The Texas Intercollegiate Press Association held its annual convention April 10 to 12 at the Embassy Suites in San Marcos.
TIPA is the statewide trade association of college newsroom journalists and advisers.
“We had more than 400 attendees from all across the state at this year’s convention,” TIPA executive director Julie Reed said. “Our conventions get better every year, and we love coming to San Marcos. Texas State is always a gracious host.”
In addition to continuing education sessions and keynote speakers, students competed in live journalism contests.
Contest categories include sports writing, feature writing, headline writing, magazine design and news photography— just to name very few.
“The TIPA convention is unlike any other convention I have ever seen,” Austin Lewter said.
Lewter is an instructor of journalism and the student newspaper adviser at Tarleton State University.
“These students get out and produce work in real time,” he said. “They turned the work around on a deadline and are blindly judged by the advisers and professors.”
The sports writing and sports photography contest included covering a baseball game in Texas Lutheran University.
The feature writing and feature photo contests involve dropping journalists and photographers off in downtown San Marcos and giving them an hour to prospect a compelling feature story.
“We have contest categories for critical review,” Reed said. “Newspaper layout, radio announcing, television broadcast news announcing, the list goes on. It is really all encompassing and provides hands-on experiences for students to jump in and do the work all while getting out of their comfort zone.
This year’s first place feature story was written by Mackenzie Johnson, a senior at Tarleton State University.
The story can be read on page one of this issue of the Record.
“The future of journalism is bright,” Reed said. “These students are energetic, smart, capable and— all around — just amazing. This Convention is inspiring every year. I am honored to be a part of it.”
Reed also serves as the adviser of the Baylor Lariat — one of the state’s oldest college newspapers.
Founded in 1909, TIPA exists to fulfill its mission of “Equipping and empowering Texas college students to succeed in a rapidly changing media industry while connecting them with jobs, internships, mentors and one another.”
For more information about TIPA, visit their website at texasipa.org.
