''The Texas Observer'' (also known as the ''Observer'') is an American
magazine
A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
with a
liberal political outlook. The ''Observer'' is published bimonthly by a
501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
[The Texas Democracy Foundation]
. ''Exempt Organization Search''. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved August 28, 2016. nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
, the Texas Democracy Foundation. It is based in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
.
On March27, 2023, it announced that it was ceasing publication.
However, on March 29, it was announced that publication will continue following a successful crowdfunding campaign by staff.
History
The ''Observer'' was founded by Frankie Randolph and
Ronnie Dugger in Austin in 1954 to address topics often ignored by daily newspapers in the state, such as those affecting working people and concerning class and racism.
According to
Texas Public Radio (TPR), the early ''Observer'' "represented the liberal wing of the once-conservative
Democratic Party" that was
dominant in Texas. During this period, the ''Observer'' was critical of conservative or moderate Texas Democrats, including
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
during his Senate tenure and Governors
Allan Shivers and
John Connally. In the 1970s,
Molly Ivins served as the ''Observer's'' co-editor and a political reporter.
In 2010, the ''Observer'' published an exposé on then-Governor
Rick Perry's "Enterprise Fund". The report found that 20 recipients of the 55 grants available through the fund were given to Perry campaign contributors or contributors to the
Republican Governors Association (RGA) after he became chairman.
In March 2023, the board of the Observer's parent organization, the nonprofit Texas Democracy Foundation, voted to close the publication and lay off its 17 employees, including 13 journalists.
A
crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...
campaign to save the publication raised over $300,000 in two days, spread mostly through word of mouth via
Mastodon
A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
.
The campaign was successful.
Notable staff and contributors
Notable ''Observer'' staff and contributors, past and present:
*
Jake Bernstein
*
Billy Lee Brammer
*
Minnie Fisher Cunningham
*
J. Frank Dobie
*
Ronnie Dugger
*
John Henry Faulk
*
James K. Galbraith
*
Dagoberto Gilb
*
Lawrence Goodwyn
*
Jim Hightower
*
Molly Ivins
*
Larry L. King
Lawrence Leo King (January 1, 1929 – December 20, 2012) was an American playwright, journalist, and novelist, best remembered for his 1978 Tony Award, Tony Award-nominated play ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'', which became a long-runni ...
*
Maury Maverick Jr.
*
Larry McMurtry
*
Willie Morris
*
Americo Paredes
*
Alan Pogue
*
Eileen Welsome
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Texas Observer, The
501(c)(3) organizations
1954 establishments in Texas
Bimonthly magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1954
Magazines published in Austin, Texas
News magazines published in the United States
Political magazines published in the United States
Politics of Texas