Houston Landing Impact Report 2023

2023 Impact Report

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Cover photo: Cars leave streaks of light traveling north down Interstate 45 from downtown.

(Mark Mulligan / Houston Landing)

The Houston Landing is an independent, nonpartisan news organization devoted to public service journalism that seeks to strengthen democracy and improve the lives of all Houstonians one story at a time.

Paul Cobler, political reporter, talks to Houston resident Nelida Eaton, 75, while reporting for a story. (Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Landing)

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WH AT ’S INSIDE

A Managing Moment Editorial Coverage Story Series 10 Most Viewed Stories of 2023 10 Most Engaged Stories of 2023 Defining Impact Tracking the Influence The Reach of Our Work Audience by the Numbers Live Journalism and More The Ecosystem of Accessible, Equitable Journalism Membership Donor Wall 2023 Impact at a Glance Editorial Policy 3

A MANAGIN G MO MEN T

One of the many discussions we’ve had at the Houston Landing is how we’re going to measure success in achieving our mission to improve the lives of all Houstonians one story at a time.

We decided early on that we had no interest in drumming up page views by publishing stories on our website that offer little news value.

Instead, we talked about focusing on a more important metric — impact.

Monique Welch, diverse communities reporter, interviews George Battiste.

(Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Landing)

“We are going to be driven much more by impact than we are page views,” Landing CEO Peter Bhatia said at a past newsroom meeting in May. “I’m much more interested in the impact of the work.”

What do we mean by impact?

Our job is to tell people what’s really going on in a complicated world.

Sometimes, that knowledge improves the world in tangible ways.

When we published investigative reporter Alex Stuckey’s article on Feb. 8 about the death toll of inmates in Houston-area jails who had mental

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Asher Lehrer-Small, education reporter, speaks with Jeremy Eugene during a community meeting at Pugh Elementary. (Joseph Bui / Houston Landing)

illnesses, the reaction was swift.

The next day, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced a $645,000 investment from the county to more than double the number of people aided by the county jail’s competency restoration program — from 70 people to 150. Hidalgo frequently cited Alex’s story at the news conference.

That’s one example of impact. But the range of what we consider impact isn’t limited to getting laws changed. When we make a difference in someone’s life, when we make a connection with someone, that’s impact, too.

And impact isn’t limited to our journalism. We’re here to inform the community and to listen to the community. We hold events and listening sessions across Houston.

We meet people, make connections and hopefully show a skeptical public what journalism is really about.

Skepticism of the media is at an all-time high. We’re trying to rebuild that trust, piece by piece.

We know that measuring impact is trickier than measuring a tangible metric like page views. So we created our own “impact tracker” for the newsroom to measure how often our journalism and community engagement efforts generate impact. We’ll share those findings in upcoming annual reports to the community and our members.

If we’re on the right track and our stories make a difference in your life, please let us know.

We’re listening.

John Tedesco,

MAN AGI N G EDI TOR

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Unbiased reporting and local stories are vital for communities, especially a community as vibrant and diverse as Houston. I’m happy to support an organization that holds that view.

Dee,

R I C E M I L I TARY H O U STO N , T E XAS

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A member of the Prairie View Trail Ride cheers on his horse in the Houston rodeo parade.

(Joseph Bui / Houston Landing)

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E D I TO RIAL COV ERAG E : STORY SERIES

HISD Coverage

Our education coverage, particularly of HISD, continues to attract wide attention, helping us grow our audience significantly.

Houston Landing’s coverage is focused on enterprise and accountability journalism and explaining consequences of K-12 education policies and impacts on students, families, and teachers. The Landing currently has two education reporters, Miranda Dunlap and Asher Lehrer-Small.

Houston Landing’s HISD coverage has frequently been republished and shared by other news outlets. One of the top stories by Miranda Dunlap – “Houston ISD superintendent eliminating over 500 positions from central office” — was republished by national news organizations such as Yahoo!

News and MSN.com; the education site The 74 million; statewide organizations such as the Texas Tribune; local news sites such as Fox 26; and hyperlocal sites such as the Gilmer Mirror.

Landing reporters toured four schools that are enacting new policies put forth by controversial Superintendent Mike Miles, offering a detailed review of what they saw and heard. They also revealed that Miles told staff that they can leave the district if they’re not on board with his strategy. Those stories generated more than 31,000 page views in September, and the tour story was cited by journalist Jim Schutze as an example of how a “scrappy” publication known as the Landing was beating the daily newspaper in its coverage of HISD.

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September 20, 2023

‘It’s a choice to work here’: HISD superintendent tells resistant staff they can leave

by Asher Lehrer-Small, Staff Writer PAG E V I EWS

20,635

USERS

18,251

AV E RAG E E NG AG E D T IME

1:38 minutes

November 3, 2023

Houston ISD teacher resignations spike in first six weeks of the year amid district overhaul

by Asher Lehrer-Small, Staff Writer PAG E V I EWS

16,209

USERS

14,861

AV E RAG E E NG AG E D T IME

1:37 minutes

December 12, 2023

Spring Branch ISD trustees vote to close 5 schools over student, family objections

by Miranda Dunlap, Staff Writer PAG E V I EWS

13,791

USERS

12,169

AV E RAG E E NG AG E D T IME

1:40 minutes

September 1, 2023

We toured 4 overhauled Houston ISD schools this week. Here’s a look inside.

by Miranda Dunlap & Asher Lehrer-Small, Staff Writers PAG E V I EWS

11,922

USERS

9,833

AV E RAG E E NG AG E D T IME

3:41 minutes

August 23, 2023

Inside HISD’s central office changes: Overstated job cuts, more top-dollar administrators

by Asher Lehrer-Small, Staff Writer PAG E V I EWS

10,368

USERS

9,213

AV E RAG E E NG AG E D T IME

1:44 minutes

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E D I TO RIAL COV ERAG E : STORY SERIES

Mayoral Survey & Voter Guide

In addition to direct impact, the Landing is also committed to providing resources and increasing civic engagement.

That’s why the Landing partnered with the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University to produce a first-of-its-kind, local multi-language survey that polled Houstonians on political issues that matter to them.

Unlike other polls that focus on likely voters, this survey sought a cross-section of all Houstonians to survey how their opinions matched – or differed – with the platforms of this year’s mayoral candidates. In a story published on September 5 by Matt Sledge, he describes that “Houstonians want their next mayor to take action on crime, the rising cost of housing and the city’s ragged roads and drainage, according to a first-of-its-kind survey of more than 2,000 residents.” The survey’s impact on the mayor’s race was immediate, with media outlets such as ABC13 and KPRC producing stories about it.

We produced five stories in conjunction with the survey’s release, each tackling key issues raised by Houstonians.

In addition to the survey, we produced a Houston mayoral voter guide, a free digital (web and mobile) guide detailing candidates and their approach to city issues in their own words. Our mayoral voter guide was the result of months of work that put readers front and center. We had asked the community to send us questions they’d like to pose to Houston’s mayoral candidates. We asked those questions and more, putting together profiles and video interviews with every single candidate we could reach. The result was a compelling, user-friendly package for voters that garnered more than 24,000 page views in September. We also launched a new election page to feature all our mayoral stories.

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September 5, 2023

New survey: Houstonians have many priorities for next mayor, from streets to housing to crime

by Matt Sledge, Staff Writer

September 7, 2023

Houston residents want next mayor to tackle housing costs, economic anxiety, survey finds

by Paul Cobler, Staff Writer

September 11, 2023

New survey shows Houstonians worry about climate change, but mayor campaigns focus elsewhere

by Elena Bruess, Staff Writer

September 6, 2023

Survey: Houstonians say crime is their top concern, despite falling crime rates

by Eileen Grench, Staff Writer

September 8, 2023

Roads, infrastructure among top priorities for Houston residents in Kinder mayoral survey

by Matt Sledge, Staff Writer 11

E D I TO RIAL COV ERAG E : STORY SERIES

Investigates Series: Jail Deaths

On February 8, 2023, Houston Landing’s investigative reporter Alex Stuckey first published an investigative story addressing mental illness within Houston’s County jails.

Stuckey’s news story stated, “The Landing examined extensive public records of how many people died of homicides, suicides and other unnatural causes in the custody of county and municipal jails across the Greater Houston area over the last decade had previously exhibited mental health symptoms that were documented by court, jail or law enforcement personnel.”

The same day her first story was published, family members were citing the article at a state hearing. The next day, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo repeatedly referred to the story when she announced more funding to keep people with mental illnesses out of the overcrowded county jail. Texas also passed a new law that addresses some of the concerns raised in the story; however, it’s unclear if the story inspired the senator to write that legislation.

In effect, the publication of Stuckey’s coverage of mental illness within Harris County jail inmates created an immediate awareness with Houston audiences.

The Carter Center, founded by Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter, reached out to us after seeing Alex’s investigation to collaborate with us. We’ve entered into an agreement with them where they will provide us a grant of up to $11,000 for our next story related to mental health care.

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PART O N E

February 8, 2023

PA RT TWO

Texans with mental illnesses are dying in Houston-area jails. They didn’t need to be there.

PART THREE

June 7, 2023 Nearly 200 people with mental illnesses died in Texas jails.

The death toll is getting worse.

August 31, 2023

PA RT FO U R

This Harris County program serves the most vulnerable. But it won’t bail them out of jail.

October 24, 2023 Uncounted: Harris County Jail didn’t report inmate deaths.

Did state law require it?

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E D I TO RIAL COV ERAG E : STORY SERIES

Colony Ridge

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit alleging that the developer of the Colony Ridge neighborhood in Liberty County used fraudulent lending practices targeting tens of thousands of Latino buyers.

The allegations by the federal government echoed a Houston Landing investigation that was published the week prior.

“The impact of this Department of Justice lawsuit against Colony Ridge makes us all extremely proud of our work. There is no higher authority of criminal and civil accountability in this country, than the U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice. When the Attorney General delivers a 45-page lawsuit and the accusations align with our own investigation’s findings, this is a HUGE deal, especially for the residents of Colony Ridge.

It shows that the most powerful federal agency charged with righting wrongs on a national level believes that the findings in our investigations were on point. This lawsuit is a resounding alarm that elevates our reporting. It helps achieve the Landing’s mission of strengthening the lives of all Houstonians. The people we wrote about who say they were exploited, who say their dreams were shattered, now have a better chance at receiving the justice they seek.” - Mizanur Rahman

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Homes and businesses line the streets of the Colony Ridge area of Liberty County.

(Mark Mulligan / Houston Landing)

October 2, 2023

November 10, 2023

Abbott, lawmakers may target Liberty County housing development during special session

Texas lawmakers all talk, no action on Colony Ridge, despite leaders’ inflammatory rhetoric

by Paul Cobler, Staff Writer

by Paul Cobler, Staff Writer

October 5, 2023

December 14, 2023

Abbott raises alarm on Colony Ridge, but residents, local officials offer differing accounts

Colony Ridge sold over 35,000 properties. Nearly half ended up back in its hands.

by Céilí Doyle, Staff Writer

by Céilí Doyle, Monroe Trombly, Angelica Perez, Danya Pérez, Staff Writers and Marie D. De Jesús, Director of Photography

October 5, 2023

Backed by data, Liberty County sheriff disputes GOP claims about Colony Ridge crime

by Monroe Trombly, Staff Writer

December 20, 2023

DOJ sues Colony Ridge, calling it a ‘bait-and-switch’ sales scheme targeting Latino buyers

by Paul Cober, Céilí Doyle, Angelica Perez and Danya Pérez, Staff Writers 15

E D I TO RIAL COV ERAG E : 10 M O ST V IEWED STORI ES OF 2 02 3

Page views are the total number of times an article was viewed by a reader, while visitors show the total number of unique individual readers for a given story.

Measuring audience reach by page views is important because it shows us which stories are seeing the most traffic and consumption by our community. These numbers prove that the audiences Houston Landing is reaching are best served with stories that explain complicated topics, dive deep into hyper-local Houston issues, and hold local leaders accountable.

MOST V IEWED STO RY

July 6, 2023

Houston Police: Rudy Farias, mother misled authorities for 8 years in missing persons case

164,624 Houston police put one of the city’s most confounding mysteries to rest in July, announcing that Rudy Farias had not, in fact, been missing for eight years.

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by Jacob Carpenter, Team Leader page views

Investigators concluded that Farias and his mother, who reported her then-17-year-old son missing in 2015, had been misleading authorities for years in a case that garnered international attention. Our coverage was picked up by one of our news aggregators and sent nationally. This skyrocketed page views and made the story more visible to readers outside the Houston area.

TOP STO RIES BY PAG E VI EWS

67,491

54,399 21,658

November 6, 2023

October 1, 2023

July 7, 2023

By outing 19 students to their parents, Katy ISD violated Texas ethics codes for educators

There are 14 amendments to the Texas Constitution on the ballot. Here’s what they would do.

With water break rules blocked by new law, Texas workers have few protections from the heat

by Maggie Gordon, Columnist

by Tim Carlin, Staff Writer

by Elena Bruess, Staff Writer

20,635 19,754

18,717

September 20, 2023

August 28, 2023

December 14, 2023

‘It’s a choice to work here’: HISD superintendent tells resistant staff they can leave

Houston Public Library employees are leaving in droves, citing a ‘toxic’ culture of fear

Colony Ridge sold over 35,000 properties.

Nearly half ended up back in its hands.

by Maggie Gordon, Columnist

by Céilí Doyle, Monroe Trombly, Angelica Perez, Danya Pérez, Staff Writers and Marie D. De Jesús, Director of Photography

16,627

16,596

16,209

August 21, 2023

August 7, 2023

November 3, 2023

A Montgomery County lake is in danger of becoming a swamp.

Residents don’t know who can help.

What’s causing Houston’s brutally hot summer this year, and is any relief in sight?

Houston ISD teacher resignations spike in first six weeks of the year amid district overhaul

by Angelica Perez, Staff Writer

by Asher Lehrer-Small, Staff Writer

by Asher Lehrer-Small, Staff Writer

by Céilí Doyle, Staff Writer & Antranik Tavitian, Staff Photographer

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E D I TO RIAL COV ERAG E : 10 M O ST ENGAGED STORI ES OF 2 02 3

Engaged time is the average total time (that lasts longer than ten seconds) users are spending a particular article.

M O ST E N G AG E D STO R I ES

BY DAT E P U B L I S HE D

Engaged time is informative because it shows how much value a story is having with our readers. The higher the engaged time means that our reporting is reaching our intended audiences who then spend a significant amount of their time connecting with our journalism.

August 31, 2023

October 5, 2023

This Harris County program serves the most vulnerable. But it won’t bail them out of jail.

Abbott raises alarm on Colony Ridge, but residents, local officials offer differing accounts

by Alex Stuckey, Staff Writer & Marie D. De Jesús, Director of Photography

by Céilí Doyle, Staff Writer

3:23 minutes

3:03 minutes August 14, 2023

Houston family seeks answers on fatal police shooting, gaps in released footage

by Eileen Grench, Staff Writer

3:12 minutes

3:41 minutes September 1, 2023

We toured 4 overhauled Houston ISD schools this week.

Here’s a look inside.

by Miranda Dunlap & Asher Lehrer-Small, Staff Writers

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4:44 minutes October 17, 2023

There are 14 amendments to the Texas Constitution on the ballot. Here’s what they would do.

by Tim Carlin, Staff Writer

Time in Minutes

4:00 3:00 2:00 1:00

Story Publish Date - 2023

MAY 17

JUN. 1

JUN. 14

JUL. 18

AUG. 14

AUG. 31

SEPT. 1

OCT. 5

OCT. 10

OCT. 17

December 21, 2023

November 6, 2023

Overgrown lots, neighborhood activists sparked city probe of fired Midtown official

by Matt Sledge and Elena Bruess, Staff Writers

3:16 minutes

December O C T O B E R 11, 1 7 2023 4:44 SEPTEMBER 1 3:41

N O V Eme M B Ethe R 9 facts’: 3:31 ‘Show AUGUST 31 3:22 Fort ISD families A UBend GUST 14 3:26 NOVEMBER 6 3:17 demand O C T O B Eclarity R 5 3 on :14 DECEMBER 14 3:06 superintendent’s exit AUGUST 14 3:04 DECEMBER 11

3:03

by Miranda Dunlap, Staff Writer

3:03 minutes

3:30 minutes November 9, 2023

We asked 15 HISD students about big changes on their campuses this year.

Here’s what they said.

by Asher Lehrer-Small, Staff Writer

Mayor Turner, Library leaders skirt questions on ‘toxic’ workplace.

AUG U S time T 1 4 for 3 : 0action.

4 It’s AUGUST 14 3:26 AUGUST 31 3:22 SEPTEMBER 1 3:41 OCTOBER 5 3:14 OCTOBER 17 4:44 NOVEMBER 6 3:17 NOVEMBER 9 3:31 DECEMBER 11 3:03 DECEMBER 14 3:06

by Maggie Gordon, Columnist

3:37 minutes

3:06 minutes December 14, 2023

Colony Ridge sold over 35,000 properties.

Nearly half ended up back in its hands.

by Céilí Doyle, Monroe Trombly, Angelica Perez, Danya Pérez, Staff Writers and Marie D. De Jesús, Director of Photography 19

I want to support local, nonprofit journalism. It is likely the best model for the survival of local, independent print journalism over the long run.

Nick,

S O U T H C E N T RA L H O U STO N , T E XAS

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Trail ride members wait for their turn to participate in the Houston rodeo parade.

(Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Landing)

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D E F ININ G IMPACT: TRACKING THE INFLU EN C E

Since its launch, Houston Landing has been committed to its mission — to advance democracy in our communities and strengthen the lives of all Houstonians one story at a time.

Although the goal is always to serve as many people as possible and to make the work of Houston Landing easily accessible, the decision was made early on that there was no interest in drumming up page views by publishing stories that offer little news value.

Instead, the focus has been on growing its audience with in-depth journalism and the critical metric of creating impact. To establish a reputation for essential journalism, determining how to measure impact has been at the core of the Landings primary efforts.

Robert Harding, Jeremy Peaches, and Matt Sledge, staff writer, explore the future site of a community agriculture hub that will use hydroponic to grow produce in Sunnyside. (Joseph Bui / Houston Landing)

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IMPACT TRACKER

The Landing’s impact tracker is an internal data source that measures the reach and impact of published journalism.

51 14 46 40 15

media mention entries in our tracker

Since the soft launch in February 2023, there have been more than 228 entries, surpassing the annual goal of 200.

By August there were 111 entries, 3 months after the official launch in June.

This is where other media have cited our content in their stories.

entries that fall under government action newsletter mention entries media republished entries copycat entries

This is where other media newsletters have cited our stories.

This is where other media outlets have republished our stories.

This is where other media have duplicated our story.

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D E F ININ G IMPACT: TRACKING THE INFLU EN C E ACCOUN TABILITY & E XC LUSIV ES

We had 132 entries in our accountability and scoop tracker, which measures the number of accountability stories we have produced and the number of exclusive stories we have written.

Scoops are what we call the stories no other newsroom has written before. We also published stories that led the way in local coverage that would have gone untold if not for Houston Landing.

November 21, 2023 Conservative PragerU video questioning climate change shown in dozens of Houston ISD classes

by Asher Lehrer-Small, Staff Writer Before the story was published, Houston ISD shared that it was removing a controversial PragerU video from its curriculum that mocked climate change. From the story: “HISD will discontinue the use of PragerU content going forward, Chief Communication Officer Leila Walsh said Tuesday in response to questions from the Landing.”

November 14, 2023 ‘Forgotten’ inmate Syed Rabbani taken off death row after waiting nearly 30 years

by Clare Amari, Staff Writer September 27, 2023 METROLift is a vital service for people with disabilities. But it leaves some riders waiting.

by Monique Welch, Staff Writer Another accountability story, written by Monique Welch, examined the effectiveness of METROLift at picking up riders on time for appointments. Houston’s paratransit service offers people with disabilities affordable transportation whenever they need it.

This story explored the shortcomings of Houston’s transit system, the impact it has on residents, and who’s to be held accountable for the issues.

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The Landing’s series of “Lost Appeals” stories

by Clare Amari have shocked many readers.

The subject of several of those stories was Syed Rabbani, a Bangladeshi immigrant from Houston on death row whose court appeals had essentially been forgotten for 30 years.

Rabbani’s brother in Bangladesh reached out to Amari after reading one of her stories, saying the family had lost contact with Rabbani and wanted more information about the case. Lawyers for Rabbani highlighted Clare’s story in their filing with a judge to have their client paroled and reunited with his family. In the most significant development to date, Rabbani was finally taken off of death row.

October 12, 2023

October 26, 2023

Houston Public Library employees are leaving in droves, citing a ‘toxic’ culture of fear

Exclusive: Houston ISD replaced half of employees this year at overhauled schools

by Maggie Gordon, Columnist

by Asher Lehrer-Small, Staff Writer

Columnist Maggie Gordon wrote multiple columns on the Houston Library’s decision to stop accepting cash at its branches. As her columns pointed out, this harmed people who were unbanked - who didn’t have credit or debit cards. After her first column posted the library changed policy and said it would accommodate patrons who didn’t have credit or debit cards. But this decision was not advertised in the libraries - something Maggie talked about in a subsequent column. That column also produced an impact. The library decided to post a flier making note of the policy change.

There have been numerous exclusives written within Houston Landing’s Houston ISD coverage. One of those exclusives included Asher Lehrer-Small’s story on how Houston ISD replaced half of employees this year at overhauled schools. The 28 campuses under Superintendent Mike Miles’ New Education System saw dramatic staff turnover this year, a Houston Landing analysis shows.

October 26, 2023 Harris County criminal justice leaders debating reinvestment in ‘cite and release’

by Eileen Grench, Public Safety Reporter In June, reporter Eileen Grench published a story examining the lack of effectiveness of the “cite and release” program in Harris County. Her in-depth report found that the program that was once hailed by local authorities as a way to keep nonviolent offenders out of jail was rarely used.

In October key county leaders met and discussed how to reinvest in the program to make it work.

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I want news and information about Houston that helps me to live a better life and have a more informed perspective about the area.

Valerie,

H O U STO N L A N DING M EMB ER

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View of Houston downtown skyline from a pedestrian bridge at Allen Parkway.

(Marie D. De Jesús / Houston Landing

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TH E R EACH O F OUR WORK : AUD I ENCE BY THE N U MB ERS

“ If you build it, they will come” has never been the audience strategy for a successful newsroom.

Throughout 2023, we’ve built from the ground up by centering our mission around how, where, and who, we are sharing our journalism.

By using analytics data, we’ve measured the performance of reporting against goals and benchmarks, continuously surpassing audience growth goals initially set at launch.

The Landing strategically set up partnerships with several news aggregators, established multiple social media flagship accounts, created distribution channels via SMS texting services, and led with SEO best practices, which all produced dividends in expanding our reach. As we’ve grown our audience base, we’ve launched multiple email newsletter products, including our flagship morning newsletter The Launchpad, which have allowed us to deepen our relationship with segments of our audience. While numbers are great things for us as a newsroom to strive for, we know that sustainability will come with building real relationships and forging community with our audiences and that’s what our audience team has done throughout the year.

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H OU STONLAN DIN G.O RG

1,330,926

558

TOTA L PAG E VI EWS

TOTAL U SE R S

PUBLISHED STORIES

M O N T H OVE R M O N T H

2,194,282 JUNE

OCTOB E R

PAGE V IEWS

PAGE VIEWS

U S ER S

USERS

AVERAGE TIM E ON SITE

AVERAGE T IME O N SIT E

JULY

N OVEM B E R

PAGE V IEWS

PAGE VIEWS

U S ER S

USERS

AVERAGE TIM E ON SITE

AVERAGE T IME O N SIT E

AUGUST

DEC EM B E R

PAGE V IEWS

PAGE VIEWS

U S ER S

USERS

AVERAGE TIM E ON SITE

AVERAGE T IME O N SIT E

135,207 75,882 1:42

364,133 291,566 0:26

333,783 235,342 1:06

277,400 160,202 2:17

385,609 250,055 2:13

287,228 205,527 1:54

SEPTEMBER PAGE V IEWS

253,199 U S ER S

155,535 AVERAGE TIM E ON SITE

1:58

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TH E R EACH O F OUR WORK : AUD I ENCE BY THE N U MB ERS

Newsletters from Houston Landing keep you in the loop on all things Houston.

The Launchpad is our daily newsletter, and it’s designed with our audience in mind. It is where Houston’s stories take flight.

Our other two newsletters provide news directly to your inbox immediately when a breaking news story is published on the site or a weekly roundup of the latest politics and government stories that matter to you, from City Hall to local elections.

NEWSLET TERS TH E LAUNCHPAD

7,165 24.33% 4.15% TOTA L S U BS CR IBER S

OPEN RATE

C L IC K RAT E

BREA KING NEWS

1,618 30.96% 5.73% TOTA L S U BS CR IBER S

OPEN RATE

C L IC K RAT E

POLITIC S AND GOVERN ME N T

780

36.4%

7.98%

TOTA L S U BS CR IBER S

OPEN RATE

C L IC K RAT E

30

SOC IAL MEDIA IN STAGRAM

3,075

4.7%

FO L LOWER S

ENGAGEMENT RATE

TWIT TE R

5,092 3% FO L LOWER S

ENGAGEMENT RATE

FAC EBOOK

2,255

12.9%

FO L LOWER S

ENGAGEMENT RATE

LIN KED IN

2,012

6.3%

FO L LOWER S

ENGAGEMENT RATE

TH READ S

1,205

n/a*

FO L LOWER S

ENGAGEMENT RATE

*As a newer platform, Threads doesn’t yet report analytics data.

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TH E R EACH O F OUR WORK : L IVE J O URN ALISM A N D MORE

At Houston Landing we seek to differentiate ourselves from local and regional news via large impact-focused events and smaller audience-focused moments.

We are committed to prioritizing our connection to everyday people and empowering those impacted by problems to hold organizations and leaders accountable for creating solutions.

Houston Landing Live October 3, 2023

Houston Landing Live: 5 key takeaways on voting in the November mayoral election

by Matt Sledge, Staff Writer

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On Oct. 3, the Houston Landing hosted the “Your Voice, Your Vote” Houston Landing Live event at the Hobby Center. The event was centered around lifting the voices of everyday and inspiring Houstonians and audience members to see themselves as part of the solution to problems Houston is facing as we approach this next mayoral race. In collaboration with eleven civic organizations, we engaged with 175 attendees, who shared the event “exceeded expectations.” This was the first of many evenings filled with stories and civic action as we celebrated the power of each Houstonian’s voice.

July 25, 2023

Mobile farmers market takes fresh fruit and vegetables to Houston’s food deserts

by Elena Bruess, Staff Writer

Farmer’s Markets Across Greater Houston As an ongoing community engagement initiative, the Landing’s farmers market series aims to foster meaningful conversations and cultivate a deeper awareness of the challenges and triumphs that shape communities across the Greater Houston area. The Landing chose to attend markets across Houston to connect with a range of communities, listen to their needs and share the Landing’s intentions as a trusted, local news source. After attending four markets, members of the Landing’s audience engagement team introduced themselves to about 150 Houstonians.

September 23, 2023

Miles defends Houston ISD overhaul amid hecklers, criticism at Texas Tribune Festival

by Paul Cobler, Staff Writer

The Texas Tribune Festival The Texas Tribune invited Jacob Carpenter to TribFest this year to conduct an exclusive, hour-long interview with Superintendent Mike Miles. Our Q&A with Miles and TEA Commissioner Mike Morath helped make the Landing standout in its coverage of HISD and become a top source of news for readers. An estimated 8,515 attendees joined the Austin festivities in which 77% shared they will make decisions or take action as a result of what they learned at the 2023 Festival. The Landing’s HISD coverage continues to gain notice and broaden our reach.

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I sense a genuine commitment to service through journalism with your team and am hopeful [to] remain inspired to deliver quality journalism.

Shelly,

M E M O R I AL H E I GH TS H O U STO N , T E XAS

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Cleveland Glenn and William Polley do routine maintenance inside of a shipping container that they converted into a community garden, in Houston’s fifth ward. (Meridith Kohut / Houston Landing)

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TH E ECO SYSTEM O F AC C ESS I B LE , EQUITABLE JO URN A LI S M

Houston Landing depends on the contributions of our readers.

As a nonprofit newsroom, we want to serve as many people as possible. That’s why our content is free – with no paywalls and no subscription fees.

More specifically, membership is at the heart of giving at the Landing. We engage our members to join a community of like-minded individuals who want to support journalism, who want to improve their neighborhoods and support community resources. Houston Landing is grateful to have supporters join the journey to strengthen democracy and improve the lives of ALL Houstonians, one story at a time.

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2 02 3 IMPACT AT A G LAN C E

Our mission at Houston Landing is to strengthen democracy and improve the lives of all Houstonians one story at a time.

Since the Landing launched its daily news website June 7, we have seen more than 2 million page views by over 1.3 million users.

We have published more than 500 stories covering over eight counties including Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller.

Our readers learned more about their neighbors, their leaders, their public institutions.

They learned about the candidates hoping to become Houston’s next mayor. Our mayoral voter guide drew more than 93,000 page views, They learned about important ballot initiatives. Our explainer on the 14 statewide propositions on the ballot attracted more than 55,000 page views. If that doesn’t renew your faith in the masses and their reading interests nothing will!

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Our education coverage has been our most widely read topic so far, highlighted by important enterprise stories about HISD and our suburban school districts.

We’ve also had plenty of impact in personal and tangible ways.

Our “Lost Appeals” stories by Clare Amari have shocked readers. The subject of several of those stories was Syed Rabbani, a Bangladeshi immigrant from Houston on death row whose court appeals had been forgotten for 30 years.

Rabbani’s brother in Bangladesh reached out to Clare after reading one of her stories, saying the family had lost contact with Rabbani.

Lawyers for Rabbani highlighted Clare’s story in their filing with a judge to have their client paroled and reunited with his family.

We deeply believe no matter what issues in Houston you care about the most, the solutions will come from informed, engaged residents.

Houston Landing is dedicated to this work.

Thank you for your readership and support as we help solve big problems, tell untold stories, hold the powerful accountable and transform our communities for the better.

Danya Pérez, staff writer, speaks with Marc Campos, a political adviser, about his experience on why the city has yet to elect a Latino mayor.

(Joseph Bui / Houston Landing)

CO U N T I ES C OV E R E D

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Civic Engagement Columns Diverse Communities Education Environment Government Immigration Investigations

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Local news coverage - in the fourth largest U.S. city - is critical. I’m proud to support Houston Landing.

Claire,

H O U STO N L A N DING MEMBER

The poetry community welcomes Sherrika Mitchell to the stage at an open mic event organized by Write About Now. (Marie D. De Jesús/Houston Landing)

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OUR EDITO RIAL INDEPEN DEN C E

Thank you for your vested interest in the ethics policy at Houston Landing.

Houston Landing solicits and accepts gifts that are consistent with its mission and that support its core programs, as well as special projects.

Donations and other forms of support will generally be accepted from individuals, partnerships, corporations, foundations, government agencies, or other entities, subject to certain limitations.

Utilizing our online donation portal, anyone can make a philanthropic contribution.

Nonetheless, our news judgment is not swayed by any donor, and no donor makes any decisions related to our stories. Our acceptance of financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services, or opinions. We may consider donations to support the coverage of particular topics, but we maintain editorial control of that content.

Houston Landing is and will continue to be fiercely independent.

Our editorial policy can be read online at H OU STONLANDING .ORG /ET HIC S-POLICY

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