Faculty Profile for Terry Bertling

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Terry Bertling has more than four decades of experience as a full-time journalist, most of which was as an editor, managing editor or assistant managing editor -- in positions that allowed reporting and writing assignments. She has a Master of Arts Degree in Communications from the University of the Incarnate Word (graduating with distinction, a 4.0 GPA, in 2009). Bertling began teaching full time at Texas State University in August 2018, updating the Editing and Managing Content course (MC3383) each semester and helping students in all SJMC majors excel in editing skills. She was promoted to senior lecturer in October 2021.

In the summer of 2023, Bertling was the lead reporter for the new Texas Community Health News online news organization, writing data-driven stories for Texas newsrooms. The TCHN is a program of Texas State University's Translational Health Research Center, in coordination with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

In June 2022, Bertling rejoined the San Antonio Express-News as a part-time Sunday assistant city editor, editing content for the Monday edition and ExpressNews.com website on Sundays. Bertling worked 23 years as a senior editor at the San Antonio Express-News, supervising feature sections, new publications and special projects. Her first position there (starting December 1994) was assistant managing editor/Sunday and features, and her last position there (until May 2018) was new publications and special projects editor/travel editor. For 11 years, Bertling was an adjunct lecturer at Texas State, teaching a variety of reporting and editing classes while she was a full-time editor (January 2007 to May 2018).

In 2022 and 2023, Bertling served as the Society for Features Journalism contest committee administrator (freelance) as the primary point of contact for entrants and judges in the contest. Bertling was the national president of SFJ (then called the American Association of Sunday and Features Editors, or AASFE) in fall 2014 to fall 2015.

Bertling does volunteer work for the Texas Managing Editors' (formerly Texas APME) Buster Haas Minority Internship Program's annual auction at the TME state convention. The auction raises funds for Texas college students to be placed in newsrooms at small Texas publications each summer.

Teaching Interests

Editing, Reporting, Writing, Multimedia Journalism, Grammar, University Seminar

Research Interests

Bertling's master's degree thesis was "The Role of Niche Products in Newspaper Profitability and Readership." The topic is still an area of great interest as news organizations look for ways to engage smaller niche audiences instead of trying to be all things to all readers. Her work on her thesis earned her the designation of Outstanding Graduate Honor Student for Graduate Research, University of the Incarnate Word, School of Interactive Media & Design (April 2010).