Dallas Morning News exiles columnist to Collin County

by Bill Baumbach of The Collin County Observer

Dallas Morning News loves the revenue from this county, but they simply under report Collin County.

James Ragland

Last weekend, columnist James Ragland was arrested for domestic assault.

The Dallas Morning News suspended Ragland's column and reassigned him to the Collin County bureau to general reporting pending his criminal charges.

The Dallas Morning News does not think that a writer charged with wife hitting should publish a Dallas column. But the Dallas Morning News does believe that Ragland will fit in Collin County well (perhaps he would fit in better in Afghanistan).

The editor of the DMN was quoted in an article, "'James is being reassigned until his case is resolved,' said Bob Mong, editor of The Dallas Morning News. 'He will be reporting outside of Dallas County to avoid inevitable conflicts that might arise. James agrees with this decision'."

Say what? The DMN sees Collin County as exile in Coventry.

Dallas Morning News loves the revenue from this county, but they simply under report Collin County.

For example, look at the DMN's community page for Collin:

The page lists "Collin County Stories" -- the latest story is a week old, and the last one is almost 1 month old.

The page lists the "Allen Blog." The last post on it was written last June!

The "McKinney Blog" was not been updated since last July.

The DMN has not reported the district clerk's trial since Monday.

Since the Dallas Morning News layoffs last summer, the DMN has deeply cut the Collin bureau to a skeleton crew. DMN has several great reporters -- Valerie Wigglesworth, Theodore Kim, and Jessica Meyers. They have tried, with a couple of younger of reporters, to cover an area of 886 square miles with almost 800,000 residents.

Ragland is a graduate of Texas A&M Commerce. He has been a reporter at The Washington Post, The Washington Post Magazine, and Emerge magazine.

The DMN reports, "Dallas police arrested Ragland on Sunday after his wife, Shannon Morley-Ragland, 42, accused him of pushing her to the floor and grabbing her by the hair during an argument at their Lake Highlands home. Ragland posted bond and was released from the Dallas County Jail later that day.

"On Tuesday, Ragland’s wife filed for divorce, according to public records. She cited 'discord or conflict of personalities' between them. The couple has two children together.

"A judge on Sunday granted Ragland's wife an emergency protection order which prohibits him from coming into contact with her.

"In a written statement Friday, Ragland denied the charge, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine."

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Jason Rice, verified:

They have tried, with a couple of younger of reporters, to cover an area of 886 square miles with almost 800,000 residents.

And their advertising department is always astounded when they call to sell to us, that we are smart enough to say "Hey, let's go to your site and see how long it has been since you ran a story north of 635...."

1 year, 5 months ago
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rjkkhoury, anonymous:

I don't understand your "(perhaps he would fit it better in Afghanistan)." statement. Please explain.

1 year, 5 months ago
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Alex Bentley, staff:

rjkkhoury, there was a slight typo in that sentence (it instead of in), which I've fixed, but I get a feeling that's not what you're referring to. I'll e-mail Bill and ask him to respond to your comment.

1 year, 5 months ago
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