Update to original story 01/16/26 at 12:25 p.m.: Fort Worth Report CEO Chris Cobbler returned this comment after publication time: “We proudly formed the Fort Worth Report five years ago because of the crisis locally in trusted local news. We value all of our employees who have been dedicated to this mission. A group of colleagues have shared with us their intent to form a Fort Worth Report union. We do want everyone involved to understand there is a legal process, and it will require some time to review. In the meantime, our newsroom will continue to do important work that we are called to do on behalf of Fort Worth.”
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An overwhelming majority of eligible staff at the Fort Worth Report announced on January 15 that they are forming a union. This move is part of a growing wave of labor actions in newsrooms across North Texas, as media workers reportedly face growing layoffs and ownership changes.
The Fort Worth Reporters Guild said in a January 15 press release that 85% of eligible employees signed union authorization cards and are seeking voluntary recognition from the nonprofit newsroom’s CEO, publisher, and board of directors.
The union is affiliating with the Media Guild of the West and The NewsGuild-CWA, which represents journalists across Texas and the Southwest.
“Creating avenues for staff to properly advocate is paramount for success as the Fort Worth Report continues to grow its impact,” the Guild’s organizing committee said in a statement.
The Fort Worth Report, founded as a nonprofit local newsroom, employs about 25 staffers and publishes more than 150 stories per month, according to the Guild presser.
Employees cited staff turnover, 21 departures across business and editorial teams in fewer than five years, and the absence of formal workplace protections as key motivations for organizing.
The unionization effort comes amid a turbulent period for journalism workers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
In 2025, newsroom employees at The Dallas Morning News announced 26 positions would be eliminated following Hearst’s acquisition of the paper, a move the union alleged violated its existing collective bargaining agreement, according to a report published by D Magazine.
In Austin, Hearst declined to honor a recently ratified union contract at the Austin American-Statesman, prompting concerns among Texas newsroom unions about job security and bargaining rights.
Fort Worth Report employees also pointed to recent organizing successes in Texas, including formal recognition of the Texas Tribune Guild in February 2024 after it secured support from roughly 90% of eligible staff, according to The NewsGuild statement.
Against that backdrop, Fort Worth Report employees said in the Newsguild press that the organizing effort is focused locally rather than politically.
The press release said the workers are seeking transparent pay scales, layoff protections, fair hiring standards, and benefits aimed at sustaining the newsroom’s public-service mission.
With its announcement, the Fort Worth Report became the latest Texas newsroom to unionize, joining peers in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio.
The Dallas Express reached out to Chris Cobler, the CEO of the Fort Worth Report, via email, but he did not return a comment before publication.
