Newspaper swagger comes in part by being a driver of thoughtful discussions and conversations in your community.

Doing so, however, can be tricky.

Good newspapers are thought-leaders in their community — an institution where courage and action sit side by side. A place where news events can migrate from the front page to editorial page, with the newspaper making important observations and asking key questions.

Street takeover spurs governor’s action

 Gov. Greg Abbott has created a statewide task force after several “street takeovers” recently took place in Austin in which motorists obstructed intersections, shot off fireworks and drove recklessly.

Abbott lays out seven top priorities

Here’s a periodic action item for every newspaper: The exercise can be quite revealing in evaluating how you are connecting with various audiences. It is even more important in today’s fractured media landscape and as everyday interaction can still be challenging in the aftermath of the pandemic.
For starters, ask reporters to identify the community newsmakers in a brainstorming session. Better yet, divvy up newspapers from the last several weeks and circle the names and faces in the stories and photos.

By Jim Pumarlo, consultant

Abbott issues disaster declaration, seeks fed help

Ice storm wreaks havoc in much of state

Residents in Central and Northeast Texas are still cleaning up after a winter storm last week snapped power lines and tree limbs, causing widespread power outages, canceled flights and damage to homes and vehicles.

At its peak, nearly 400,000 Texas households were without power, according to poweroutage.us. As of Sunday, that number had dropped to 62,456.

It’s broken-record time – but please don’t stop if you’ve heard this one before. I promise it’s worth another spin.

The 2023 legislative session is in full swing. Lawmakers walk the halls, move furniture, file bills, and create or renew relationships. The question is, are you engaged in the process?

Today’s readers don’t always know where to turn when they’re looking for local news. With so many options, and so many sources of misinformation, it’s not easy to know which news sites are credible and which are incredi-bull.

By Mark Stencel, JournalList

That’s why the Texas Press Association partnered last year with JournalList, a national nonprofit  news transparency program.

Lawmakers push $15K teacher raises

 A group of House Democrats is proposing a $15,000 raise for the state’s teachers and a 25% raise for other state employees by using some of the state’s record budget surplus. State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, announced the bill last week and was joined by Democratic legislators and teachers, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Border security, tax relief and raises top list