Memo to Cracker Barrel's new CEO: Fixing a controversial rebrand takes more than an old logo. From PR Week

Smith created the Texas Tribune Festival and has advised dozens of newsrooms on their editorial-events businesses.

Professional crisis communicators watched the news conferences with dismay. Deflecting blame is not helpful if politicians want to build trust with the public, they say.

Thornton conceived of a nonprofit news enterprise to engage Texans with their government, and then launched an industry of similar outlets across the country. He died Saturday at 59.