Celebrating a busy year at the TCCJ

We enjoyed seeing everyone at the Texas Press Association Convention and Trade Show last month in Dallas.

And we are continually grateful to the Texas Newspaper Foundation for recommitting their annual TCCJ funding for another year.

By AUSTIN LEWTER, Director, Texas Center for Community Journalism

What we do is making a difference, and we could not do it without their support.

Each summer, the convention gives us a chance to take stock of the previous year and look ahead.

I offered my annual TCCJ report to the TNF board in Dallas.

We have been busier than ever, and I am happy to share how we spent the past 12 months at the TCCJ.

We hosted two overnight, in-person workshops at our Fort Worth campus during summer 2025.

Our Broadcast News for Community Journalism workshop welcomed 40 Texas journalists for an intensive, hands-on experience, giving them skills to go home and create better video content for their newspaper websites.

Later in the summer, we hosted our Finish Strong: Ad Power Sales Workshop — also in Fort Worth.

We hosted 60 ad pros and took a fresh look at sales strategies in Texas community newspaper markets.

Aside from our workshops, we hosted the Tarleton Comm Studies Open House in Stephenville in January.

This event hosted newspaper and university partners for an open house and a VIP experience at a Tarleton basketball game.

That great time was largely funded by the Tarleton College of Liberal and Fine Arts.

We don’t just host events though. We stayed busy racking up the miles and bringing programming to you.

Our travel stops over the past year included:

The TPA Convention and Trade show in Denton.

A traveling newswriting workshop in Taylor with all Granite newspapers.

A combo trip that included a newswriting workshop in Spur with five member newspapers and presenting two convention sessions at the Panhandle Press Association Convention in Amarillo.

Presenting two sessions at the Texas Community College Journalism Convention in Tyler. While there, we made a newspaper visit with the ETX Bell.

Presenting three sessions at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) Convention in Denton, where we also manned both the TCCJ and TPA booths at their Job Fair.

Hosting a panel discussion at the NETPA Convention in Pilot Point.

Giving a full day of training to journalism students at Halletsville High School.

Giving two sessions and hosting a Q&A at the STPA and TGCPA Convention in Port Lavaca.

Sitting on a panel at the Nepal America Journalism Association Convention in Irving.

Representing the TCCJ and Tarleton Comm Studies at a roundtable summit of non-profit news leaders at UT-Austin.

We also expanded outside of Texas more this year by presenting at multiple out-of-state venues at no cost to the TCCJ.

Out-of-state visits included:

Presenting sessions at the Missouri Press Association Convention and guest lecturing at Missouri Baptist University, where we also welcomed Texas reporters and journalism students to the conversation via Zoom.

Presenting three sessions to the College Media Association Convention in New York City, including one exclusively aimed at recruiting young journalists to Texas.

Presenting two sessions to the New York Press Association Convention and guest lecturing a full day at the University of Vermont — including two sessions exclusively aimed at recruiting young journalists to Texas.

We also maintained a busy schedule visiting newspaper locations to offer support and build facetime on the behalf of the TCCJ and TPA.

These stops included:

Visiting the new owners of the Centerville News.

Attending Dan Eakin’s retirement reception at the Silsbee Bee.

Making a combo trip that included newspaper visits in Eden, Brady, Comanche and Goldthwaite.

Visting Mineola to celebrate with the incoming and outgoing owners of the Wood County Monitor along with their staff.

Visiting the Graham Leader.

Making a combo trip that included newspaper visits in Dekalb, Cooper and Whitewright.

Attending Maria Weaver’s retirement reception at the Hamilton Herald-News.

Moreover, we had several other victories over the past year:

I personally made three professional introductions that led to three newspapers finding new owners.

I judged the Panhandle Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.

I served on the board of the National Newspaper Association Foundation and have been asked to assume the position of treasurer, which will put me in line to ascend in the line of officers.

Contributing monthly columns to the TPA Messenger.

Recruiting student judges and overseeing the judging of the STPA Better Newspaper Contests while also judging some of the categories myself.

Recruiting 35 professionals (most of whom are TPA members) to help judge the live contests at the TIPA Convention in Denton.

Recruiting new session presenters at the TIPA convention in Denton.

So, things have been busy.

Aside from the Center, I had students in my Advanced Reporting course work beats for newspapers across Texas. Several of those have turned into lasting positions.

I had a student intern at the Weatherford Democrat.

I oversaw the acquisition of Thrive Magazine from the Hamilton Herald-News to the Texan News Service/JTAC.

We placed multiple Tarleton grads at Texas community newspapers.

And speaking of Tarleton, we are expanding our journalism course offerings at Tarleton. Starting in 26-27, I am launching classes called “Community Journalism” and “Digital Journalism.”

I took four students to the CMA Convention in NYC and we had two students attend the fall CMA Convention in Washington DC.

And we are not slowing down.

We are set for our “Community Journalism Solutions Summit” July 30-31 in Fort Worth. Enrollment is filling fast.

I am set to attend and present sessions at the Panhandle Press Association Convention in Hereford.

We will host another workshop in Fort Worth this fall. Details are TBA.

We have been asked to host the Texas Community College Journalism Association Convention again this fall in Stephenville. We previously hosted them in 2024.

I can’t thank the TNF and TPS enough for their ongoing investment in the Center. By investing in us, they are investing in you.

We are committed to providing high-quality, professional training to you free of charge. The Texas Newspaper Foundation and Texas Press Service make that possible.

If you know a board member, thank them.

If there is something we can do for you, let me know.

My email is alewter@tarleton.edu and my door is always open.

Austin Lewter is executive director of the Texas Center for Community Journalism, based at Tarleton State University. He also serves as instructor of journalism at the university and faculty adviser for the Texan News Service and J-TAC newspaper. Additionally, he is a working owner and publisher of several Texas weekly newspapers.