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Prime time to take inventory of your newsmakers

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

Week of Feb. 13 - 17

Abbott issues disaster declaration, seeks fed help

Week of Feb. 6 - 10

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.

Find common ground with elected officials

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?

Transparency helps news outlets rise above digital din

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.

Week of Jan. 30 - Feb. 3

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.

Week of Jan. 23 - 27

Border security, tax relief and raises top list

Week of Jan. 16 - 20

Speaker open to resort-style casinos in state

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, told The Dallas Morning News and other media outlets that he is open to bringing resort-style casinos to Texas. But don’t expect to find slot machines in 7-Eleven stores if casino gambling is legalized. 

Week of Jan. 9 - 13, 2023

What to expect in legislative session

The 2023 Texas legislative session opened Jan. 10, with property taxes, gun control and the power grid expected to be among the top issues on the agenda.

The Texas Standard talked to political journalists Niki Griswold of the Austin American-Statesman and James Barragàn of the Texas Tribune to see what might be upcoming. 

Week of Jan. 2 - 6

Editor’s Note: This is an early holiday edition of Capital Highlights. It will be updated on Sunday as events dictate. Happy New Year, everyone!

Feds investigating meltdown at Southwest Airlines

Massive flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines during the Christmas holiday week are prompting the federal government to look into why thousands of travelers were left stranded across the country, along with huge piles of luggage in airports served by the beleaguered airline.

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