By Jordan Rudner The Daily Texan Richard Allen Finnell, journalist and long-time print adviser for The Daily Texan, died Feb. 21 at the age of 70. Finnell, a UT alumnus, was a mainstay of support for Texan staffers over the course of his 17-year tenure as adviser, according to former managing editor Jennie Kennedy. “When I told Richard I wanted to be managing editor, I was dumb, and 20, and had all these beautiful ideas — and he supported me in every direction I wanted to go,” Kennedy said. “The thing I loved about Richard is that no matter what […]
Read more →The Friends of the Daily Texan has made the first grant to The Daily Texan from the recently-created Innovation Fund, created to support a sustainable future, quality journalism and innovative work at the student newspaper at the University of Texas at Austin. The initial grant was $1,300-plus for much-needed equipment to allow the staff to create multi-media more efficiently for the web. “We are grateful to the FotDT for their continued partnership and support,” said Texas Student Media Director Gerald A. Johnson. “Prior to the Friends’ generous funding, the newsroom was sharing the personal equipment of the video editor. As […]
Read more →Saying “thank you” to an individual who meant so much to your life and career is not as simple as it might seem, because those words alone cannot fully convey the sincerity behind the remark. Nonetheless, University of Texas at Austin ex-students, faculty and staff and students – friends and colleagues from more decades than we care to admit – gathered Oct. 17 to honor and celebrate the contributions of Griff Singer, retired journalist and instructor at the journalism school at UT-Austin. The Friends of The Daily Texan alumni group sponsored the event. As the program cover noted, the event […]
Read more →The Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc., a non-profit group created by Texan alumni to help build a strong future for The Daily Texan, has created an Innovation Fund to support a sustainable future, quality journalism and innovative work at the student newspaper at the University of Texas at Austin. Friends of The Daily Texan is a non-profit organization formed in the spring of 2013 by a group of concerned alumni. The Daily Texan is known as one of the best student-run newspapers in the country, producing notable alumni like Walter Cronkite, and fulfilling an important watchdog role at the […]
Read more →The Friends of the Daily Texan will hold a benefit luncheon to honor Texas journalist and journalism professor S. Griffin with the inaugural Griff Singer Award for Outstanding Service to the Daily Texan. The luncheon is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 17 at the old art museum on the UT campus. Funds from the event will be used to create the Friends of The Daily Texan Innovation Fund, managed by the alumni group in support of The Daily Texan and its initiatives. Chairing the event is Jane Chesnutt, former editor of Woman’s Day magazine and a 2011 Distinguished Alumnus. […]
Read more →Cliff Avery has been re-elected as president of Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc. for another one-year term. Friends Secretary John Reetz has been re-elected for an additional term. New officers of the Friends group are: • Vice President Christine Garrison, replacing former vice president Lilly Rockwell, who remains on the board. Christine spent 1996-99 on The Texan as a reporter, assistant news editor and news editor before serving on the Texas Student Media board. A native Austinite, Christine graduated from UT-Austin with a Journalism degree in 1999. A short media career took her to newspapers in Austin, Houston, Charlotte, […]
Read more →Remember just a year ago that The Daily Texan was in the financial ditch, with no fix in sight, and no plan or vision to solve its problems? Remember the fear that The Texan would simply fade away, both as a print and digital product, bringing an inglorious end to a glorious 114-year history? Today the Texan problems remain (it’s not fixed, folks, so don’t relax your support), but there is a hope for the future and new management coming, and new supervision – the Moody College of Communication. Time has been bought to build a real business plan, and […]
Read more →Gerald Johnson, most recently the executive director of local advertising and digital services for The Houston Chronicle, has been named the new director of Texas Student Media. His appointment begins July 21, 2014. Texas Student Media (TSM) is composed of The Daily Texan, Texas Travesty magazine, the Cactus yearbook, KVRX 91.7 FM and Texas Student Television (TSTV). On July 1, TSM will officially transfer from the Division of Student Affairs and be housed in the Moody College of Communication. Johnson has more than 15 years of experience leading business development and sales initiatives for The Houston Chronicle and Hearst Media. […]
Read more →Bob Hilburn, known to two decades of Daily Texan staffers as an advocate, colleague and mentor, died Saturday, May 17 in Wichita Falls. Following a long, distinguished newspaper career – including coverage of the Kennedy assassination where he rode in the press bus that fateful day – he became Editorial Manager of The Daily Texan, serving from 1965 until 1985. He was a guiding light for Texan journalists, and a true example of the possibilities of the future for impressionable Texan staffers and students. Out of respect by staffers, he was always called, “Mr. Hilburn.” And he always offered respect […]
Read more →By Roderick Hart / Dean, Moody College of Communication I was teaching happily at Purdue University when I got a job offer from UT in January of 1979. I accepted the offer and the next thing I did was take out a mail-order subscription to the Daily Texan. Knowing I’d be moving to Austin in June, I figured that reading the Texan would help me get to know the UT student body before arriving on campus. So my connection to Texas Student Media is a long one, and I now find myself in charge of its administrative side. Many details […]
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