'Houston Chronicle' Links to Ex-Reporter's Blog That Got Him Fired

By: Joe Strupp More than three years after the Houston Chronicle fired reporter Steve Olafson for writing a personal blog, and sparked an industry-wide debate over reporters' freedom of opinion that continues today, Olafson is back at the Chronicle--sort of.

Since November, when the Chronicle launched an expanded and redesigned Web site, the paper has been linking to his blog.

Brazosportnews.blogspot.com, the same blog that got Olafson fired, is now among the 60 or so blogs featured at the Chronicle Web site's "BlogWatch," which has been spotlighting local web outlets for more than three months.

"I think it kind of makes them look silly, but it is a good thing that they give exposure to blogs," says Olafson, who still lives in Brazosport, Tex., south of Houston. "I get 30 or 40 hits through them each time they highlight it. I don't mind it."

The man who chose to link to the blog is Dwight Silverman, the Chronicle's interactive journalism editor and a 16-year veteran of the paper. When asked about the irony of linking to Olafson's work, he said "it is not ironic. He is a blogger and the posts he writes are well-written and I am interested in what he writes."

Olafson, 52, spent seven years at the Chronicle and was covering Brazoria County when he lost his job in 2002. Editors at the time objected to his blog's criticism of the paper and comments on those he covered for the Chronicle, contending that both actions were in conflict with his job. Editor Jeff Cohen could not be reached for comment, but a report in the Houston Press at the time of the firing indicated the editor objected to Olafson's "gonzo journalism."

Tommy Miller, who was Chronicle managing editor when Olafson was dismissed and now teaches at California State University, Fresno, declined to comment on the specific firing incident. But he said reporters who write personal blogs are treading into a dangerous area. "An editor determines what is suitable for the paper," he said, referring to the need for supervision over reporter copy. "It is a concern if you've got copy going out there (unedited)."

Titled "The Brazosport News," the blog is written by Olafson under the name Banjo Jones. Recent entries have ranged from criticism of a local lawmaker who did not want to build a monument to black legislators who served during Reconstruction to a trip he recently took to Oklahoma.

But he has not stopped his critiques of the Chronicle, noting in a December 2005 posting the paper's loss of veteran staffers, calling it a "brain drain."

"It's good to have young, eager employees on your newspaper staff, people who have not been jaded and don't roll their eyes when they're ordered off on some wild goose-chase assignment," he wrote. "But it's also good to have employees on your newspaper staff who know a thing or two about the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the difference between a city manager form of government and a strong mayor form of government."

Olafson said he took the blog down in 2002 shortly after editors objected, but lost his job anyway. He launched it again shortly after his firing and has been updating it almost daily since. "It varies," he said about the frequency of postings and issues addressed. "I don't make any money on it, but I decided to put it back up."

The Chronicle's Silverman said Olafson's past problems at the paper had no impact on his decision to link to the site. He said Olafson has a good story-telling approach and a grasp of interesting issues. "He does all of the things that a blog should do," added Silverman. "A compelling and unique voice, decent writing, and taking on topics in a way that others do not -- that makes him stand out."

The blog also helps him accomplish his goal of giving online readers a wide range of area opinions, Silverman added. "I link to blogs that are personal in nature," he said. "And give people a feel for blogs."

Olafson, who is now working as the head of a real estate investment firm, appreciates the attention and believes it may indicate a change in the paper's view of personal Web sites: "It is great that they don't fear the blog anymore."