tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47826034286909956392024-02-19T01:27:22.314-07:00Jace Larson, KPRC Local 2Investigative Reporter... an avid skier... a dorky frequent flier... a restaurant lover.Jacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125760096103477155noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-31843111907481304692016-02-16T17:40:00.001-07:002016-02-16T17:40:37.813-07:00Unscheduled Interviews: I don't like them.<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Politicians and officials don’t like unscheduled
interviews and I don’t either. Here’s why: rarely do we get solid answers and
people almost always come off looking much less than their best.</div>
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The reason I have to do them is because occasionally it is the only way to get
answers and hold people in power accountable, especially those people paid with
your tax dollars.<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Read more about my story: http://bit.ly/1KoliSA</span></b></div>
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The fire department held my request to sit down with the
chief for many days and then as I neared my deadline, sent an email telling me the
chief wouldn’t do an interview.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sources within the fire department notified me that the chief
would be at a meeting one evening last week. I waited outside the main doors of
the meeting for more than an hour. I couldn’t talk to the chief there because he
went out a side door. Luckily, the photojournalist I was working with noticed
him walking across the parking lot. That’s when I walked up and asked about
firefighter radio dead zones.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s important that people who I do unscheduled
interviews with have been given time to agree to an interview. In this case
that happened. It’s important we don’t abuse our power by doing unscheduled interviews
frequently. It’s also important that I get answers for the public. When I
cannot, you deserve to see that I made an attempt.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comHouston, TX, USA29.7604267 -95.369802828.8787477 -96.6606963 30.6421057 -94.0789093tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-18342062281673201772015-01-13T19:00:00.000-07:002015-01-14T09:11:49.098-07:00Sometimes it takes yelling to get the news on<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I think we all feel sadness when a soldier passes away.
Today a Fort Hood soldier was found dead on his front porch. At this time, we
don’t know how exactly he died. He’d recently returned from West Africa and
that made some concerned about Ebola. </div>
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We’ve since learned he did not have Ebola and this is the
behind the scenes look at how we got the news on the air quickly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What you can’t see is that just 30 seconds before this
story went on the air, we learned the soldier’s test results.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There was no time to change scripts so my coworkers just
yelled from person to person at me across our large newsroom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We were able to get the information on the air quickly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m happy to have reported such timely information. I do
wish it didn’t have to do with a soldier’s death.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-73722102989394975682015-01-01T09:30:00.001-07:002015-01-01T09:30:49.197-07:00The backstory with a Shipley Do-nuts owner accused in a lawsuitHere's a bit of the behind the scenes. I called the owner to get her take on the "fired over a pregnancy" lawsuit. She talked to me on the phone for a few and then asked to call me right back. ...She never did. Her phone went to voicemail when I called her a couple more times.<div><br></div><div>Here's the full story:</div><div><a href="http://m.click2houston.com/news/eeoc-files-suit-against-shipley-donuts-in-katy/30482262">http://m.click2houston.com/news/eeoc-files-suit-against-shipley-donuts-in-katy/30482262</a></div>Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-4566858166848277662014-11-17T13:05:00.001-07:002014-11-17T13:07:38.881-07:00College crime felt non-existent when I went school<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I think my college life was a bit of a Utopian
experience. In the late 1990s, I went to a very small religious college just
outside of St. Louis.</div>
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Hearing about the college crimes that affect metro-area
students in Houston makes me feel lucky that crime wasn't an issue for us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.principiacollege.edu/" target="_blank">Principia College</a> had about 500 students when I was
there. Our doors didn't lock. There wasn't a need. Theft wasn't a problem. A
sex offense was very, very uncommon. I don’t even recall it ever happening
during my time there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What a different life than what students at major
universities and colleges in the Houston area experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I invite you to watch our campus crime story tonight. We’ll
rank the top five colleges with the highest crime rates. (We looked at only the
most serious crimes reported in federal law.) <a href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/Local-2-finds-top-crimes-at-area-colleges/29729454" target="_blank">The story I did with producer Lauren Sweeney airs Monday on Local 2 at 10</a>.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/A02ON1vtEWo" width="560"></iframe></div>
Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-25220635944407077852014-11-15T21:57:00.000-07:002014-11-15T21:57:08.910-07:00Viewers deserve the facts so they can make up their own mindsTonight I reported on many issues of the DuPont chemical spill near La Porte, Texas where four people died. <a href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/Investigation-to-begin-in-chemical-facility-deaths-previous-violations/29744848#comment-1695468582" target="_blank">In my report I included details about past incidents at the facility</a> and another of the company's facilities.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYiFTthlWQeQWNfLQh-QSyHblagiKhYBrw9lWlrNtShXW_ozmLSGjHnljExebj8Zd37xOBnbpaM5UGiuZzxElMObj-FD92QneL2rNMK8k8eoKEYsxhOiu1q-OknPl9lIz-xXBIfZBGw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-15+at+10.51.17+PM.png" height="640" width="625" /></div>
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This prompted a viewer to comment the following:<br />
<header style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="post-byline" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="author publisher-anchor-color" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><a data-action="profile" data-role="username" data-tid="281" data-user="63718116" data-username="disqus_wU76pCbULj" href="http://disqus.com/embed/comments/?base=default&disqus_version=c6ed14e4&f=click2houston&t_u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.click2houston.com%2Fnews%2Finvestigates%2FInvestigation-to-begin-in-chemical-facility-deaths-previous-violations%2F29744848&t_d=Investigation%20to%20begin%20in%20chemical%20facility%20deaths%2C%20previous%20violations&t_t=Investigation%20to%20begin%20in%20chemical%20facility%20deaths%2C%20previous%20violations&s_o=default#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s linear; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(54, 99, 142) !important; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.1s linear;">cuervooro</a></span> </span><span class="post-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block;"><span aria-hidden="true" class="bullet time-ago-bullet" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #cccccc; font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px 4px;">•</span> <a class="time-ago" data-role="relative-time" href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/Investigation-to-begin-in-chemical-facility-deaths-previous-violations/29744848#comment-1695468582" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s linear; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 39, 59, 0.498039); font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.1s linear;" title="Saturday, November 15, 2014 10:06 PM">42 minutes ago</a></span>What is the deal with previous violations? I'm sure the news media has previous violations that have or could have caused injury to people in the surrounding area. Are we looking for something to make a news story with? Isn't the news media happy that something dreadful has occurred and killed people so that they don't have to make up news stories.</blockquote>
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I enjoy sharing our thought process when it comes to selecting stories. Here is my reply:</div>
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<a class="user" data-action="profile" data-user="80980381" data-username="jacelarsonkprc" href="http://disqus.com/jacelarsonkprc/" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s linear; background-color: rgba(0, 39, 59, 0.2); border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #288ce4; display: block; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.1s linear; z-index: 100;"><img alt="Avatar" src="http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/users/8098/381/avatar92.jpg?1416113010" data-role="user-avatar" data-user="80980381" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: inherit; height: 36px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 36px;" /></a></div>
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<header style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><span class="post-byline" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="author publisher-anchor-color" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><a data-action="profile" data-role="username" data-user="80980381" data-username="jacelarsonkprc" href="http://disqus.com/embed/comments/?base=default&disqus_version=c6ed14e4&f=click2houston&t_u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.click2houston.com%2Fnews%2Finvestigates%2FInvestigation-to-begin-in-chemical-facility-deaths-previous-violations%2F29744848&t_d=Investigation%20to%20begin%20in%20chemical%20facility%20deaths%2C%20previous%20violations&t_t=Investigation%20to%20begin%20in%20chemical%20facility%20deaths%2C%20previous%20violations&s_o=default#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s linear; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(54, 99, 142) !important; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.1s linear;">Jace Larson KPRC</a></span> <span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a class="parent-link" data-role="parent-link" href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/Investigation-to-begin-in-chemical-facility-deaths-previous-violations/29744848#comment-1695468582" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s linear; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 39, 59, 0.498039); font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.1s linear;"><i aria-hidden="true" class="icon-forward" style="box-sizing: border-box;" title="in reply to"></i> cuervooro</a></span> </span><span class="post-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block;"><span aria-hidden="true" class="bullet time-ago-bullet" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #cccccc; font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px 4px;">•</span> <a class="time-ago" data-role="relative-time" href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/Investigation-to-begin-in-chemical-facility-deaths-previous-violations/29744848#comment-1695491170" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s linear; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 39, 59, 0.498039); font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.1s linear;" title="Saturday, November 15, 2014 10:43 PM">7 minutes ago</a></span></header><br />
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I can assure you, I'm not happy with the fact four people died. I feel terribly for their families and loved ones.</div>
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As an investigative reporter, sometimes past company action is important. If you don't believe that, that's your prerogative. I think it's always important to look at what has happened previously because it can, in some cases, show a pattern. Maybe it shows other things.</div>
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I'm a firm believer in giving viewers all the facts. I don't want to be the one saying, in my opinion this incident was important and this one wasn't, so I'm going to withhold information. I think it's important to put the facts out there and let viewers make the decision. I'll let them decide what's important.</div>
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I don't agree that we made up any story here. That's a pretty strong allegation to make against someone whose work is based on honesty and accuracy.</div>
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Please don't let my honest response here make you think I don't appreciate you sharing your point of view. It's important that viewers do so. For that, I thank you.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What do you think?</span></div>
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<a class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="false" href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson" style="line-height: 15px;">Follow @jacelarson</a></div>
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<a class="twitter-hashtag-button" data-related="jacelarson" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?button_hashtag=TipJace">Tweet #TipJace</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');</script>Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-31457311762959157832014-11-14T15:05:00.000-07:002014-11-14T15:05:27.463-07:00I love it when @KPRCLocal2 viewers make me laugh. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEkp8JbabMmPYQsWZyZ0jY-TDuJGGM6tKgKAISwy6UV-sZ4XJfUCuyithjsIFj3_31STD-d8R1X4y9L50tAP6KEpsLhrJVcfqqKFpkBwYQo0J5wjcNHPS2rbfwf5lZXGmho8BOJHh5A/s1600/camping.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEkp8JbabMmPYQsWZyZ0jY-TDuJGGM6tKgKAISwy6UV-sZ4XJfUCuyithjsIFj3_31STD-d8R1X4y9L50tAP6KEpsLhrJVcfqqKFpkBwYQo0J5wjcNHPS2rbfwf5lZXGmho8BOJHh5A/s1600/camping.JPG" height="132" width="200" /></a></div>
Every once in a while, viewers make me laugh with their witty comments.<br />
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I’ve decided to start sharing them.<br />
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Earlier today, I postponed my weekend camping trip. Camping is fun, but camping in the rain is not. Randall’s reply to my ‘canceled camping tweet’ is a funny one.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson">@jacelarson</a> One time the Wi-Fi at the Ritz Carlton went down for half an hour ... that's as close to camping as I want to get 😉<br />
— Randall W Brelsford (@JetSetPsyD) <a href="https://twitter.com/JetSetPsyD/status/533320074216865792">November 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-81663510795162792292014-11-10T11:10:00.001-07:002014-11-10T11:10:48.469-07:00One of the most fascinating interviews I've done airs Tuesday at 10pm. @KPRCLocal2<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I’m lucky enough to interview people from all walks of
life. Until recently, I’d never interviewed someone who has witnessed nearly
280 executions.</div>
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An article in the publication <i>Texas Monthly</i> piqued the interest of one of our investigative
producers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When she explained that a former spokeswoman for the
prison system was willing to talk about her job, which required she watch the
executions, I knew we should make an effort to talk with this person.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I drove with a photographer on Halloween day to Michelle Lyon’s home near
Huntsville and interviewed her in her living room.<br />
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Put yourself in her shoes. How would you cope watching hundreds die legally? She answers that at 10pm. <a href="https://twitter.com/KPRCLocal2">@KPRCLocal2</a> <a href="http://t.co/G0bEjNND7E">http://t.co/G0bEjNND7E</a><br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/530053236225359872">November 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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She was open with details. I suppose the topic of
executions is interesting to most people. Hearing first-hand details from
someone with a unique perspective was fascinating.</div>
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What added another level of interest for me was how Lyons
described not being affected by the first several dozen executions she
witnessed. It wasn't until after she left her position with the state that she
realized she had been affected in a big way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I invite you to watch her interview Tuesday night at 10
p.m. A few people in the newsroom have watched clips as we go through the edit process.
They are captivated just as I was.<br />
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Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-82298066713769395322014-10-23T11:56:00.001-06:002014-10-23T11:56:16.417-06:00When you’re reporting & you have no idea what you are about to say<div class="MsoNormal">
We use a teleprompter in television, everyone knows that.
That doesn't mean we don’t pre-read our copy ahead of time. It’s helpful to
know which words to stress and make sure you give the story the proper ‘read.’<br />
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Last night I was casually walking into the studio 10 minutes
before I needed to be there. Suddenly, the floor crew was ushering me up to our
big monitor to be live reading a short tease of my upcoming story. (Teases are
written by the show producer, not usually by the reporter.)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'd never read the copy. As I started reading the tease live on TV, I had no idea what
words were going to be across the teleprompter. Granted I didn't have to read
much and I knew the topic, but it was still a bit uncomfortable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can see where I didn't quite stress "over budget" the right way. That's because I didn't see the word coming early enough to realize that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some viewers have told me they enjoy hearing what happens behind the scenes so I thought I'd share this. It was, in the end, not a big deal. Many people have tougher jobs and I love mine. I'm not complaining, just sharing what I hope people at home didn't realize.<br />
<br />
You can watch the actual story here: http://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/more-contractors-say-they-havent-been-paid-for-huge-government-project/29288032</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-1447168810313503142014-10-19T02:00:00.000-06:002014-10-19T02:00:05.050-06:00Trying not to feed the #Ebola hype, but it is incredibly tough #TipJace<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: x-small;">Before I went on the air this week with news a Houston area woman had died after visiting Nigeria, I reminded myself that viewers want facts not hype.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><object allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" allowscriptaccess="always" data="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_q79mexhb/uiconf_id/12411302" height="345" id="kaltura_player_1413650688" name="kaltura_player_1413650688" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_q79mexhb/uiconf_id/12411302"/><param name="flashVars" value=""/><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com">video platform</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_management">video management</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/solutions/video_solution">video solutions</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_publishing">video player</a></object>
</span><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">In the report, I was honest and upfront. I thought I explained that we did not know whether this was an Ebola case. (We made the decision to go on the air with the news because investigators were about to be walking around a populated area in hazmat/protective suits and it would surely cause alarm given what has unfolded in Dallas.)</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Not three minutes after I was done with my live report, a resident from the area came rushing up to me worried. She had not seen my report but her mother had. Her mother was “freaking out” and very worried about the “new case of Ebola.”</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I’m not sure what else I could have said in this report to be more clear. We did not know if the deceased woman had Ebola.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> She visited an African country but it had not had a case in 21 days. (That’s the longest time it’s believed a person can have the disease without showing strong symptoms that make most people seek medical help.)</span></span></span><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">As I reported this case on Twitter, I did what I've seen many other journalists do. Be clear in each Tweet. Don't expect people to have read every other Tweet.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
The body of a woman who died outside Houston after recently visiting Nigeria, has been moved by medical examiner. No confirmation of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ebola?src=hash">#Ebola</a>.<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522974512430596096">October 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Crews now have their protective gear on. I've counted three people in special gear. No confirmation of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ebola?src=hash">#Ebola</a>. <a href="http://t.co/6Rv9yLR47E">pic.twitter.com/6Rv9yLR47E</a><br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522952516066369536">October 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
As a precaution, hazmat and the medical examiners office crewsbare going to be putting on protective gear. Zero confirmation of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ebola?src=hash">#Ebola</a><br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522943349511454720">October 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comHarris County, TX, USA29.7751825 -95.310250528.8936515 -96.601143999999991 30.6567135 -94.019357tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-35442732405717172582014-10-15T06:00:00.000-06:002014-10-15T06:00:06.543-06:00I tried live blogging my day as a reporter. Hard to imagine people interested in every detail. #TipJaceI'll admit, it was fun and hard to remember to update Twitter at every big turn. It did get some good reaction from viewers. Thank you for caring enough to interact with me throughout my day yesterday.<br />
<br />
Here is a slice of my Tweets from Tuesday.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
I'm sitting in our editorial meeting where we talk about and select stories for the afternoon newscasts. Picture us around a conf table.<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522029518333034498">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Here's where we record our voice for taped parts of our stories. I'm recording for my 10pm story on campaign finance. <a href="http://t.co/gppYpTO4cT">pic.twitter.com/gppYpTO4cT</a><br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522043363097210880">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
One of the stories I'm covering today: a lawsuit filed against the same Stafford police officer who was shot in the face, chased bad guys.<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522049691346038784">October 14, 2014</a><br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Just learned the criminal probe sparked by my judge investigation is a "tampering with a government document" investigation.<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522057833228292096">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Just got downtown for news conference with man who says he was unjustly shot by a well-known Stafford police officer.<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522077853500706817">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Here's the video that plaintiff says shows shooting incident with Stafford officer. <a href="http://t.co/cJWFjyKve9">http://t.co/cJWFjyKve9</a><br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522080658680606720">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
</blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Mom of man shot talks about recovery. Says he recovered more quickly from police shooting than she expected. (Video) <a href="http://t.co/NbcZZzmlpY">http://t.co/NbcZZzmlpY</a><br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522090169906630656">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Got pulled from the Stafford officer shooting story for a crime tip that just came in.<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522096693324435456">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Don't want to share too much about the tip I am checking out for competitive reasons. More to come.<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522096750329225216">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
The crime story was a bust. Back working on the Stafford police officer shooting story. Moved it from 5 to 6.<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522122608599244800">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Just finished voicing my story for the 6pm news. We are editing it right now. Did you know we edit just minutes before air? <a href="https://twitter.com/KPRCLocal2">@KPRCLocal2</a><br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522147092488548353">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Just went live at 6pm with the Stafford police shooting story. We cut it close tonight. Cam went up on the tripod just seconds before air.<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522164725002825730">October 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Ready to find out who is giving what to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texas?src=hash">#Texas</a> gubernatorial candidates? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Davis?src=hash">#Davis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Abbott?src=hash">#Abbott</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeeYouAt10?src=hash">#SeeYouAt10</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TipJace?src=hash">#TipJace</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LE_Sweeney">@LE_Sweeney</a> & I did this story.<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522175090633355264">October 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Time for the news like only news geeks watch it. <a href="https://twitter.com/KPRCLocal2">@KPRCLocal2</a> <a href="http://t.co/jdt37BaYHr">pic.twitter.com/jdt37BaYHr</a></p>— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/status/522220924787900416">October 15, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-52007539335552245412014-10-13T18:29:00.001-06:002014-10-13T18:29:17.265-06:00Hide-and-seek with the judge in my story wasn’t necessary, to my surprise<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Just when I thought I was going to have a hard time
finding the former judge in my story which airs Monday night, I was surprised.
He’s the back story to the interview.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_zhE8c5rN10Owcn46qWH91AWBC7sGFx_i8c3xsQzgA7qzkYx1S6rWVDc34962Ct_hid6J2Uztf_R0o3npWoLHk-yc6La8Wq9WBzIYRg2iWiK4L-J5UhXSKdqmynRW33f0x22b6F5bQ/s1600/Baumgart+interview.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_zhE8c5rN10Owcn46qWH91AWBC7sGFx_i8c3xsQzgA7qzkYx1S6rWVDc34962Ct_hid6J2Uztf_R0o3npWoLHk-yc6La8Wq9WBzIYRg2iWiK4L-J5UhXSKdqmynRW33f0x22b6F5bQ/s1600/Baumgart+interview.JPG" height="243" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>My story: A Local 2
Investigation showed how the man acting as the City of Kenefick municipal judge,
Eric Baumgart, is the former Liberty County Constable’s deputy who a jury
convicted of writing a woman a fake traffic ticket in 2011. The prosecutor alleged
Baumgart wrote the ticket in order to get a woman who he used to live with in
trouble with the law. The incident cost Baumgart his deputy job.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
I looked up some of Baumgart’s addresses in court
paperwork and also left a message with someone who knew him. I hadn't heard
back after a short while so I visited his house. Surprisingly, he answered the
door and came outside to answer my questions.<br />
<a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He agreed to do a TV interview in his front yard, but in
the middle of our conversation he asked if I would let him dress more appropriately
and meet him for another interview at his attorney’s office in the morning.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s my general policy that if I have an unscheduled
interview with the subject of a story and he or she asks that we sit down and
do it in a more controlled environment, I agree. My goal is to give viewers the
most complete and fair story possible. Catching someone in their front yard when
they would prefer to be dressed up isn't always fair to my interview subject.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In this case, Baumgart kept his word and did the
interview with me the next morning. His story didn’t change so there was no
reason to use the front yard interview.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Regardless of circumstances, I’m pleasantly surprised
when officials make interviewing them easy and don’t play hide-and-seek.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-45830281229104183742014-08-10T11:38:00.001-06:002014-08-10T11:38:51.389-06:00Should #marijuana be legalized everywhere in the U.S.? An article in the @nytimes presented an interesting issue.<div class="storify">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/jacelarson/should-marijuana-be-legalized-everywhere-in-the-u/embed?header=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/jacelarson/should-marijuana-be-legalized-everywhere-in-the-u.js?header=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/jacelarson/should-marijuana-be-legalized-everywhere-in-the-u" target="_blank">View the story "Should marijuana be legalized everywhere in the U.S.?" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-74354487831127939332014-07-27T08:24:00.000-06:002014-07-27T08:28:42.586-06:00Enjoying Twitter analyticsLately I've become a frequent visitor to <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/2014/new-tweet-activity-dashboard-offers-richer-analytics" target="_blank">Twitter's analytics</a>.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It lets you download their data so you can manipulate and sort it in Excel. It helped me find my "best" Tweet and ones that didn't perform well.</div>
<div>
<h3>
The Bad</h3>
</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Looking at the front page of papers around the country. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NelsonMandela?src=hash">#NelsonMandela</a> on each. <a href="https://twitter.com/Newseum">@Newseum</a> <a href="http://t.co/sHYFxvhuVi">http://t.co/sHYFxvhuVi</a><br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/statuses/408966717956554752">December 6, 2013</a></blockquote>
I didn't do so well with that one.<br />
<h3>
The Good</h3>
On the other hand, this one performed well:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en">
Embarrassed for him. “<a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews">@NBCNews</a>: Justin Bieber's booking photo has just been released <a href="http://t.co/eKvIFHnMss">pic.twitter.com/eKvIFHnMss</a>”<br />
— Jace Larson KPRC (@jacelarson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacelarson/statuses/426386139172175872">January 23, 2014</a></blockquote>
<h3>
Overall lesson</h3>
Almost without exception, Tweets with photos perform much better.<br />
Something else I learned, few people click on my #HashTags.<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-76554385840786732162014-05-13T06:00:00.000-06:002014-05-13T09:25:41.762-06:00Should we put a murderer on TV? #StilettoMurder #TipJace<div class="storify">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/jacelarson/should-we-put-a-murderer-on-tv/embed?border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/jacelarson/should-we-put-a-murderer-on-tv.js?border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/jacelarson/should-we-put-a-murderer-on-tv" target="_blank">View the story "Should we put a murderer on TV?" on Storify</a>]</noscript><br />
If you'd like to see the story we published on the stiletto murder, <a href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/woman-convicted-of-murdering-boyfriend-with-stiletto-speaks-with-local-2/25937774" target="_blank">click here.</a></div>
<object allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" allowscriptaccess="always" data="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_5rspmfka/uiconf_id/12411302" height="345" id="kaltura_player_1399994703" name="kaltura_player_1399994703" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_5rspmfka/uiconf_id/12411302"/><param name="flashVars" value=""/><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com">video platform</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_management">video management</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/solutions/video_solution">video solutions</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_publishing">video player</a></object>Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-7406643067436004102014-05-06T16:47:00.000-06:002014-05-06T16:47:15.643-06:00A question about ethics in journalism/reporting... what would you do?<div class="storify">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/jacelarson/what-would-you-do/embed?header=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/jacelarson/what-would-you-do.js?header=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/jacelarson/what-would-you-do" target="_blank">View the story "What would you do?" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-69336125157529395742014-05-03T07:00:00.000-06:002014-05-03T07:00:05.873-06:00The government & @USGSA owe us an explanation.<div class="Body">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZfbEnOew1wsbyDGpqPacqnb2BnmPbf0aBb2_-61SlhycIAVgfHvHCv6y1CabbCtSzLwd5UjJWbH60wzzp6UwOYdVsevPsuSquTP-n91bcuWRNLHUidzxqZaI380MB6lzHPHcY1QqVQ/s1600/bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZfbEnOew1wsbyDGpqPacqnb2BnmPbf0aBb2_-61SlhycIAVgfHvHCv6y1CabbCtSzLwd5UjJWbH60wzzp6UwOYdVsevPsuSquTP-n91bcuWRNLHUidzxqZaI380MB6lzHPHcY1QqVQ/s1600/bridge.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
This week I aired an investigation into a border crossing project
being built by the federal government. Not only does the bridge currently not
go anywhere, but subcontractors on the project say they aren't getting paid all
the money due to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
Watch the story and decide for yourself whether they have a right
to be frustrated and whether the project is a good idea. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
I am very disappointed that the federal government refused to sit
down and answer questions about the project. Sure, they gave a statement. They
did that before I even asked them all my questions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
When people have concerns about taxpayer spending or a government
project, the government owes it to all of us to sit down and, in a respectable
exchange of questions and answers, address people's issues.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body">
Did this rise to the level of flying to Washington, D.C. and ambushing the head of the GSA
(government agency building the bridge) for an interview? I decided no. (I
prefer to handle matters other ways.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="Body">
I am open to other journalist's and viewer's thoughts. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<br /></div>
<object allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" allowscriptaccess="always" data="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_vxxun4z6/uiconf_id/12411302" height="345" id="kaltura_player_1399054556" name="kaltura_player_1399054556" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_vxxun4z6/uiconf_id/12411302"/><param name="flashVars" value=""/><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com">video platform</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_management">video management</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/solutions/video_solution">video solutions</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_publishing">video player</a></object>Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comTornillo, TX 79853, USA31.4453978 -106.0883071000000131.3912053 -106.1689881 31.499590299999998 -106.00762610000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-44529186039984493352014-04-26T06:30:00.000-06:002014-04-26T06:30:01.724-06:00Responding to a viewer: Why publicize a child sex predator's alleged actions?<span style="background-color: white; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">This week, I covered a man who allegedly sexually abused more than 90 children while he taught at numerous American schools in foreign countries. </span><br />
<br />
<header style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3f4549; font-family: Helvetica Neue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br />(Read/watch the story: </span></span></span><span style="color: #3f4549; font-family: Helvetica Neue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">http://bit.ly/1mCXFWk)<object allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" allowscriptaccess="always" data="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_w1omh4hz/uiconf_id/12411302" height="345" id="kaltura_player_1398340837" name="kaltura_player_1398340837" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_w1omh4hz/uiconf_id/12411302"/><param name="flashVars" value=""/><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com">video platform</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_management">video management</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/solutions/video_solution">video solutions</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_publishing">video player</a></object></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"> </span></header><header style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></header><header style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">The allegations</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"> are heartbreaking. May of the victims may not know because court documents show William Vahey allegedly gave his victims sleeping pills before he took photos of himself molesting them.</span></header><header style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></header><header style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">The alleged actions may have started in the 1970s and could have continued until Vahey killed himself in March after learning he was under investigation.</span></header><header style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></header><header style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">Some viewers, including "hunterson" asked why we were making the story public and whether it could harm victims. Here is why we chose to publish the story.</span></header><header style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;">==========================================</span></header><header style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-right: 46px;"><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; padding: 0px;">
<span class="post-byline" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="author publisher-anchor-color" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><a data-action="profile" data-role="username" data-user="72874952" href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/houston-fbi-one-of-worst-child-sex-abuse-cases-ever/25598182#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s linear; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(54, 99, 142) !important; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.1s linear;">hunterson</a></span> </span><span class="post-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block;"><span aria-hidden="true" class="bullet time-ago-bullet" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #cccccc; font-size: 10px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px 4px;">•</span> <a class="time-ago" data-role="relative-time" href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/houston-fbi-one-of-worst-child-sex-abuse-cases-ever/25598182#comment-1351581920" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s linear; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 39, 59, 0.498039); font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.1s linear;" title="Wednesday, April 23 2014 5:32 AM">a day ago</a></span>Hmmm... the perp committed suicide. So why the big high profile push? Why stir this up further?</blockquote>
</header><br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px; padding: 0px;">
==========================================</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px; padding: 0px;">
<i>You aren't the only person who has asked this question. Let me try to answer.</i><br />
<i><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></i>
<i>Victims often have an intense desire to know what happened to their perpetrator. They want to understand why they were targeted. Often they want to attend court hearings to see justice be carried out. In this case, because Vahey killed himself, that's not possible.</i><br />
<i><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></i>
<i><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;">In a court case, victims are given the opportunity to seek </span></span>counseling<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"> through the victims compensation services offered by state or federal governments. Though Vahey is dead, victims can still seek such help in this case. Making them aware of this option is very important to the FBI and to me.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><i><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><i>Because of the nature of these alleged actions (sleeping pills,) some people victimized may never know they are victims. Parents have a right to know their children may be victims. Sadly, without making this story public... there was no good way to reach such people.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><i><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px; padding: 0px;">
<i><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;">You'll notice we did not </span></span>publicize<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"> any victim's names. Many have courageously chosen to come forward and share their stories.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><i><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><i>Lastly, this case may very well highlight problems in the "system" that would not be brought to people's attention without the case being made public.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><i><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3f4549; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><i>With all that said, I'm open to further discussion. Thank you for letting me respond.</i></span></span></div>
Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-3370581188194639602014-04-24T06:25:00.002-06:002014-04-24T06:28:51.188-06:00My morning show debut w/ @KPRCconflenti & @KPRCRachel To most... idea of working a 12-hour day... then sleeping for 6 hours... then coming back to work at 5 a.m. might not sound like fun.... but I loved it. I made my KPRC Local 2 morning show debut today.<br />
<br />
Just like you, I watch Owen & Rachel each morning... and just like you, I rarely see them in person.<br />
<br />
It was a nice treat to see them both as we talked about football helmet safety ratings this morning.<br />
<br />
Here's our report.
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cyyUaLKO_2E" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Read more on our website: http://bit.ly/1l6GYmwJace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-10390836557390515442014-04-21T10:35:00.002-06:002014-04-21T10:35:32.468-06:00"Sunshine Kitty"... going after an online businessFirst of all... anytime I get a story about someone named "Sunshine Kitty," I'm going to jump on the tip.<br />
<br />
It turned out to be a Houston-based online company whose customers weren't getting their products.<br />
<br />
I certainly don't investigate every company I get tips about, but we decided to dig into this one after learning more than 50 people in a month had complained to Houston's Better Business Bureau.<br />
<br />
With only her website name and a post office box, we went to work to try and track her down. If you've never used the site www.whois.com, check it out. It will show you the registered agent of most websites including addresses, emails and phone numbers. This is how we got her phone number. From there we tracked back her recent address.<br />
<br />
We are pretty sure we have her Facebook page too.<br />
<br />
Starting up a business is hard, but ceasing to communicate with your customers is inexcusable.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TbsLVH7e1g0" width="560"></iframe>Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-32202868698749068052014-02-05T20:55:00.001-07:002014-02-05T20:55:36.422-07:00Worth remembering something about 911 call takersAs people watch my story tonight on 911 hangups, I hope viewers remember that in most cases 911 operators work to save people's lives.<br />
<br />
I've spent time at the 911 call center and found most of the employees I interacted with to be friendly.<br />
<br />
The Houston 911 center takes somewhere near 300,000 calls a year, according to its spokesperson.<br />
<br />
The cases in tonight's story deal with only a small portion of the calls the center receives. However they are important to bring to light. Every life is important.<br />
<br />
I hope you will share with me your thoughts on the story.Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-80656575355423641302013-12-18T08:57:00.002-07:002013-12-18T08:57:32.664-07:00"I love you, but I need your money/iPhone"Love is a powerful thing and scam artists know it.<br />
<br />
I'm proud of a woman who agreed to speak up about a military romance scam where she was nearly a victim. She was only duped for a short time, but she wanted to warn others after a "Sgt. Major in Afghanistan" fell in love with her and needed her to send him an iPhone.<br />
<br />
Not all people who are victims of a scam are willing to go on TV and warn the rest of us. Here's how we uncovered proof of the bad guy's scam.<br />
<br />
<object allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" allowscriptaccess="always" data="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/1_f970vo35/uiconf_id/12411302" height="345" id="kaltura_player_1387381876" name="kaltura_player_1387381876" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/1_f970vo35/uiconf_id/12411302"/><param name="flashVars" value=""/><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com">video platform</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_management">video management</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/solutions/video_solution">video solutions</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_publishing">video player</a></object>Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-17600249570953356352013-11-28T09:00:00.000-07:002013-11-28T09:00:05.361-07:00#WhyImThankful Jace Larson's 2013 edition<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m one of the luckiest people and I always enjoy
Thanksgiving because it gives us time to breathe and think about why we are
grateful. Why am I thankful? In no particular rank:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Great family & friends.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">My dog, Rocky, who really falls into category
one but is special enough to get his own number.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The fact that I live in the United States. I
have friends in other countries who would give up just about anything to have
the opportunity Americans have.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">4.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Fun coworkers.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">5.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The other smart people in my life who constantly
challenge me.</span></li>
</ol>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-79742540017638013162013-11-14T15:36:00.001-07:002013-11-14T15:36:23.314-07:00Another PR ‘what not to do’I blog from time to time about my interactions with
public relations and marketing people. Usually it’s “what not to do.” Hopefully
my posts are helpful to my friends on the other side of the business.<br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I’m having an experience right now with a group who will
likely appear in an upcoming story.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Weeks ago, I sent an email giving a short overview of my
investigation. It asked to talk on the phone and I wrote that I would like to
bounce some ideas around. My offer was a branch showing I am open to other
ideas. I also noted that I was using a specific case in my news story.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Now I’ve received a statement that addresses the specific
case, but not the broader issue in my story. No one from the organization has
called to take me up on the offer to talk openly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My advice: when a reporter is willing to be open on a
story that may not be favorable to you, take him up on it. Some journalists really
do want to be open, upfront and honest from the start. It leaves a bad taste in
my mouth when people act scared or afraid of a simple conversation. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Bad taste doesn't affect the story. It will be as fair as
ever.)<o:p></o:p></div>
Jace Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04226404538484222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-10968729477999629612013-10-19T10:55:00.001-06:002013-11-14T15:36:51.067-07:00Sometimes I wonder what you will think of an investigation if I am exposing a few thousand dollars in taxpayer waste and not millions -- reaction to last night's investigation proves you care no matter the amount. <br />
<br />
Would love your thoughts: <br />
<br />
Feds defend conference trip to Vegas http://on9news.tv/19T8Ctl<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Jacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125760096103477155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4782603428690995639.post-81868714609693243412013-10-03T14:08:00.001-06:002013-10-03T14:08:22.180-06:00Just did an "unscheduled interview"I don't enjoy going to someone's house to get answers... But when members of a governmental agency change their story multiple times... And then refuse to be accountable on camera for spending taxpayer money... I have no choice. Just had to take this important journalistic step. <br />I'll tell you more about the story in a few days.<br />Hopefully no one thinks we take approaching a public worker at his or home lightly. I don't like doing it, but viewers deserve answers.<br /><br />Jacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125760096103477155noreply@blogger.com