About

As a recent member of The Texas Tribune’s data team, I analyzed and visualized data and collaborated with reporters on stories covering health care, the environment, immigration, politics and more. I also produced my own data-driven projects, including a deep dive on Texas gun ownership and gun deaths, and a close look at the Afghan refugee experience in Texas. Previously, I was a digital reporter/producer for Texas Standard at KUT-Austin, and also independently reported and produced stories for radio, digital news and podcasts. One of those podcasts was a pilot for Audible about the seedy underbelly of American yoga. Prior to journalism, I worked in marketing for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. I have a master’s in journalism from UT Austin, a master’s in French studies from NYU and a bachelor’s in biology from UC Santa Barbara. Today, I’m a Texas-based independent journalist specializing in data reporting.

Find me on Twitter @Coco_Covey

Almost two years since Kabul fell, a frayed refugee system creates obstacles for Afghans in Texas

The refugee system in Texas and nationally is still recovering from major cuts under the Trump administration. The latest casualty is Texas’ largest resettlement agency, Refugee Services of Texas.

Toxic benzene lingered for weeks after shelter-in-place warnings ended following 2019 Houston-area chemical fire

The Texas Tribune analyzed previously unreported air monitoring data and records from the 2019 ITC chemical disaster near Houston and found that high benzene levels lingered in the air for two weeks after public health measures were lifted. Experts say more shelter-in-place advisories should have been issued.

Abortion rights supporters struggle to keep issue top of mind for Texas voters

Polling shows that a majority of voters in Texas oppose the state’s near-total ban on abortion, but they ranked the topic ninth on a list of most important issues facing the country. (Contributed data reporting)

Facilities for older, disabled Texans faced storm-related problems

Forty percent of Texas nursing homes reported power outages, structure problems to the state.

Critical decisions: Which Texas leaders call the shots on COVID-19

Yearlong data reporting project, in collaboration with the Texas Station Collaborative.

Staff vaccinations climbed at some Texas nursing homes; less is known about assisted living facilities

Federal data shows an uptick in vaccinations rates at 254 facilities in Texas, all of which receive federal funding.

Ofrenda: A decimation of people, a celebration of life

Texas Standard one-hour special honoring Latino Texans who died from COVID-19. (Digital editor)

After a hospital stopped delivering babies, Deep East Texas faces a growing maternity care crisis

Women in Deep East Texas drive over an hour to give birth after the last obstetrics unit in the area closed in 2019. But if closing the unit was hard, reopening it is proving nearly impossible.

Migrant encounters at the border are higher today than they were before Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star began

The number of migrant encounters at the Texas-Mexico border has climbed from 109,456 in March 2021, the month the mission began, to 116,976 in August — a failure of Abbott’s office’s stated desire to “stop this revolving door and deter others considering entering illegally.” (Contributed data reporting)

The women of Texas’ Secret Resistance

WNYC Studios: The United States of Anxiety podcast

Not just for soldiers: Civilians with PTSD struggle to find effective therapy

PTSD has long been associated with members of the military. But researchers have also learned it can develop in adults who have experienced chronic childhood trauma.

For Texas nursing homes, the biggest challenge from delta variant is maintaining staff

While there are more than 900 active COVID-19 cases among Texas nursing home residents, the severity of the disease and outbreaks are much less since most residents are vaccinated.

Texas telemedicine rules are changing. Here’s what you can expect.

Emergency rules established during the pandemic are set to expire at the end of August.

Texas’ complex relationship with firearms: Leading America in gun sales, but with a declining gun ownership rate

We examine decades of data on gun ownership and gun violence to show trends across the state. Some of them might surprise you.

For teens in Deep East Texas, accessing sex education and contraception is next to impossible

In conservative Sabine County, it’s hard for teens to access contraception or sex education beyond lessons on abstinence. The Deep East Texas region has one of the highest teen birth rates in the state.

Addiction experts warn: Texas push for online sports betting is a public health gamble

Lobbyists and some state lawmakers argue making online sports betting legal would be a boon to the Texas economy. But others say it could come with serious public health consequences.

Texas clinics busting traditional silos of mental and physical health care

Efforts to provide integrated care are spreading, especially in public health clinics.

Vaccine ‘hesitancy’ could keep many Texans from getting a COVID shot

A new survey found that less than half of Texans are very likely to be vaccinated against coronavirus.