Going to association conventions is a good way to learn about your business. Counties, schools and cities send their employees to conventions; various groups require continuing education hours, which forces key personnel to attend training classes.
But it’s not always what you learn in the sessions that is most important.
Last week, I travelled to the Texas Press Association annual executives retreat in Houston.
I drug along my daughter, thinking that someone in the family needs to start thinking about the newspaper business. Both of my children have attended conventions and worked in the newspaper business in one way or another – from sweeping the floors, to running newspaper racks, to starting special editions, to doing payroll. I have to say, they have learned to work – and work hard for little pay.
But being at a convention also teaches them to think and to understand the demands and rewards of the business.
Sitting in a cold room with other publishers, talking about circulation ideas, what makes a good newspaper, how business advertising contracts should be set up, the best methods for collecting old accounts ... this is pretty boring stuff for a 19-year-old.
While a lot of discussions were over her head, or just not really sinking in, she did notice that newspaper people take their jobs seriously. Weekly newspaper publishers and editors want to give their communities the best. They strive to walk that fine line between giving in on sensitive stories and knowing that the public has the right to know.
It’s not always an easy job, and to a 19-year-old, that message seemed to stick.
It wasn’t until later that night, when she and a friend from college sat around in the hospitality suite with a bunch of us “old folks” as all of us talked about politics, funny stories, mistakes made, and misunderstandings – all the while laughing at ourselves – that her friend piped in. He found the conversations interesting.
Wow. Not many times that 19-year-olds want to hang out with us, but this time, they seemed to enjoy it.
Then, on Saturday morning awards were announced, honoring the best newspapers in the state in each of their classifications.
The Hays Free Press was named the best medium-large weekly in the state of Texas. It’s really something this staff should be proud of, as there is a lot of competition in the category.
But the greatest honor came when my twitter feed lit up, with a message from my daughter.
Her tweet?
“People don’t understand the importance of newspapers, and how hard these families work to get where they are.”
It makes me happy that she gets it.
Congratulations to the Hays Free Press staff and thanks to my children, who put up with my long hours – at meetings, on the sidelines, in the office.
They get it.
The Hays Free Press won:
• Best Medium-Large weekly in Texas
• 1st - General Excellence
• 1st - News Writing
• 1st - Page Design
• 1st - Editorials
• 2nd - Sports Coverage
• 3rd - Advertising Design
• 3rd - Headlines
• 3rd - Best Website
