By Dennis Spellman, Covering Katy News Publisher
FORT BEND COUNTY, TX (Covering Katy News) – The Fort Bend County Attorney's Office has now issued multiple public statements accusing Covering Katy News of misrepresenting what occurred during the Aug. 5 hearing involving Fort Bend County Judge Daniel Wong.
When a government office publicly challenges the accuracy of a news organization's reporting, that challenge deserves to be taken seriously.
I take it seriously.
Before writing this response, I obtained the certified court transcript, compared it with the courtroom audio and reviewed the reporting challenged by the County Attorney's Office.
The certified transcript and courtroom audio confirmed that Covering Katy News correctly reported what occurred during the Aug. 5 hearing.
The County Attorney's Office repeatedly asserted that Covering Katy News "misrepresented" the hearing. Yet, in multiple public statements, it never identified the specific quotation, sentence or factual assertion it claimed was incorrect.
That matters.
When a public official accuses a news organization of inaccurate reporting, readers deserve to know exactly what is alleged to be wrong so they can evaluate the claim for themselves.
The County Attorney's Office has repeatedly emphasized that Judge Edward Krenek did not issue a final ruling determining whether Daniel Wong lawfully holds the office of county judge.
Covering Katy News never reported that he did.
In fact, our story reported the opposite. We reported that the lawsuit remains pending and that Judge Krenek established an expedited schedule for the case to move forward.
That is exactly what occurred.
The issue, therefore, is not whether Judge Krenek entered a final judgment.
He did not.
The issue is whether Covering Katy News accurately reported the questions Judge Krenek asked and the answers given during the hearing.
The certified transcript confirms that Covering Katy News did report accurately.
For example, Judge Krenek asked whether Wong would continue to have authority to act as county judge until there was "a judicial declaration of some sort by a court of competent jurisdiction."
Kevin T. Hedges, chief of litigation for the Fort Bend County Attorney's Office representing the State of Texas, responded:
"He is entitled to exercise the powers of the county judge."
That exchange appears on pages 21 and 22 of the certified court transcript which is posted below.
Later in the hearing, Judge Krenek asked whether someone could simply declare Wong was no longer county judge before the court made such a judicial determination.
Hedges responded:
"It would have no legal effect. Absolutely, Judge."
That exchange appears on page 24 of the certified court transcript which is posed below.
The certified transcript reflects three separate exchanges in which the attorney representing the County Attorney's Office acknowledged Wong's authority pending a judicial determination—agreeing that Wong was the acting county judge before the case was filed, that he remained entitled to exercise the powers of county judge, and that any contrary declaration would have no legal effect until the court ruled.
Earlier, while discussing the procedures required under Rule 781, Judge Krenek explained:
"We can't put the cart before the horse and make a determination before he's entitled to his due process rights because that's what Rule 781 says we must do..."
That statement appears on page 18 of the certified court transcript which is posted below.
These are not excerpts from an unofficial transcript.
They are quotations from the certified transcript, confirmed by the courtroom audio.
The County Attorney's Office is entitled to argue that those exchanges should be interpreted differently or that they should not be given the legal significance others attribute to them. That is a legal argument. It is different from claiming that Covering Katy News inaccurately reported what occurred during the hearing. Those are two separate issues. One concerns the legal consequences of the hearing. The other concerns the accuracy of the reporting.
Rather than asking readers to rely on competing characterizations of the hearing, I am publishing the courtroom exchange discussed in this editorial together with the corresponding pages of the certified court transcript.
You can read the official transcript. You can compare the official record with our reporting. Then you can decide whether Covering Katy News correctly reported what occurred in the courtroom.
Accuracy is not determined by who issues a press release. It is determined by the official record.
The public deserves nothing less.
Certified Court Transcript:
The following pages from the certified transcript are included for readers who wish to review the official record:
- Page 18 – Judge Krenek discusses Rule 781 and explains why due process must occur before a judicial determination.
- Pages 21–22 – Judge Krenek asks whether Wong continues to have authority absent a judicial declaration. Hedges responds: "He is entitled to exercise the powers of the county judge."
- Page 24 – Judge Krenek asks whether someone could simply declare Wong was no longer county judge before a judicial determination. Hedges responds: "It would have no legal effect. Absolutely, Judge."
See what the County Attorney's Office has posted about Covering Katy News
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The Fort Bend County Attorney's Office issued this public statement accusing Covering Katy News of misrepresenting the Aug. 5 court hearing involving Fort Bend County Judge Daniel Wong. This editorial responds to those claims. Page 1.
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The Fort Bend County Attorney's Office issued this public statement accusing Covering Katy News of misrepresenting the Aug. 5 court hearing involving Fort Bend County Judge Daniel Wong. This editorial responds to those claims. Page 2
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The Fort Bend County Attorney's Office issued this social media post accusing Covering Katy News of misrepresenting the Aug. 5 court hearing involving Fort Bend County Judge Daniel Wong. This editorial responds to those claims.
Transparency Statement
Covering Katy News believes readers should have the information necessary to evaluate our reporting. As disclosed in our original Aug. 5 story, the editor and publisher of Covering Katy News is employed by Fort Bend County Precinct 3 as Media Relations and External Engagement Manager.
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When our reporting was publicly challenged by an elected official, we didn't ask readers to simply trust us. We obtained the certified court transcript. We compared it with the courtroom audio. We reviewed our reporting against the official record. Then we published the evidence so readers could evaluate it for themselves.
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