Leaders in the newsroom wrote about the significance of the Texan’s 125th year of publication.
News editor thinks back on 125-year department history, looks forward to the future
The Daily Texan News department’s role is a tumultuous one, and we have not always been right. In our 125-year history, our reporting has had racism, sexism and discrimination.
In recent years, our news staff has taken our job of representing all students more seriously, elevating our reporting and reasserting the Texan as a powerhouse of student journalism. Within the last year, millions of eyes turned to us as we documented the University’s compliance with Senate Bill 17 and the administration’s response to pro-Palestine protests.
We are motivated by what inspires all journalists — the need to inform and tell stories. Students have a right to know what their University does or does not do and how that will impact their lives.
Over the years, our news reporters maneuvered massive crowds, asked University and city officials thousands, probably millions of questions, and kept students informed about issues, initiatives and movements vital to their experience on campus.
We care about students because we are students — reporting between the fleeting free time between lectures, exams and homework. We will develop and grow with the student body. Even from our first edition, the Texan News department was and will be for students.
Howard is the current news editor.
As long as there is news, there is a need to interpret it. That’s the opinion department’s primary function.
Our publication functions entirely separate from the University, and therefore, we seek to comment on and push for the change we would like to see in our community.
The Editorial Board, which comprises opinion editors and the editor-in-chief, publishes the paper’s official stance on issues impacting campus and beyond. Our editorials have ranged in topic from advocating against the United States’ role in the Vietnam War to, more recently, the unjustified firing of faculty due to SB 17’s over-implementation. Our department is made up of columnists who comment on issues of the day and a team of illustrators whose artwork accompanies our written pieces.
In 1904, Clinton Brown, the editor of the Texan, wrote, “The Texan will contain lots of news and very little expression of opinion.” Much has changed since. The Daily Texan’s opinion department is now known for holding authority accountable and advocating for different communities — and we have every intention of keeping it that way.
Henningsen is the current editor-in-cheif.
Life&Arts, celebrating Longhorn stories for 125 years
“B hall gives christmas feed, scores enjoyed feast” proclaimed the Jan. 5, 1910 cover page of The Texan, a then semi-weekly publication. The headline accompanied the story of a four-hour holiday feast for students and professors staying in Austin for the winter break. Highlighting the merriment of the occasion, the article serves as a representation of the human interest stories the Life&Arts department, though under various names, has produced for the last 125 years.
In the beginning, many stories that would now be categorized as Life&Arts fell under news or general coverage. The first identifiable lifestyle-specific portion of the paper appeared around the 1920s as the society section, announcing marriages and social events. By the 1940s, departments for features, showcasing student life and amusement and covering artistic media made their way into the daily paper. Around 2010, Life&Arts received its current name and scope, bringing entertainment and student life together under one umbrella.
As time goes on, the department will continue to grow alongside students’ innovations and emerging entertainment technologies. Life&Arts holds the unique position of writing for students rather than about them, platforming independent voices and celebrating Longhorn triumphs.
As long as there are students, there must be a Life&Arts.
Engstrom is the current Life&Arts editor.
125 years of evolution and athletics: sports and the Daily Texan’s long-standing relationship
Ever since the first snap of the football in Longhorn burnt orange in 1893, the sport has infatuated those surrounding the University of Texas. Though the Texas Athletic Association, debuting its first varsity sports teams in 1892, pre-dated The Daily Texan by eight years, it’s hard to imagine Texas sports without the student newspaper that covers it.
Back in 1900, the now No. 1 team in the country hadn’t joined the Southwest Conference, but The Daily Texan had already begun sinking its teeth into the news and life around campus. Throughout the years, the paper has covered 66 national championships since the NCAA began tracking them in 1949, including four in the school’s most popular sport, the football team.
While images of Vince Young’s iconic 2005 Rose Bowl win graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, the Texan covered the Longhorn legend’s immaculate season, with a final newspaper cover headlining the triumph of the national champions.
They rose to conquer.
Over the last 20 years, the sports section has adapted to the ever-changing landscape of the college sports world. The paper covered the Longhorn’s potential to join the Pac-12 in the early 2010s, the final games of the Mack Brown era, and recently the evolution of the NIL world in college sports. As the future of sports remains in limbo, The Daily Texan sports section will continue to work just as the college sports world has — ever-evolving, and always working to cover all 17 varsity sports teams without bias or favoritism, no matter how notable Texas’ brand becomes.
Vieth is the current sports editor.
Digital Director reflects on creation of digital departments
In 1900, concepts such as videography and social media were not even whispers of ideas.
In 2000, social media was in its earliest stages while video and audio journalism had made its rounds, but none had made an appearance in The Daily Texan yet. It wasn’t until the fall of 2007 that the Texan would hire its first multimedia editor. It would still be several more years before audio, social media and newsletters would come along and multimedia would become video.
Now, video covers long-form projects over those whose stories are best told with visual representation. The social media department breaks news to all, those on and off campus, and offers much-needed live coverage for tumultuous times such as last spring’s protests. Just this semester, we transitioned from a biweekly to a daily newsletter that we send to around 34,000 inboxes.
With new innovations like these, digital departments are The Daily Texan’s future.
Flaten is the current digital director.
Texan en Español Director Explores Expansion of Hispanic News Coverage in Texas
El Texan en Español was created in 2022 as the Spanish department for The Daily Texan, with the goal of translating the most important articles for the Hispanic and Latinx communities, ensuring that vital news is accessible to Spanish-speaking readers.
Our department plays an important role in shaping the Texan’s current voice by providing coverage that reflects the bilingual and diverse nature of Texas, making our content more inclusive and accessible to a broader audience. El Texan en Español has also helped Hispanic students feel a sense of belonging, giving them a taste of home away from home, and fostering the sense of community that Hispanics are known for.
Looking to the future, we want our role to expand beyond translations, creating original content that addresses the unique culture, values and needs of the Hispanic community.
¡Por 125 años más del Texan!
Siman is the current director of Texan en Español.
