Professional Experience
Professor, 1996-now
University of Texas School of Journalism Austin, Texas
Teaching specialties: financial journalism, copy editing, intermediate and advanced news reporting.
Director, Business Journalism 2009-2011
University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
Created a master’s in global business journalism program.
Now spend at least several monthsyearly in Hong Kong working on program.
Visiting professor, Business Journalism 2011-now
University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
Copy Editor 2006-2011
The Texas Observer Austin, Texas
Chief copy editor for all material in this 50-year-old publication covering Texas politics and culture.
Director, Market Commentary 1997-1998
Dow Jones & Co., Inc. (on leave from teaching) Manhattan
Led technology team that created an IP-based handler for Dow Jones Newswires; managed staff of exotic-bond (Euro-floaters, medium-term notes, etc.) reporters and editors.
Founder, Board Member 1996-2001
Adhesive Software Inc. Austin, Texas
Co-designer of Web publishing and data-management software. Prepared initial business plan, turned company over to professional management. Supervised production of documentation. Revenue in 2000, $12 million. Now busted.
Chair 1993-1996
University of Texas School of Journalism Austin, Texas
Managed budget, curriculum and personnel for department of 1,200 students and more than 30 faculty. Partnering with dean, secured more than $2 million in endowment funds.
Founding Editor 1992
Dow Jones Emerging Markets Report Manhattan
Conceptualized and implemented real-time newswire covering emerging economies. Hired, trained staff; managed budget; opened bureaus throughout South America.
Development Manager, Asia-Pacific 1990-1992
Dow Jones/Telerate Hong Kong
Created numerous bundles of Dow Jones news and Telerate data for Asia-Pacific region. Negotiated data procurement from Asian stock exchanges. Conducted extensive competitive analysis.
Reporter 1987-1990
The Asian Wall Street Journal Hong Kong
Covered equities markets, mutual funds, banking throughout East Asia. Wrote Your Money Matters column for expatriates. Led project that automated typesetting of Asian market quotes
News Editor 1984-1987
The Asian Wall Street Journal Hong Kong
Administered copy desk. Responsible for story selection and play. Extensive rewrite duties.
City Editor, Assistant Professor 1980-1984
University of Missouri School of Journalism Columbia, Missouri
Managed news coverage of The Columbia Missourian. Taught a variety of journalism courses. Co-managed Mizzou's Statehouse reporting program.
Columnist, Investigative Reporters & Editors Journal 1981-84
Investigative Reporters & Editors Inc. Columbia, Missouri
Quarterly column gleaning useful information for journalists from academic journals.
State Editor 1983
Austin American-Statesman (on leaving from teaching) Austin, Texas
Created state desk to oversee state, national capital staffs. Directed legislative coverage. Editing of daily state-desk content. Some reporting and writing.
Reporter 1978-1980
California News Bureau San Francisco
Staff writer for a syndicate serving Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, Newsday, Charlotte Observer and other East Coast dailies. (While attending Stanford.)
Instructor 1979-1980
California State University at Hayward Hayward, California
Taught intermediate news reporting and managed student newspaper. (While attending Stanford.)
Press Secretary, Advance Man 1977
Joe Christie for U.S. Senate Campaign Austin, Texas
Wrote speeches and news releases. Did advance work, opposition research, traveled extensively with candidate. Participated in campaign-strategy formulation. (On leave from Stanford.)
Administrative Assistant 1975
State Rep. Dan Kubiak Austin, Texas
Ran legislative office. Prepared bill briefings. Handled wide variety of constituent issues. Prepared speeches, news releases. Participated in strategy formulation.
Press Secretary, Legislative Assistant 1973-1974
U.S. Rep. J.J. Pickle Washington, D.C.
Wrote and laid out constituent newsletter. Prepared daily legislative briefs. Wrote speeches, news releases, etc.
Reporter, Copy Editor Portions of 1968-72
The Daily Texan Austin, Texas
At least one semester per year editing or reporting. Ended up specializing in Statehouse coverage.
Intern Portions of 1970-72
Read-Poland & Associates Austin, Texas
Wrote press releases and other materials for corporate and foundation clients.
Education
Ph.D. 1982
Stanford University Palo Alto, California
Specialized in computerized content analysis. Dissertation title: "Wasted Words: the Myth of Press Release Journalism in Washington, D.C."
B.J. 1968-1972
University of Texas Austin, Texas
Double major in journalism and government.
Research & Publications
Case Studies in Global Business Journalism, an interactive website for educators. http://jmsc.hku.hk/sites/casestudies/
“Obama can restrict Keystone XL, without killing it,” Houston Business Journal, June 19, 2014.
“Why the Grass Should Not Always Be Greener,” Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2013.
Proprietary Research:
- First formal, comparative statistical analysis of Asian-based mutual fund performance, 1987. Hong Kong Unit Trust Association subsequently adopted methodology.
- Formal content analysis of real-time economic news of competitors in Asia, 1990. Resulted in reorientation of some DJ/Telerate coverage, assignment of seven additional reporters to region.
- Comparative time-series statistical analysis of foreign-exchange broker, real-time quote contributions to Telerate global network. Very large data set, more than 25 megabytes, 1990.
- Time-series regression analysis of Euro-spreads as predictor of currency movements, 1990. (Evaluation of indicator for inclusion in a new analytic product.)
- Extensive database research on competitor business and products, 1990-92.
- Use of probability models in estimating revenues for new products, 1990-91.
Other Selected Research & Publications:
"New York Times Page-One Advisories as Agenda-Setters," Journalism Quarterly. Winter 1983.
Wasted Words: The Myth of News Release Journalism in Washington, unpublished dissertation (quantitative content analysis). 1982.
Contributor,The Other Government, by William L. Rivers. Universal Press. 1982.
"And Even If Your Toes Aren't Crushed..." IRE Journal. Spring 1982.
"Media Watchers Gig Reporters," IRE Journal. Summer 1982.
"Research Suggests That Readers Pay Attention," IRE Journal. Fall 1982.
"Houston in Washington," with William L. Rivers, Editor & Publisher. July 3, 1982.
"Mass Media Use and Partisan Stability: Are There Leaning Partisans?" with Richard A. Brody, Communication Research. Summer 1980.
"International News Flow and International Investment," with Jeff Shore and Larry Charles, Journal of Communication. Spring 1979.
"Ma Bell Guards Her Monopoly," The Progressive. February 1978.
"Mass Media and Voter Registration," unpublished paper, Stanford. 1978.
"Anatomy of a School Bill Battle," Texas Parade. September 1975.
"Political Suicide in D.C.," The Texas Observer. Month of August 1974.
Other Professional Activities
Invited speaker, Hong Kong Baptist University, “Ten Things You Know About the Markets That Are Wrong,” 2010.
Invited speaker, Tsinghua University, Beijing, “New Models in Business Journalism.” 2011.
State Department fellow, 2009. Taught business journalism workshops in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam.
Head judge, SOPA Awards, Hong Kong. 2010 and 2011
Moderator, SOPA Keynote Panel, Hong Kong. 2013
Board Member 1995-now
Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Princeton, New Jersey
Help administer nation's oldest and largest news internship program, other foundation programs.
Trainer 1996-2009
Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, Dow Jones, CBSMarketwatch, etc. Manhattan
Conduct various training programs in copy editing, business journalism.
Chair, Executive Board 1998-2004
Texas Student Publications Inc. Austin, Texas
Oversee $3.5 million a year student media conglomerate.
Memberships
American Copy Editors Society
Society of American Business Writers & Editors
Society of Professional Journalists
Personal
Married 40 years. Two children, both born in Hong Kong.