The Panhandle is remote, but friends are close

By KEN ESTEN COOKE, 2023-24 TPA President

“Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study, and the passionate possession of all Texans.”

– John Steinbeck

Ah, the Panhandle plains. Being in the Hill Country, I don’t get to visit “up yonder” frequently, but I was fortunate to attend the Panhandle Press Association’s regional convention in Canyon.

I enjoyed reconnecting with friends from that part of the state. As TPA president, I’ll try to attend all of these. (Sadly, West Texas Press canceled its convention last month.)

We had some good discussions around advertising and ethics and heard great tips on podcasting from Austin Lewter, director of the Texas Center for Community Journalism at Tarleton State University. We also enjoyed “Texas, The Musical” at Palo Duro Canyon State Park, and staying up too late in the hospitality suite trading best practices and swapping humorous “war stories.”

We also got a tour of the Canyon News operations, and Mike and Ilene Hodges reminisced about their time at that paper when they were in their courting phase.

Thanks to those I jokingly call “Panhandlers,” Roger Estlack (who runs the Clarendon Enterprise my great grandfather founded), Jeff Blackmon of the Hereford Brand, Tim Ritter of the Canyon News and others who showed us a great time.

Going to conventions — regional, state or national — helps keep me motivated, and I get enthused from the energy others put into our craft. Every newspaper publisher is familiar with the phrase “Familiarity breeds contempt,” and our own worst critics likely hail from our own towns. But conventions offer an opportunity to feed off others and bring great ideas back to our operations.

We all are working with far fewer staff than we once fielded. But it’s still important to support our regional associations with our presence and dues. South Texas Press Association, touted as the largest regional association in the nation, is going to combine with Gulf Coast Press for its next convention to try and save resources.

Time will tell if the regional associations take on a different form. As one who grew up attending South Texas Press Association conventions, I can say these conventions and my family members planted seeds that turned into a rewarding career. I certainly hope the regionals continue to be an important part of maintaining our best practices, and more importantly, our friendships with fellow journalists.

—kec—

There have been some disturbing news stories in the world of journalism lately. The raid on a small paper in Marion, Kansas, and the death of its 98-year-old publisher the following day, received national attention.

As more details emerge, it’s an obvious overstepping of a local judge and law enforcement personnel, and hopefully heads will roll and people around the country will recognize it for the egregious infringement on the free press that it was.

Texas A&M botched the hiring of our friend Kathleen McElroy and ended up settling for $1 million with her. She decided to stay at the University of Texas after the disrespect showed to her, an alumnus no less. It appears it was all due to political pressure from regents who apparently want to train future Texas journalists to be conservative rather than objective.

Dr. McElroy is a friend to community journalism, and a friendly presence at our conventions, so this stung. This was a disappointing episode for one of the state’s flagship institutions. We all looked forward to the return of its journalism program after 20 years of being shuttered. The problem is we need a good J-school at A&M to help feed our rural workers to newspaper operations.

These are touchy times for the Fourth Estate, whether one is at The New York Times or the Port Aransas South Jetty. Those who live and breathe politics feel freer than ever to attack the institution when they read something they don’t like or simply “cancel” them.

Let’s stay strong and continue to stand up for a free press, which means a stance for democracy itself.

What I’m reading: “The Gutenberg Parenthesis,” by Jeff Jarvis. Before the printed word, knowledge was passed through conversations. As our print products turn to digital, Jarvis takes a big view of the “end of print” and what we can learn. I disagree with Jarvis on some things (like not making Google and Facebook compensate for using our content), but he is always thoughtful, and I learn a lot from his writings.

Please connect on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or X (@kenestencooke).