom team leader
- Using state and federal freedom of information laws
- Computer-assisted reporting
- GIS mapping using ESRI's ArcMap software
- Making interactive Google Maps
- Podcasting
- Extensive experience with social media
- Hosting training Webinars on open government
- Basic graphics skills with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop
- Basic photography
Work Experience
Deputy Editor
Texas Watchdog
- Period: September 2008 - Present day
- Job type: Full-time
- Supervisor: Trent Seibert
I wear many hats in a small nonprofit newsroom.
- Produce original enterprise and investigative journalism
- Supervise education coverage and edit my colleagues' work
- In-house expert on using freedom of information laws
- Produce GIS maps and interactive Google Maps
- Host of our podcast on open government issues, Transparency Talk
- Frequent host and co-host of our monthly Webinar on using open government laws, TrentTV
- Counsel journalists, citizen-journalists and others across Texas about using freedom of information laws to access public information
Reporter, editor
The Tennessean
- Period: 1994 - September 2008
- Job type: Full-time
- Supervisors: Too many to list, but they included Ricky Young and Tommy Goldsmith
I was proud to work at Nashville's morning daily for 14 years.
- Was government team leader when I left to join two friends in launching Texas Watchdog
- Oversaw newspaper's 2005 investigation that led to massive changes in the Tennessee Highway Patrol
- I was the first person in the newsroom on Twitter and started the first news-side blog
- Started as a summer intern on the state desk and was hired after college to cover a suburban county
- Eventually became night/weekend regional editor, then state editor, then government editor
- Supervised three reporters embedded with the Army's 101st Airborne Division (two did stints in Iraq and one in Afghanistan)
- At different times, I was also the military editor, the "storm team" editor (for severe weather and major breaking news), the Local News calendar editor and the 1A Sunday digest editor
- As a young reporter, I covered the Olympic torch's 1996 visit to Nashville and was part of the team that covered the Nashville Predators' first NHL hockey game
Education & Training
Professional training
Fellow, July 2011 multimedia workshop, Knight Digital Media Center at the University of California-Berkeley; National Institute for Computer Assisted Reporting mapping boot camp, 2007; Analyst's Notebook Level 1 class, i2, Tyson's Corner, Va., 2009; National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting CAR boot camp, 2001; Poynter Institute newspaper reporting and writing seminar, 2000.
Vanderbilt University
Bachelor of Arts degree in history, Class of 1995
Editor of student newspaper, The Vanderbilt Hustler, 1994; Richard A. Geyer Jr. Award winner (for student journalists), 1995; Charles Forrest Alexander Award winner (for student journalists), 1995; McTyeire Hall resident, 1993-94 (German hall); McGill Project resident, 1992-93.
Awards & Portfolio
Awards
- 2009 John Aubuchon Freedom of Information Award from Capitolbeat;
- 2009 Open Doors Award from the Fort Worth Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists;
- 2010 Best Online Project award winner from Fort Worth Pro SPJ (shared with my Texas Watchdog colleague Steve Miller);
- Contributed to one installment of the campus sexual assault series by the Center for Public Integrity and NPR that won the 2010 Peabody Award, a Dart Award and an RFK Journalism Award;
- The Tennessee Highway Patrol investigation that I helped direct at The Tennessean helped the newspaper win the 2006 Public Service Award from the Tennessee Press Association;
- Runner-up for The Tennessean's annual newsroom "MVP" award, the Jimmy Davy Award, 2005.
