Representing 24 schools from across the country, more than 45 aspiring journalists recently met in Dallas for the inaugural TFAS Student Journalism Honors Conference. The TFAS Student Journalism Association—a program of the TFAS Center for Excellence in Journalism—presented young conservative, libertarian and independent journalists with opportunities for professional networking and career workshops and fostered a powerful sense of community among voices united by a steadfast commitment to journalistic integrity and objectivity in the media.
The weekend kicked off with a dinner keynote from James Dao of The Boston Globe, who shared on journalism in a changing political and technology environment. He reminded students of journalism’s core principles and emphasized adaptability in reporting.
Following the opening dinner keynote, the conference continued with sessions on how to run a newsroom, producing short videos and podcasts and editing and pitching stories. Notable speakers and faculty included Charles Hilu ’23, ’25 of The Dispatch, Jessica Schwalb ’25 of The Washington Free Beacon and Cami Mondeaux ’20, ’24 of Deseret News. Students actively engaged in workshop sessions and discussions, exploring the best ways to approach ideas and advance their writing.
Luke Babler, TFAS journalism program officer, said the conference helps students from across the nation learn from experienced professionals at national publications like The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, The Dispatch, The Washington Free Beacon and many more.
“These students listened to editors, producers and journalists from across the country, learning how to stay up to date on writing cutting edge news and unbiased journalism,” Babler said. “The idea is they’ll be bringing in all these different stories they’ve been telling from their campuses.”
Sessions also equipped young journalists with tools to understand journalism’s regulatory and legal challenges in higher education. Editors, writers and reporters from schools examined the barriers and ethical considerations students encountered and will face in the future. Students participated in workshops on marketing themselves and networking with peers.
TFAS alumni also returned to the classroom to mentor the next generation, transforming their professional milestones into a roadmap for young aspiring reporters. Veteran journalists shared hard-won career wisdom and the enduring principles they first encountered at TFAS, providing students with a blueprint for an evolving media landscape.
Campus Transparency Fellows heard from Faith Bottum, Rago ’21, an assistant editorial features editor at The Wall Street Journal Opinion, and Dr. Steven McGuire, a Paul & Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. They coached students on how to present themselves to news outlets and fellow journalists. Starting as a TFAS Rago Fellow with The Wall Street Journal, she outlined her career trajectory, emphasizing engagement with leading reporters, legal experts and policy professionals to strengthen student’s understanding of transparency, accountability and integrity in campus reporting.
Honors students had the opportunity to meet with Collin Anderson of The Washington Free Beacon and Max Towey of Roca News, who shared their personal experiences during their time working for major news publications.
“It’s so encouraging seeing all these student journalists from across the country really come together and practice and use their shared wisdom to encourage unbiased journalism on their campus,” Babler said.
TFAS’s Center for Excellence in Journalism proudly supports students committed to objective news coverage and challenging dominant ideas on campus in their opinion writing. Support CEJ today at TFAS.org/support and help equip courageous young reporters to defend a free and robust press.