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Hamm to succeed Al Cross as director of Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Benjamin R. “Benjy” Hamm will become the new director of the The University of Kentucky’s Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues on Aug. 16.

Hamm has held leadership positions for nearly 30 years in news-media organizations including Landmark Media Enterprises, the New York Times Co. and The Associated Press. For the last four years, he has taught journalism at Campbellsville University.

Hamm will be associate extension professor in UK’s School of Journalism and Media, part of the College of Communication and Information.

To build trust and your audience, show how much you care, not just how much you know

The national headline on stories about the latest poll on the news media and democracy were about its finding that half of Americans believe national news organizations deliberately “mislead, misinform or persuade the public to adopt a particular point of view through their reporting,” as Associated Press media writer David Bauder put it. He added, “In one small consolation, Americans had more trust in local news.”

By Al Cross, Director, Institute for Rural Journalism, University of Kentucky

FOI Guest Column: Texas Public Information Act’s 50th anniversary an excellent time to strengthen the landmark law

Fifty years ago, responding to public demand in an era of reform, Texas enacted a sweeping law ensuring the people’s right to know about their government.
The Texas Public Information Act – originally known as the Open Records Act when it passed in 1973 – was one of the strongest transparency laws in the nation. It allowed Texans to hold their state and local governments accountable by obtaining all sorts of public records. 

By Kelley Shannon, Executive Director, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas

TPA Award nominations due March 1

March 1 is the deadline to submit nominations for Texas Press Association awards to be presented at the 2023 Convention and Trade Show June 1-3 at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock.

The honors include:

• Fred Hartman Award for Outstanding Sports Writing

This year, the award honoring the late Fred Hartman of Hartman Newspapers will be presented to a sports writer working at a Texas newspaper of less than 10,000 circulation. The award includes a cash prize.

Restoring trust, credibility

The Dallas Morning News recently published an Opinion package on rebuilding trust in the news media.
Editors explained in their prelude:
"As part of our series on the American Middle, we recognize that polarization within the news media has contributed to divisions in our society and eroded trust in the news media. We have taken a closer look at the depth of this problem and considered potential causes.

How to make government accountable

Our Founding Fathers understood that nothing was more important to successful self-government than a robust free press.

Analysis by Donnis Baggett, Texas Press Association

Transparency and accountability weren’t political buzzwords back then, but those who crafted the framework of our republic made it clear that an unfettered press was the best watchdog for holding government accountable to its citizens.

Newsprint survey due Jan. 31

Publishers and printing company officials are reminded that the annual recycled newsprint survey form must be filed by Jan. 31.

Each year, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) collects data on recycled newsprint. Texas law requires that newspaper publishers submit their report for 2022 to the TCEQ by Jan. 31. The current survey form is available online for publishers to fill out and return to the TCEQ.

Big Bend Sentinel visit inspiring for 2023

Picture a small newspaper office with nearly a dozen people waiting patiently in line. They are young, energetic and engaged in the world around them. On the other side of the counter are members of a team dedicated to serving the community with the most relevant community news and information.

And in the case of The Big Bend Sentinel, they will also make you a great cup of coffee.

By Leonard Woolsey, TPA President

Texas Better Newspaper Contest opens for entries Jan. 23

As 2022 draws to a close, staffers of TPA member newspapers should start thinking about coverage, photos, special sections and other work they will enter in the next Texas Better Newspaper Contest.
The schedule for the next contest starts earlier than past years, so it’s already time to start narrowing down choices and gathering page PDFs for entries. There’s also a new contest platform for the statewide contest.

TPA enlists Santa’s help for upcoming session

Last week the screen of my cellphone lit up as the electronic brick began vibrating across the nightstand. Fumbling, I stabbed at the phone and flipped it open to see who decided 2 a.m. was a good time to call. 
Squinting, my eyes made out the letters K-R-I-S.

By LEONARD WOOLSEY, TPA President 

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