Everybody wants to be in the news business when they define “news” as repeating what’s already bouncing off the echo chamber walls, but not enough people are thinking about the quality of that sound.
By Yvonne Mintz, TPA president 2026-27
There is no replacement for local journalism, but nameless, faceless forces among us are attempting to give the illusion that there is. They’re taking the work we pay journalists to produce and using it as their own.
One thing that has remained constant in my 30 years in journalism is the importance of transparency in establishing and maintaining public trust. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, we say, and in the absence of sunlight rumors fill the void of truth and misdeeds continue unabated.
By YVONNE MINTZ, TPA President 2026-27
Never in our lifetime have we seen misinformation spread so rapidly, yet still some governmental entities refuse to release even basic facts that would help set the record straight.
For the first time in my adult life there will be no newspaper at the end of my driveway this weekend.
By Yvonne Mintz, TPA president 2026-27
No, I didn’t cancel my subscription to the newspaper I publish. And I didn’t suddenly decide to be an online-only reader. I have long enjoyed the ease of reading online our E-edition and other newspapers I subscribe to, but I still flip through the hard copy, partly to check print quality and just because it feels right to me.
All I ever wanted to do was write. As a voracious reader with a resulting wide vocabulary, my young imagination led me to scribble stories, poems and lyrics on discarded yellow legal pads from my dad’s home office.
By YVONNE MINTZ, TPA President 2026-27
Long before I understood the importance of community, watchdog reporting or transparency, journalism interested me because it offered a steady paycheck for doing what I loved — writing.
It is so hard to believe we are here at TPA Conference month, which also means the end of my tenure as your TPA president.
Time goes by so fast, too fast. I really had no idea what to expect for this year.
As I sit here and reflect, my first thought is that it really was truly an honor, privilege and a joy to serve all of you, as well as TPA as an institution.
By LISA CHAPPELL, TPA President, 2025-26
In the last few weeks I felt inspired and full of hope about the future of journalism and newspapers in general. It came from a most unexpected place.
I recently attended both the NETPA conference and the STPA / TGCPA conference. The speakers were all quite good, the discussions were helpful and enjoyable. It was all wonderful, but what blew me away were the young people who attended.
By LISA CHAPPELL, TPA President 2025-2026
How much more can we take?
That question is the topic of many of our conversations between newspaper colleagues. We discuss it quietly with almost a whisper, as if it’s some big secret we’re afraid others will find out about.
By LISA CHAPPELL, TPA President 2025-26
It’s the time of year for people in the newspaper industry to come together for camaraderie, education, information and fun. It’s time to sign up for your favorite press association conferences.
By LISA CHAPPELL, 2025-26 TPA President
Are you stressed out? Of course you are. We’re in the newspaper business, and stress comes with the territory.
By LISA CHAPPELL, 2025-26 TPA President
It’s become a lifestyle for many of us — operating on coffee and fumes, burning the candle at both ends. We wear burnout like a badge of honor, always working harder and barely coming up for air. But in reality we’re only hurting ourselves, our newspapers and our employees.
Happy New Year! It’s 2026 and the time is here to hold true to your New Year resolutions. Or maybe not. After many years of setting the same resolution — work out more, eat better, lose weight, yada yada — followed by my typical pattern of not sticking to it, I finally stopped making resolutions.
By Lisa Chappell, 2025-26 president, Texas Press Association