An association for alumni and supporters of The Daily Texan, student newspaper at the University of Texas at Austin

Journalism

Texan 2020 Hall of Fame Honorees: covering the globe from war zones to Wall Street, hospital operating rooms to classrooms…and beyond

A dedicated and talented group of honorees with an almost unbelievable range of experiences – locally to globally – comprise the 2020 Daily Texan Hall of Fame class. Consider these success stories of the honorees: √ Two globe-trotting, Pulitzer Prize-winning former AP photographers. √ A medical reporter and podcast host with 80 million downloads for a recent series. √ A former Texan staffer who has been the face – and voice – of the Longhorn athletics for more than 50 years. √ A Washington Post business and finance reporter focusing on Wall Street and government programs launched to save small […]

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Annual Friends Hall of Fame, Daily Texan Scholarship Awards Dinner To Go Virtual for 2020

The Friends of The Daily Texan annual gathering will be a virtual event this year, including awarding of seven scholarship grants for Texan staffers and honoring of new Daily Texan Hall of Fame members. The event was originally scheduled for an in-person gathering and dinner on Oct. 2, at The Union on the UT campus. But due to safety and health concerns, the in-person event will be replaced by a series of virtual events to be held this fall. This year seven Texan staff members will receive scholarship grants, one more than last year. The scholarship application process will begin […]

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Coming Soon: ‘Pancho Villa’s Saddle at the Cadillac Bar, Recipes and Memories’

In 1924, Achilles Mehault “Mayo” Bessan and his eighteen-year-old bride journeyed from New Orleans to Mexico, where he ultimately transformed a dirt-floored cantina in Nuevo Laredo into a bar and restaurant renowned across the United States for its fine seafood and fancy cocktails. That story comes to life in “Pancho Villa’s Saddle at the Cadillac Bar, Recipes and Memories,” which will be published this fall by Texas A&M Press. The author, Wanda Garner Cash, is a granddaughter of the founder and a daughter of Porter Garner, who built its modern reputation during his tenure from 1946 until 1979. Cash, who […]

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Krissah Thompson named first Managing Editor for Diversity and Inclusion at The Washington Post

The Washington Post has named Krissah Thompson as its first managing editor for diversity and inclusion. The 41-year-old newsroom veteran is the first African American woman to become managing editor in the paper’s 143-year history. And she’s an alum of The Daily Texan. Congratulations to Krissah and The Post. Below is a profile of Krissah from the Friends of The Daily Texan website, recounting her days at The Texan and her career. And her bio: Education: Master of Journalism, University of Maryland; College Park & Bachelor of Journalism and Plan II Honors, University of Texas at Austin Krissah Thompson began writing for […]

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Senator Zaffirini wins top Press Women of Texas communications award

Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, has won the 2020 Ann Faragher Sweepstakes Award, the Press Women of Texas’ (PWT) highest distinction during its annual communications contest. Named for the trailblazing journalist who became one of the first women to serve as editor of a daily newspaper in Texas, it is given to the contest participant who earns the most first-place entries. This is Senator Zaffirini’s thirteenth time receiving the award. Senator Zaffirini is a former staffer of The Daily Texan, a member and supporter of Friends of The Daily Texan, and in 2016 was named to The Daily Texan Hall of […]

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Catch up with latest Communications issues and topics with Moody Mini Series

Curious about the latest from inside The New York Times newsroom? Need some tips on successfully working virtually? And what’s the latest on LGBTQ+ Perspectives in Advertising and PR? These topics and more are part of the Moody Mini Series, a series of 9 interviews and discussions about communication-related topics. Organized by Moody College of Communication at UT, the series just concluded for the summer, but will resume in the fall. All of the episodes for the first 9 sessions are available at the links below. “The Moody Mini Series came about as a way to serve and engage with […]

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Daily Texan tackles continued publishing in a Covid-19 environment

Facing Covid-19 concerns and with remote work a reality, The Daily Texan management and staff have tackled the issue of continued publication with innovative and creative ways to spread news and information to the UT community this summer. In addition, the Texan management and staff are planning ahead to the fall, holding weekly meetings with the fall planning committee. Summer Managing Editor Sami Sparber explains: “This summer, for the first time, the Texan is producing its weekly print product remotely. We’ve adapted to an online-only flipbook, which showcases our reporting, art and design in an innovative way while staying true to […]

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Three new editors to lead Daily Texan this summer, fall and into 2021

A new Editor-in-Chief and two Managing Editors have been selected to lead The Daily Texan beginning this summer and continuing into 2021. Emily Caldwell, a journalism and Latin American studies senior, has been elected EIC. Sami Sparber, a journalism and political thought senior, has been selected as summer Managing Editor. Megan Menchaca, a journalism and government senior, has been selected as fall Managing Editor. Daily Texan EICs and Managing Editors serve as board members of Friends of The Daily Texan during their terms.   Emily Caldwell says she’s “so incredibly excited and honored” to serve as the Texan’s editor-in-chief for […]

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Daily Texan -30- edition for Spring 2020 available digitally

The Daily Texan end-of-semester -30- edition is now ready. You can see it – as a digital flipbook – at thedailytexan.com . A special thank you to UT Journalism students from the early 1980s by supporting The Texan with a full page ad in the final edition and to Friends of The Daily Texan for also purchasing a full page ad in support of The Daily Texan. When the virus started taking hold, The Texan and Texas Student Media both hoped that students could come back to campus and produce one final -30- edition, to mark the end of their careers at The […]

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Texan staffer scholarships and Hall of Fame in Fall, either in-person or virtual

The Friends of The Daily Texan annual Hall of of Fame dinner is officially scheduled for Oct. 2, but whether it is held in person or as a virtual event has not yet been decided. Two items that are definite: scholarships will be awarded to Daily Texan staffers, and a 2020 Daily Texan Hall of Fame class will be announced and honored. It has been announced that the University of Texas will reopen in the fall, but no word yet regarding social distancing, interactions and large gatherings. The event, which usually attracts about 200 people, is scheduled to be at […]

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