The bench is warm

It is that time of year. 

The bluebonnets are in bloom, the hummingbirds are on the move, the days are longer and the afternoons are warmer. 

By Austin Lewter, director, Texas Center for Community Journalism

Spring of the year is upon us, but in the newspaper business that means a whole lot more than just the blooming of the cotton woods. 

It’s convention season. 

Press associations and trade groups are holding their summits and trade shows and awards dinners.

I try to attend as many as I can and am blessed to participate in both professional and student trade groups. 

I caught up with many of you a few weeks back in Fairfield with the North and East Texas Press Association.

It is my longtime regional group and it is always a pleasure to catch up with my friends there. 

Gulf Coast and South Texas press merged their conventions a few years back and it seems to have been successful. 

They met in New Braunfels a few weeks ago and I stopped by for lunch. 

I could not stay for the whole event because, concurrently, the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) was hosting their convention 15 miles up the road in San Marcos. 

In my role at the university, I took 11 of our brightest young journalists to that three-day event. They were among 450 other college journalists from across the state, ranging from DI, Big 12 institutions to small two-year schools. 

It is invigorating to work with these young people. 

They’re smart and bright and energetic and I’m blessed. 

I left the TIPA trade show floor Friday and swung down to New Braunfels for lunch. 

I caught the tail end of a documentary viewing before breaking bread with our South Texas and Gulf Coast friends. 

The transition from one event to the next was stark. 

I left a room full of 19- and 20-year-olds and entered a room full of well— let’s just say “not 20 year-olds.” 

The professional group was majority boomers and Gen X. 

The college group was all Gen Z. 

I am the millennial in the middle.

I realized I was literally moving between multiple generations of stakeholders in the same industry. 

I pointed this out in my welcome remarks over lunch. 

The kids are ready, and things will be alright in their hands. And I mean that. They are ready to do the work.

And they will need to do so, because journalism is important. 

Our nation needs journalists and there are energetic young journalists coming down the pike. 

It is our job to encourage them and train them and mold them and then get out of their way. 

I get to travel the state and spend time with some of the best among us —  journalists young and old. 

But leaving one group and crossing a generational line to another really left me wondering why are we holding these separate events?

What really needs to happen is an event that welcomes all generations to the table — a professional convention or summit that bridges the four generations of stakeholders.

Such conversations could be enlightening at all ends of the age spectrum. I guarantee you inspiration would be found. 

We must start these generational conversations in our industry. Our older colleagues have a bunch of wisdom, but not much energy. 

Our younger colleagues have a bunch of energy, but not much wisdom. 

Let’s start the conversation. 

Let’s bridge the gap. Let’s work together to ensure the future of the fourth estate.

You will hear from me in the days and weeks to come about the center’s renewed commitment to fostering these inter-generational conversations. 

I can’t stress it enough — the bench is warm. They are ready to get in the game. I challenge you to be the coach that takes a chance on that promising rookie slugger.