BUNA – Buna Beacon owner-publisher Terry Lee Wells died Sept. 28 at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont. He was 55.
Funeral services were held Oct. 6 at Adams E.E. Stringer Funeral Home in Kirbyville, with burial at Antioch Cemetery in Buna.
A native of Orange, Wells is survived by his wife, Marjorie Wells, three brothers and other relatives.
AUSTIN – Veteran journalist Terry Young, a former president of the Austin Headliners Club, died Oct. 1 at his home in Cedar Park.
He was 81.
A native of Pampa, Young excelled at baseball after his family relocated to the Rio Grande Valley. While still in his teenage years, he became a sportswriter and editor, capacities in which he served for three daily papers while pursuing his love of athletics in high school and beyond.
The Texas Press Association recently recognized Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, as a Champion of Transparency for his work to keep public notices in newspapers. Murr has represented District 53 since 2014. The award was presented by Melissa Perner, publisher of the Ozona Stockman, during a recent town hall meeting in Ozona.
Q: An incumbent officeholder is pressuring me to publish his paid political advertisement well past our press deadline. Also, the ad contains false or unsubstantiated allegations against his opponent. Am I required to publish the ad?
As journalists, we have always been aware of the power words have—even when carefully wielded—to provoke outrage and to incite sometimes violent response. But today there is a heightened awareness of the hazards we face, both in reporting the news and in commenting editorially on the issues of our time.
Q: A prominent member of the community submitted something labeled as a “news report” on a controversial local topic. He asked us to publish it in the news section of our next edition under his byline. It’s not straight reportage — obviously an opinion piece — it’s way too long and we’ve learned it is the work of a ghostwriter who lives in town. My tendency would be not to run it for the aforementioned reasons. Any thoughts?
If we weren’t already convinced that the proverbial pen packs a powerful punch, the newspaper industry’s recent success in battling those Canadian newsprint tariffs ought to make all of us sit up a little straighter today. In fact, that victory offers pretty compelling testimony to what we can accomplish as an association, when enough of us take a few minutes out of our already busy days, to make a phone call, write a letter or email, and sling a little ink at an issue that threatens our livelihoods and our profession.
First Amendment attorney Laura Prather was awarded the 2018 James Madison Award by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas at the group’s annual conference in September.
The award honoring commitment to upholding the principles of the First Amendment and open government was presented during the John Henry Faulk Award Luncheon.
State Bar of Texas President Joe K. Longley and SBOT Public Affairs Committee Chair Rudy England welcomed journalists from around the state as winners of Texas Gavel Awards, presented at the John Henry Faulk Award Luncheon during the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas annual conference.
The State Bar of Texas Public Affairs Committee presents the Texas Gavel Awards for journalism that deepens public understanding of the legal system.
The 2018 award winners are:
Print, Major Metro
AUSTIN - Two Texas news organizations have won the Spirit of FOI Award for reports exposing the secrecy behind Austin’s city manager selection process and the peculiar lack of information following the resignation of the Bryan Independent School District superintendent.
The Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Award, presented by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, highlights journalism that upholds First Amendment principles and promotes or uses open government laws such as the Texas Public Information Act.