Highlights from the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival

(Kennady Basdekis-Morin / Hilltop Views)

On Thursday, Sept. 22, people gathered inside the Omni hotel’s atrium to collect their Tribfest 2022 merch and media access badges.

This past weekend journalists nationwide joined together at the Omni Hotel in Austin, Texas to participate in the first Texas Tribune Festival since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seminars, networking and one-on-ones with keynote speakers like NBC anchor Katy Tur, former First Lady Hillary Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg were some of the many activities available. Here, both seasoned and aspiring journalists came together for a weekend full of community, experiences, and fun.

NBC news anchor and Author Katy Tur (pictured left) receives kind words from student journalists regarding her recent novel, “The Rough Draft: A Memoir,” detailing her complex history and the uphill climb she experienced to get where she is today. (Kennady Basdekis-Morin / Hilltop Views)
Supermajority, an organization focused on sisterhood, women’s rights and advocacy, table at the Women’s Networking Tea luncheon. This networking event was one of the many hosted by the Texas Tribune. The women of Supermajority focus on how they can bring strong women together and assist them in various backgrounds. Here, they dedicated their time to helping women register to vote as November’s election creeps around the corner. (Kennady Basdekis-Morin / Hilltop Views)
Student journalists Kiana Poorfard and Mira Rincon interview James Kent, State Representative for Witchita Falls, on why it is so difficult to fix the state’s foster care system. (Evan Younger/ Hilltop Views)
PBS anchors Brian Stetler and Judy Woodruff, accompanied by Editor-in-Chief Raney Aronson-Rath and PBS President Paula Kerger, discuss the ways public broadcasts serve the public interest in the stained glassed St. David’s Episcopal Church. (Evan Younger/ Hilltop Views)
Jeff Leach, state representative for Plano, Texas, answers questions regarding the death penalty in a “Pro-Life” state as Texas lawmakers’ attitudes evolve around capital punishment. (Evan Younger/ Hilltop Views)
New Yorker staff reporter Lawrence Wright (pictured left) interviews Texas Gov. Democratic nominee Beto O’rouke on his most recent initiatives, election agendas and Texas’s future if he wins the election this fall. (Evan Younger/ Hilltop Views)