Thanh Tan

Thanh Tan was a multimedia reporter/producer for the Tribune from 2011 to 2012. She previously worked at Idaho Public Television, a PBS station that serves a statewide audience. While there, she was an Emmy award-winning producer/reporter/host for the longest-running legislative public affairs program in the West, Idaho Reports, moderator of The Idaho Debates, and a writer/producer for the flagship series Outdoor Idaho. Prior to joining IdahoPTV, she was a general assignment reporter at the ABC affiliate in Portland, Oregon. and a political reporter for KBCI-TV in Boise, Idaho. Her work has also appeared on the PBS NewsHour and This American Life. She graduated with honors from the University of Southern California with degrees in International Relations and Broadcast Journalism.

Past Contributions

31 Days, 31 Ways: Texas College Students to Receive Less Financial Aid

By Thanh Tan Aug. 4, 2011

DAY 4 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: Less financial aid will be available for college students in Texas. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
31 Days, 31 Ways: Exonerated Texans Receive Compensation

By Thanh Tan Aug. 3, 2011

DAY 3 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: In light of the case of Anthony Graves, the terms for compensating wrongfully imprisoned individuals have been more clearly defined. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich / Todd Wiseman
31 Days, 31 Ways: Feral Hog Hunting Takes Flight

By Thanh Tan Aug. 2, 2011

DAY 2 of our 31-day series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: Licensed hunters will be allowed to shoot feral hogs from helicopters. Full Story
31 Days, 31 Ways: Thousands of Texas Teachers Losing Jobs

By Thanh Tan Aug. 1, 2011

DAY 1 of our 31-day series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: Thousands of Texas teachers will not have jobs to return to in the fall, the result of a school finance plan that cut $4 billion from districts statewide. Full Story

Credit: Bryan McClintock
Video: Sunday Pundits Mention Rick Perry... Barely

By Thanh Tan July 31, 2011

The Sunday shows focused this week on the last-minute politics surrounding the effort to raise the federal debt ceiling. However, a few pundits managed to fit potential presidential nominee Gov. Rick Perry into the discussion. Just barely. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
Video: Rick Perry vs. Ron Paul

By Todd Wiseman and Thanh Tan July 29, 2011

Texas may have two well-known Republican candidates running for president, and some say Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul are "diametrically opposed" to one another. The real battle between them isn't over money. It's over ideas. Full Story
Video: Why Perry's Campaign Ads Are Effective

By Justin Dehn and Thanh Tan July 21, 2011

As Gov. Rick Perry mulls the possibility of entering the GOP presidential primary, the Tribune takes a look at how he has crafted his image in a series of campaign ads through the years. Full Story
Video Analysis: Perry's 2010 Ads (Part 4 of 4)

By Todd Wiseman, Justin Dehn and Thanh Tan July 19, 2011

Part 4 of 4 of The Trib's analysis of Perry’s campaign ads. UT-Austin political analyst and documentary filmmaker Paul Stekler analyzes Rick Perry's latest campaign ads from the 2010 gubernatorial race below, and notes the governor's campaign style has changed over the years. "The camera does like the governor a lot," he said. Full Story
Video Analysis: Perry's Attack Ad (Part 3 of 4)

By Todd Wiseman, Justin Dehn and Thanh Tan July 19, 2011

Part 3 of 4 of The Trib's analysis of Perry’s campaign ads below. This segment features documentary filmmaker Paul Stekler's analysis of Rick Perry's attack ad against U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison during the 2010 GOP primary, a race that matched Perry's campaign prowess against the state’s Republican establishment by tapping into the growing frustration against the federal government’s bailouts of the financial and auto industries in 2008. Full Story
Video Analysis: Bushes Pitch For Perry (Part 2 of 4)

By Todd Wiseman, Justin Dehn and Thanh Tan July 19, 2011

Part 2 of 4 of The Trib's analysis of Perry’s campaign ads. This segment features the only known ad to feature Rick Perry and the Bush family together, followed by political analyst and award-winning documentary filmmaker Paul Stekler’s analysis of the election for lieutenant governor Perry won by a mere two-point margin. Full Story