J. David Goodman

I am the Houston bureau chief for The New York Times, reporting on the people and politics of Texas and Oklahoma from a home base in the nation’s fourth largest city.

What I Cover

I cover Texas, a broad mandate that involves lots of driving. I try to focus on the political and cultural debates that impact the direction of the state and, often, the rest of the country. I am interested in understanding, and helping readers understand, what Texas is like today, and the ways that such a fast-growing, larger-than-life place has been changing — and not changing — on a variety of fronts, from partisan affiliation to energy infrastructure to law enforcement. And I like good stories out of West Texas.

My Background

I have been a reporter for The Times since 2010. Before moving to Texas, I spent time in the state writing on the impact of the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. As a reporter in New York, I covered money in Albany politics, the downfall of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York Police Department. I graduated from Williams College and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. My first job in journalism was as a clerk at The International Herald Tribune in Paris, a job I landed by chance after giving guitar lessons to an editor there. I was born and raised in New York City, but my dad is from Dallas. I live in Houston.

Journalistic Ethics

All Times journalists are committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. What that means to me is that I make sure my work is fair to the people involved and an accurate reflection of what’s going on, representing issues from multiple angles. I fight to protect my sources and don’t accept gifts from anyone who might figure into my reporting. I don’t make political donations or participate in political activities.

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