Sometime after midnight tonight, the Texas Tribune, a new nonprofit, nonpartisan public media organization headquartered in Austin, will launch its coverage of Texas politics and policymaking with stories, blogs, tweets and Facebook postings. Several firms rank among those that deserve credit for the startup. Vinson & Elkins and Fulbright & Jaworski, both based in Houston, and Austin's Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody are among the firms listed on the site as founding corporate sponsors that have donated at least $2,500 to the nonprofit, says Evan Smith, CEO and editor in chief of the Tribune, who left his posts as president and editor in chief at Texas Monthly for the new venture. Smith says the firms, like other corporate sponsors, "are not getting anything more than our gratitude," and, of course, the same free access to the coverage as the rest of us. Anyone may become a founding member (distinct from a corporate founding sponsor) of the Tribune by donating a minimum of $50. Smith compares the firms' donations to those a corporate sponsor gives to a public television or radio station. Michael Whellan, president of Graves Dougherty, says, "Texas Tribune is going to continue a tradition of nonprofit, unbiased reporting." He adds, "We know the folks who are involved, and we believe they're going to bring more coverage that promotes stronger government." Like Smith, he equates the firm's sponsorship to a donation to public radio or TV. At the other firms, management officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
UPDATE: Vinson & Elkins spokesman Mark Curriden says seven V&E partners donated to the Texas Tribune, but the firm itself is not a corporate sponsor.
-- Miriam Rozen
The reason a lot of loeppe don't pay income taxes is because they don't have enough income!! But they do pay plenty of other taxes, taxes that fall disproportionally on lower income loeppe, such as sales taxes.
Posted by: Diogo | March 25, 2012 at 08:59 PM