What the Texas Observer Has Taught Me
Almost everything I know about journalism, and much about life, I’ve learned from the editors, writers, designers, readers, sources and cranks who make up the Observer family.
Forrest Wilder
Forrest Wilder, a native of Wimberley, Texas, is the editor of the Observer. Forrest has appeared on Democracy Now!, The Rachel Maddow Show and numerous NPR stations. His work has been mentioned by The New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Time magazine and many other state and national publications. Other than filing voluminous open records requests, Forrest enjoys fishing, kayaking, gardening and beer-league softball. He holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Articles by Forrest Wilder
The Borderlands are a Sacrifice Zone for Our Terrible Politics
In the last year, Democrats agreed to border-wall funding that will fence off much of the Rio Grande Valley from Brownsville to Falcon Lake.
The Texas Observer’s Best Features of 2018
Our favorite longreads of the year.
The GOP Machine in Texas Seems to Finally Have Slipped a Gear
Over the last few years, something has been stirring in Texas. The midterm elections may signal a seismic shift in state politics.
Win or Lose, Beto O’Rourke Has Provided a Blueprint for Texas Democrats
Beto O’Rourke has run the best campaign of any Texas Democrat in a generation. What’s that mean for Election Day and beyond?
Lupe Valdez’s Performance Against Greg Abbott May Test the Strength of the ‘Beto Effect’
Even an extraordinary Democratic candidate running a flawless campaign would face difficult odds against Abbott.
Editor’s Note: The Long and the Short of It
Observer Editor Forrest Wilder on the importance of good longform storytelling.
A Time for Radical Thinking
We need more bold ideas that challenge Trump and restore democracy.
How We Got Here: The Disturbing Path that Leads to Child Prison Camps
Trump and Sessions are uniquely awful. But it’s also true that the road to this fresh hell was laid, at least in part, by Bush and Obama.
In Lupe Valdez, Greg Abbott Got the Candidate He Wanted
Abbott will spend lavishly to turn Valdez into a proxy for every other Democrat up and down the ballot.