TPA Member Services Director Ed Sterling is retiring July 22 after 28 years of service to the Texas newspaper industry.
“His value to the industry cannot be measured and his absence will be glaringly obvious,” Executive Director Mike Hodges said. “We wish him the very best and hope that he fully realizes how much he is loved by all members of our association.”

Since Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for COVID-19 in early March, more than 90 municipalities, school districts and other governmental bodies have posted “Catastrophe Notices” under the Texas Public Information Act (PIA). Posting a Catastrophe Notice allows a governmental body that is being impacted by a “catastrophe” to suspend requirements of the PIA for up to two weeks.

American Press Institute has added more tools to the API website's COVID-19 resources.

Philip Austin Berkebile, Sr, who served as executive vice president of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association for 22 years, died May 1 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was 83.

Although the annual North and East Texas Press Association spring convention was canceled, results of the regional group’s contest were announced April 4, the day the awards presentation was originally scheduled.
The NETPA contest included two daily divisions, one semiweekly division and three weekly divisions.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Jeffrey Gerritt, editor of the Palestine Herald-Press, has won this year’s National Headliner Award for editorial writing. 
Gerritt was honored for a collection of editorials, including commentary from his newspaper’s “Death Without Conviction” series that examined the death of county jail prisoners by medical neglect before they got their day in court.

In a review of recent research, Columbia Journalism Review provides resources focused on scholarly research from communities in public health, in particular how the media and messaging interacts with, shapes, and influences public health. Click here to read more.