Q: I am new to Texas and want to check on laws regarding the advertising of alcohol and tobacco products in print and online that are specific to tobacco barns and liquor stores.
A: First, here is a link to a list of laws affecting advertising in the Texas Alcoholic Beverage code:
http://texaspress.com/legal-notice-laws
(Click “Alcoholic Beverage” to view the short list of laws.)
Second, another good resource is the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission marketing practices link:
It’s January, and thoughts will turn shortly to spring – but before that, many a publisher will be considering contest entries.
It will be June before those coveted plaques are handed out, but the deadlines for entries will be much sooner, and I have a few thoughts (and pet peeves) to share about newspaper contests and participation therein.
Q: I need campaign finance reports for a couple of contested local races, but I am under the impression that I may not get access to those in time to write a story before the election. What all do campaigns have to keep track of? Is there a way to get this type of information while it’s still extra relevant?
“But just as I say,
It takes judgment, brains, and maturity to score
In a baulk line game,
I say that any boob can take
And shove a ball in a pocket.”
– Professor Harold Hill,
The Music Man
By the time you read this I will have traversed my 60th birthday – or at least I hope I will have traversed it. I guess that remains to be seen.
Charles Walls doesn’t have that much time on his hands. After retiring from a career in architecture and construction, he moved back to his hometown of Des Arc, AR, to help his mother, Dean Walls, now 94 with failing eyesight, who continues working at the family newspaper, the White River Journal, which was started by Charles’ grandfather in 1907.
Q: I need campaign finance reports for a couple of contested local races, but I am under the impression that I may not get access to those in time to write a story before the election. What all do campaigns have to keep track of? Is there a way to get this type of information while it’s still extra relevant?
“But just as I say,
It takes judgment, brains, and maturity to score
In a baulk line game,
I say that any boob can take
And shove a ball in a pocket.”
– Professor Harold Hill,
The Music Man
By the time you read this I will have traversed my 60th birthday – or at least I hope I will have traversed it. I guess that remains to be seen.
ASK AN ATTORNEY:
Q: “How do the new FAA rules on the use of drones affect Texas newspapers? I thought we had a state law that pretty much prohibits use of drones for media photography.”
A: The journalism world celebrated this summer when the Federal Aviation Administration enacted its long-awaited drone rules, clearing the way for the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drones) for newsgathering.
Readers of this column might recall that we thought that the National Newspaper Association had gotten relief some months ago from the requirement to submit a marked copy with each issue of the Periodical newspaper, only to find that change slip from our grasp.
One item that distinguishes professional magicians from amateurs is the use of scripts. This is not to say that the professional will always recite – word for word – the same thing in each performance; however, the professional will always know what he or she is going to say.
The professional, whether a magician or a writer, will economize where possible and augment where necessary, and will know the appropriate time to do either.