eChaser: May 2005


	Welcome to our newsletter ... Society of Professional Journalists, Fort Worth Professional Chapter Public Relations Society of America, Greater Fort Worth Chapter International Association of Business Communicators, Fort Worth Chapter eChaser archive [graphics format] We appreciate our advertisers! Advanced Mobility Systems Barr Printing Bass Performance Hall Business Wire DFW Printing Co. Fort Worth Business Press Fort Worth Zoo Helping Restore Ability Immotion Studios InterStar Marketing and Public Relations Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Food Restaurant Jubilee Theatre North Texas Daily Optimist, Abilene Christian University Pancho's Mexican Buffet PR Newswire PRSA Creative Consultants SIG The Shorthorn, UTA Star-Telegram TCU Daily Skiff Tony Roma's The University of Texas at Arlington VMS Weber Shandwick Worldwide Wise County Messenger Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations May 2005 MEETINGS Next at IABC/Fort Worth ... How to Build a Better You So how's this for a better you? Have your best year, keep growing professionally and personally, and utilize sure-fire tips to a powerful memory. Bryan Dodge has an detailed, entertaining plan to address all of these areas, and it tops the agenda at the May IABC meeting. Dodge, a leading expert on selling and memory development, began a study 16 years ago of success habits and ways to bring them to the marketplace. From this evolved a marketing system that has been presented to major corporations throughout the United States and Canada. He is in demand as a sales trainer. Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, May 3 Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets Cost: $20 members, $25 nonmembers RSVP by noon April 1: Julie Trowbridge at trowbridgeja@c-b.com ----- Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ... The Growing Hispanic Market: Developing Culturally Relevant Campaigns Next up, this month: Nationally acclaimed speaker Dora Tovar will discuss best practices and the pitfalls to avoid when developing a PR campaign with cultural facets. She will outline well-developed campaigns that are relevant to Hispanics and that capture the interests of this fast-growing consumer segment. Hispanic media outlets are expanding in virtually every U.S. market and Texas in particular. Many local agencies have attempted to redefine their services to meet the demand without understanding the complexities of the language, much less the culture. Attendees at the May meeting will learn more about that culture as a prelude to understanding the dynamics of a campaign to reach it. Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, May 11; lunch at noon Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets Cost: $20 members, $23 nonmembers, $18 students RSVP by noon May 6: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org ----- Next at Fort Worth SPJ ... Letting the 'Dogs Out No home-grown program this month, in favor of a power-packed Investigative Reporters and Editors road show. Organizers promise a full day of learning how to unlock doors to public information plus a half-day of computer-assisted instruction at the Better Watchdog Workshop, May 21-22 at the TCU Schieffer School of Journalism. Sponsored by IRE and SPJ, with significant Star-Telegram assistance, the workshop will stress the investigative skills that keep government and business accountable, along with ways to produce enterprising and informative stories. A team of expert instructors runs the workshops, blending IRE's expertise at journalism training and SPJ's leadership on FOI issues. Materials include SPJ's "Open Doors," a recently published guide for using FOI laws, and IRE tip sheets on beat coverage. Cost for the Saturday, May 21, session is $60 for professionals and $30 students. The optional May 22 computer-assisted reporting training is $30. Registration includes a six-month membership in IRE and SPJ. More at ire.org/training/betterwatchdog/. =================================================== STRAIGHT STUFF "Heard it Through the Grapevine." Expect topics like "Can a Columnist Have Friends: Maybe He or She Should Get a Dog"; appearances by 20 or so top-notch speakers, New York archetype columnist Pete Hamill, the Star-Telegram's Dave Lieber ("How to Self-Publish Your Book and Turn a Quick Profit") and Bob Ray Sanders ("Dealing with Critics: Avoid the Temptation to Tell Them What You Really Think"), a Pulitzer Prize juror, the director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop and Laura Miller, who wrote Dallas Observer columns before being elected to public office; and more, always more, including cowboy karaoke and the riding of the mechanical bull, at the 29th annual National Society of Newspaper Columnists conference, June 23-26 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Conference Center. Details here. Questions? Reach Lieber at conference@yankeecowboy.com. ... More than 2,000 journalists and media executives are expected when the National Association of Hispanic Journalists' national convention, its 23rd, hits Fort Worth on June 15-18 with a full slate of sessions examining issues affecting the industry. More than 130 companies, including Knight Ridder, ABC, CBS, Gannett, NPR and the Tribune Co., also are anticipated for one of the largest career expos for journalists in the country. More from nahj.org or Michelle Negrelli with NAHJ national, mvignoli@nahj.org. ... May 12 is the deadline (work received, not postmarked) to enter the DFW Association of Black Communicators' 2005 Griot Awards, recognizing excellence in news coverage of the African-American experience and its people. The competition is open to any individual, news organization or PR firm in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. More at dfwabc.org or from contest chair Eric Williams, ericgriot@yahoo.com. ... Application deadline is May 9 for the fourth annual Medicine in the Media Course sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication, June 26-28 on the NIH Bethesda, Md., campus. Attendance is free but competitive, and limited to 50 journalists. More at medmediacourse.nih.gov/. ... May 16 is the deadline to apply for the Leadership Institute for Women Journalists, July 11-15 in Chicago, for women who want to be "visionaries in their newsrooms." Up to 30 women will be accepted. Tuition is $550 and covers training, housing and most meals. More at iwmf.org. ... The Council for International Exchange of Scholars has published the 2006-07 Fulbright Scholar Program: Grants for U.S. Faculty and Professionals. Many opportunities do not require advanced degrees. A program in Germany is for j-students just graduating from college. Apply by Aug. 1. More here. ... A repeat from last month, because it's still true. Susan Orlean, author of "The Orchid Thief," will headline the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writers Conference of the Southwest, July 22-24. Norm Pearlstine (Time, Inc.), Ken Wells (The Wall Street Journal/Crown Books Publishing Division), Alex Kotlowitz ("There Are No Children Here") and Paul Hendrickson ("Sons of Mississippi") are among the writers scheduled to attend. More at mayborninstitute.unt.edu/. PRSA local update: As part of the TEAM Fort Worth Stay-in-School Initiative, PRSA members will host about a dozen Paschal High School students at the Wednesday, May 11, luncheon. Members will pair up with the boys and discuss interests, educational goals and career possibilities. The program encourages participants not only to finish high school, but to explore the career possibilities that could be in their future. PRSAers interested in arriving a bit early and having lunch with a student, e-mail Andra Bennett, APR, at abennett@fortworthchamber.com. PRSA local update II: Let your career bloom by joining PRSA this month or next, and add a one-year enrollment in one of the 19 professional interest sections for free. Sections offer seminars, teleseminars, workshops, conferences, newsletters, monographs, web sites and electronic exchange with a nationwide network of PR pros in specific fields. More on sections at (212) 460-1420, prsa.org/_Networking/pis/ or sections@prsa.org. Quickest way to join PRSA: Apply online. Enter SECT2005 in the promotion code field to benefit from the sections offer. Request the special application at membership@prsa.org. Still with the questions? Chapter membership chair Holly Ellman, hellman@fwcds.org, is standing by. SPJ national update: Hard sell, hard toll; support the troops -- listen to them; and government in the pitch dark. It's maybe the toughest sell job in American military history, and recruiters are cracking under the strain. One in New York says the pressure has given him stomach problems and searing back pain. He says he has considered suicide. Another, in Texas, says he volunteered for Iraq duty rather than face the Army's wrath. A chaplain says he counseled nearly a dozen recruiters in the past 18 months as they cope with marital troubles and job-related stress. More here. ... Soldiers' online diaries let anyone with an internet connection eavesdrop on the war zone. "Dozens of houses raided, no arrests, only one weapon confiscated -- same old story, 'holding it for a friend' -- which led to that house being trashed for a more thorough search," wrote Spc. Nick Cademartori in his blog, The Questing Cat, describing a mission he conducted in January as part of the 1st Infantry Division. More here. And there's Operation Truth, a nonprofit organization that says it seeks to educate the American public about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the soldiers' perspective. The best part of the site is the Hear It from the Troops section. A real eye-opener. ... Three short sentences tucked inside President Bush's 2,000-page federal budget would give the president the power to appoint an eight-member "Sunset Commission" that would review federal programs every 10 years and decide whether they should be eliminated. Any programs not "producing results" would "automatically terminate unless the Congress took action to continue them." More here. SPJ national update II: "You can't replace the paper" (whoa, maybe you can); reporting scared; and Marines sound off. One conclusion from the recent International Radio and Television Society Foundation convention in New York was that a decade from now, much of what's taken for granted today will have morphed beyond recognition. Blogs will play a role, but so may citizen journalism. More here and here and here and here. ... Arab reporters covering the Iraq war find themselves under attack from every direction. Western reporters retreated to fortified compounds months ago. Now Arab journalists are retreating, too. Result: Firsthand reporting is getting squeezed out. "We can no longer get close to people's suffering, people's hopes, people's dreams," says Nabil Khatib, Al Arabiya's executive editor for news. More here. ... On May 29, 2004, a station wagon that insurgents had packed with C-4 explosives blew up on a highway in Ramadi, killing four American Marines.They were in an unarmored Humvee that their unit had rigged with scrap metal, but the makeshift shields rose only as high as their shoulders. In returning home, the men of Company E are telling their story. It is one of insufficient armor and too little planning, which hampered their efforts in battle, destroyed morale and took from them some of their fiercest warriors. More here. SPJ national update III: More numbers so large, you can't comprehend; blog relief; PR as PR, news as news; and bill challenges censorship rush. Government spending would keep deficits over $200 billion annually for the next decade, Congress' top budget analysts assert in a new report. The Congressional Budget Office says cumulative deficits over the next decade may be $125 billion worse than it estimated only in January. Contributing to that will be the cost of combat and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, for which Congress has appropriated more than $300 billion. More here. ... A bill introduced by Texas Republican Rep. Jeb Hensarling would effectively rewrite a 2002 campaign finance law popularly known as McCain-Feingold in a way that would bar the Federal Election Commission from regulating political web sites. The bill mirrors a companion measure introduced by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat. More here. ... The U.S. Senate on April 14 voted to require U.S. government agencies to clearly identify themselves on video news releases they distribute to broadcasters. VNRs, often resembling TV news segments, have been sent out by agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, and some TV stations have aired them without identifying the source. The Government Accountability Office, the audit arm of Congress, has said some were covert propaganda. ... The FCC could not slap indecency fines on cable and satellite television and internet entities under a bill, the Stamp Out Censorship Act of 2005, introduced March 17 by Rep. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Nonpublic broadcasts such as those on cable and satellite television and the internet are not now subject to indecency regulation. More here. SPJ national update IV: When gay men receive the Purple Heart; when Republican men marry each other; and it's a mandate. Army Sgt. Robert Stout wants to remain in the military as an openly gay soldier and says he has not encountered trouble from fellow soldiers. Stout was awarded the Purple Heart after a grenade sent pieces of shrapnel into his arm, face and legs. A report from the Government Accountability Office found that since the "don't ask, don't tell" policy began in 1993, the Army has ejected nearly 10,000 service members, many of whom had valuable language skills. The Army spent $190 million to replace them. More here. ... Arthur Finkelstein, a prominent GOP consultant who has found success defeating Democrats by demonizing them as liberal, married his male partner in a civil ceremony at his home in Massachusetts. Finkelstein, 59, said he married his partner of 40 years to ensure that the couple had the same benefits available to married heterosexuals. More here. ... George W. Bush's approval rating has plunged to the lowest level of any president since World War II at this point in his second term, the Gallup Organization reported last month. All other presidents who served a second term had approval ratings well above 50 percent in the March following their election. Presidents Truman and Johnson had finished out the terms of their predecessors and then won election on their own for a second term. Bush's rating is around 47 percent. The next lowest was Ronald Reagan with 56 percent in March 1985. More here. ----- With Dockets Secret, Justice in Question "America's underground legal system," Miami reporter Dan Christensen calls it, and it springs from super-sealing, or withholding every trace of a court docket from the public record. Even case numbers are confidential when cases go on a secret docket. "Judges and prosecutors in the know won't even acknowledge such sealed cases exist," Christensen told honorees and guests at the First Amendment Dinner last month. "With no notice or debate, the traditional rules governing public access to court records have shifted." A court super-seal "casts a total information eclipse that's both extraordinary and pernicious," he said, and to combat it, reporters must become more aggressive. "Judges, court clerks and prosecutors should be put on the spot and questioned about whether the practice is in use in their courthouse. And court records should be watched for clues that might flush important cases from the dark corners that we now know exist in some of our nation's courthouses." Christensen's far-reaching speech punctuated a Fort Worth SPJ evening of recognition, highlighted by the awarding of $19,000 in scholarships and by Star-Telegram writer Jennifer Autrey receiving the 2005 Open Doors Award for excellence in using public records in investigative reporting. Other winners: Betty Brink, Fort Worth Weekly, Defending the Disadvantaged Award; finalists: Steve Lackmeyer, John Perry, Judy Gibbs Robinson and Ryan McNeill, The Oklahoman, and Mary Alia Robbins, Texas Lawyer. ... Sarah Fenske, Houston Press, Use of Public Records: General News; finalists: Michael Baker and Steve Lackmeyer, The Oklahoman. Also, Jeff Claassen, Scott Streater and Seth Borenstein, Star-Telegram/Knight Ridder, print, and Dawn Tongish, WB33, broadcast, Use of Public Records: Investigative; print finalists: Randy Ellis and Diana Baldwin, The Oklahoman, and Jennifer Autrey and Toni Heinzl, Star-Telegram. ... Linda P. Campbell, Star-Telegram, Opinion Writing; finalist: Dave Lieber, Star-Telegram. ... Jessica DeLeón, Star-Telegram, Reporting on Open Government; finalists: Dan Malone and Julian Aguilar, Fort Worth Weekly. ... Margaret Downing, Houston Press, Opening the Books; finalists: Yamil Berard, Star-Telegram, and Paul Monies, The Oklahoman. ... Todd Bensman, CBS 11, Online Project; finalist: Marcy Williams, NewsOK.com. Students at UNT and SMU were honored for a story package, "Insecurity on Campus," published Dec. 1 in Fort Worth Weekly. Kevin Bueker, UTA, Staley and Beverly McBrayer Scholarship; Reneé Gatons, UTA, Donna Darovich Scholarship; Elaine Marsilio, UTA, Jack B. Tinsley Scholarship; and Melissa Winn, UTA, Joe Holstead Scholarship, led the student honors list, and five additional students -- Natalie Kaspar and Christi Snow, Mary Hardin Baylor; Landon Moore, Sul Ross; Kendra Newton, UT Austin; and Chad Peters, St. Mary's -- received Gridiron Scholarships. Lina Davis Scholarships, named for the longtime Arlington high school educator, went to Marcela Gonzalez, Daniel Johnson, Carolyn Stephens, Alicia Kania, Andrew Lynch, Lorelei Scanlan, Maria Smith, Angela Tennison and Kevin Bueker. =================================================== PEOPLE & PLACES The Rotary Club of Fort Worth has named Bill Lawrence of Lawrence & Associates a Paul Harris Fellow, the highest honor awarded by Rotary International. ... Kristy Libotte Keener has received the Award of Honor, logo division, in the International Dalton Pen Communications competition and an Award of Distinction in the Communicator Awards competition. ... Baby daze! Sean and Pamela (past PRSA chapter president) Smith and big sister Shonna welcomed Jordan Elizabeth into their family at 10:14 a.m. April 18. ... AP Fort Worth correspondent Angela Brown was named AP Staffer of the Year at the Texas APME annual meeting. The UTA Shorthorn was named the state's best university daily, with the North Texas Daily at UNT receiving second place and the TCU Daily Skiff honorable mention. Star-Telegram writer Yamil Berard received first place in FOI reporting for her work on government pensions and the Teacher Retirement System. The Star-Telegram's Mark Horvit, Barry Shlachter, Jennifer Autrey and Toni Heinzl also were honored. ... UTA Student Publications' triumphant spring continued in Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and regional SPJ competitions. At TIPA, The Shorthorn tied with UT Austin for sweepstakes and won best of show. At SPJ, Renegade was named best magazine. Staffers, former staffers and contributors Jessica Freeman, Kevin Bueker, Mark Roberts, Josh Taylor, William Chop, Brandon Wade, Whitney Shropshire, Andrew Campbell, Richard-Michael Manuel, Reneé Gatons, Mary Richert, Elaine Marsilio, Melissa Winn, Caren Penland, Jessica Ramirez, Jean Weaver, Brad Rollins, Awais Ikram, Tiffany Murphy, Brandon Guidry, Cory Wells, Daniel Worthington, Daniel Buck, Amber Chisholm, Amanda Kowalski and Hayley Harris were lauded for individual work. ... The Star-Telegram's Anna Tinsley won eight awards and took the Faragher Sweepstakes at the Press Women of Texas convention last month. It was the fifth time she won the sweepstakes prize. ... Jessica DeLeón, also at the Star-Telegram, was one of 30 journalists invited to the Western Knight Center seminar "Going Beyond the Agenda: Investigating Local Government." ... Star-Telegram page designers and editors received 14 awards -- the most of any Texas newspaper -- in the 26th annual Society for News Design competition. An Award of Excellence marked the redesign that debuted in August. Sports and the LiVe! page, which replaced Encore, also were recognized for redesign. Alex Rodriguez, Cody Bailey, Charean Williams, Linda Meyer, Kate Gorman, Jill Johnson, Sarah Huffstetler, Gregg Ellman, Paul Moseley, Max Faulkner, Celeste Williams, Terry Bigham, Ellen Alfano, Broc Sears, Ryan Peterson, Meredith Poldrack, Amanda Reiter, Spencer Skelley and UTA Shorthorn exes Seth Schrock, Michael Currie and Jessica Felkel all received Awards of Excellence, some more than one. Second-place silver medals went to Currie, Celeste Williams, Ralph Lauer and Clif Bosler. =================================================== GET A JOB The Tarrant Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse seeks a public affairs coordinator. Requirements include a degree and/or experience in related area and a knowledge of design software. At least two years experience in marketing or nonprofit PR are preferred. Salary $30,000-$33,000. Send résumé to 1701 W. Freeway, Suite 1, Fort Worth 76102, fax (817) 332-2828 or e-mail w.hurford@tarrantcouncil.org. ... The South Tarrant Star needs someone who can edit, report and take pictures, presumably not all at once. Call senior editor Paul Gnadt at (817) 295-0486. UTA Shorthorn ex Kim Pewitt-Jones is already there. She'll save a story for you. ... The Community Credit Union in Dallas seeks an e-marketing specialist with a bachelor's degree in marketing, business, advertising or similar field, knowledge of Front Page/Dreamweaver and at least two years in internet marketing, web production and e-mail strategy. Contact Kim Miklis, (972) 509-2001. ... A Fort Worth ad agency seeks a creative director to "manage and inspire" a staff of 10 people. In-depth agency experience is a priority or product/brand management experience. Principal owner needs a strong business partner. Send résumé to Ben Perryman at bperryman@whitneysmithco.com. ... A large corporation in Plano seeks a senior communications professional. Requirements include at least five years in internal communications or change management with a large corporation or consulting firm and experience developing and implementing strategic plans. Send résumé to connie@careerprofiles.com. ... A consumer-products company in Richmond, Va., needs a communications manager. Requirements include knowledge of all aspects of advertising/communications (print, TV, internet, direct mail), an undergraduate degree in communications or marketing (M.B.A. preferred) and at least five years management experience in a corporate or agency field. E-mail résumé to connie@careerprofiles.com. =================================================== COMINGS & GOINGS Promotions ... at the S-T: David Sedeño, to publisher of Diario La Estrella Additions ... at the S-T: Adam Barth, part-time news researcher Exits ... at the S-T: Ken Williams, to The San Diego Union-Tribune as copy desk slot ... Julie Adelsberger, going home to St. Louis to write and edit sales proposals for Express Scripts, a pharmaceutical benefits manager ... father-to-be Sean Wood to the San Antonio Express-News =================================================== PRESIDENT'S CORNER Heather Senter, Greater Fort Worth PRSA Did you know that PRSA has 19 professional interest sections? I didn't, either, until a couple of years ago, when I started attending national PRSA events and realized the vast resources available through our membership. Professional interest sections offer niche networks and programming relevant to a particular industry, like health care or travel and tourism, or that emphasize a specific discipline such as employee communications. These sections are designed to focus on issues, trends and research in your practice area. More than 6,000 PRSA members are also members of professional interest sections. Annual membership in a section is only $60 and includes seminars and conferences customized for it. During May and June, PRSA is sponsoring a section membership promotion, which makes this a great time to encourage your colleagues to join PRSA. Individuals who sign up in May and June receive a free first-year membership in a professional interest section. Log on to prsa.org and click "Membership/Professional Interest Sections." ----- PRESIDENT'S COLUMN Tim Tune, IABC/Fort Worth Just as each of us has different tastes in food, we also like to receive information in different ways. Some of us have the Joe Friday attitude -- we just want the facts. Others are audience members, so entertain us. Facts are fine, but could you present them in a poem? A third kind of learning happens best through demonstration: Show me how to do it. Because there are different ways of learning, good teachers employ a variety of techniques. Bryan Dodge has mastered these skills. At our next time together, Tuesday, May 3, we'll hear from him. He's known as a very effective teacher. The reputation is well-deserved. Learn how to have your best year ever. How to keep advancing in life. How to harness the benefits of a powerful memory. They're all as close as the next cool IABC/Fort Worth meeting. ----- OVER & OUT John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ Be honest, you blinked when you saw that scholarship amount in the write-up of the First Amendment Dinner. $19,000. What a tribute to the Tarrant County journalism crowd for creating and nurturing the endowment that makes much of this possible. And eChaser advertisers, your support helps, too -- you're giving back to the community in a big way. Yessir, makes us proud. ... For anyone who thinks he can write like the late Hunter S. Thompson, UTA anthropoligist Karl Petruso has created a web site upon which to hurl one's best HST-like maunderings. A plethora of clever submissions could prompt Petruso, speaking in third person, to "reconfigure this stupid project into a contest, and the best entries will be awarded prizes, the nature of which is yet to be determined. Perhaps he will be able to secure big endorsements from breweries, munitions dealers, drug manufacturers, disgraced former executives of Enron, or Jose Canseco. Otherwise the winners will just have to take satisfaction in the undying glory their literary achievements will confer on them within the metacommunity of losers in cyberspace." Have a few beers first, then go here. ... SPJ member Carmen Goldthwaite is hawking her considerable skills, including a new column, "Texas Dames," at carmengoldthwaite.com. We all might be wise to take a look. ... And thanks, SPJ New Jersey Professional Chapter, for judging our First Amendment Awards. Closing words: "Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock." -- Ben Hecht ... "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." -- Abraham Lincoln ... "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismograph." -- Ken Kesey Closing words II, G.W.B. & the Pharisees bracket: "He knew who I was, at that time, because I had a reputation as a writer. I knew he was part of the Bush dynasty. But he was nothing, he offered nothing, and he promised nothing. He had no humor. He was insignificant in every way, and consequently I didn't pay much attention to him. But when he passed out in my bathtub, then I noticed him. I'd been in another room, talking to the bright people. I had to have him taken away." -- Hunter S. Thompson in The Independent on George W. Bush at Thompson's Super Bowl party in Houston in 1974 Closing words III, goofball division: "You know, it's funny. ... I've only met Angie Dickinson once." -- Billy Bob Thornton on ex-wife Angelina Jolie's full-page ad in Variety ("Billy, I love your brilliant mind. Congratulations! With love and respect always, Angie.") celebrating his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... "I'm on top of the world right now, because everyone's going to know that I can shove more than three burgers in my mouth!" -- Ezra Nicholas, 19, after setting a world record by cramming 3 1/5 McDonald's hamburgers into his kisser without swallowing at Singapore's contest to be the world's wackiest

Hispanic media outlets are expanding in virtually every U.S. market and Texas in particular. Many local agencies have attempted to redefine their services to meet the demand without understanding the complexities of the language, much less the culture. Attendees at the May meeting will learn more about that culture as a prelude to understanding the dynamics of a campaign to reach it.

Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, May 11; lunch at noon

Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor

Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets

Cost: $20 members, $23 nonmembers, $18 students

RSVP by noon May 6: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org

Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...

Letting the 'Dogs Out

Sponsored by IRE and SPJ, with significant Star-Telegram assistance, the workshop will stress the investigative skills that keep government and business accountable, along with ways to produce enterprising and informative stories. A team of expert instructors runs the workshops, blending IRE's expertise at journalism training and SPJ's leadership on FOI issues. Materials include SPJ's "Open Doors," a recently published guide for using FOI laws, and IRE tip sheets on beat coverage.

===================================================

"Heard it Through the Grapevine." Expect topics like "Can a Columnist Have Friends: Maybe He or She Should Get a Dog"; appearances by 20 or so top-notch speakers, New York archetype columnist Pete Hamill, the Star-Telegram's Dave Lieber ("How to Self-Publish Your Book and Turn a Quick Profit") and Bob Ray Sanders ("Dealing with Critics: Avoid the Temptation to Tell Them What You Really Think"), a Pulitzer Prize juror, the director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop and Laura Miller, who wrote Dallas Observer columns before being elected to public office; and more, always more, including cowboy karaoke and the riding of the mechanical bull, at the 29th annual National Society of Newspaper Columnists conference, June 23-26 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Conference Center. Details here. Questions? Reach Lieber at conference@yankeecowboy.com. ...

More than 2,000 journalists and media executives are expected when the National Association of Hispanic Journalists' national convention, its 23rd, hits Fort Worth on June 15-18 with a full slate of sessions examining issues affecting the industry. More than 130 companies, including Knight Ridder, ABC, CBS, Gannett, NPR and the Tribune Co., also are anticipated for one of the largest career expos for journalists in the country. More from nahj.org or Michelle Negrelli with NAHJ national, mvignoli@nahj.org. ...

May 12 is the deadline (work received, not postmarked) to enter the DFW Association of Black Communicators' 2005 Griot Awards, recognizing excellence in news coverage of the African-American experience and its people. The competition is open to any individual, news organization or PR firm in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. More at dfwabc.org or from contest chair Eric Williams, ericgriot@yahoo.com. ...

Application deadline is May 9 for the fourth annual Medicine in the Media Course sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication, June 26-28 on the NIH Bethesda, Md., campus. Attendance is free but competitive, and limited to 50 journalists. More at medmediacourse.nih.gov/. ... May 16 is the deadline to apply for the Leadership Institute for Women Journalists, July 11-15 in Chicago, for women who want to be "visionaries in their newsrooms." Up to 30 women will be accepted. Tuition is $550 and covers training, housing and most meals. More at iwmf.org. ... The Council for International Exchange of Scholars has published the 2006-07 Fulbright Scholar Program: Grants for U.S. Faculty and Professionals. Many opportunities do not require advanced degrees. A program in Germany is for j-students just graduating from college. Apply by Aug. 1. More here. ...

A repeat from last month, because it's still true. Susan Orlean, author of "The Orchid Thief," will headline the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writers Conference of the Southwest, July 22-24. Norm Pearlstine (Time, Inc.), Ken Wells (The Wall Street Journal/Crown Books Publishing Division), Alex Kotlowitz ("There Are No Children Here") and Paul Hendrickson ("Sons of Mississippi") are among the writers scheduled to attend. More at mayborninstitute.unt.edu/.

PRSA local update: As part of the TEAM Fort Worth Stay-in-School Initiative, PRSA members will host about a dozen Paschal High School students at the Wednesday, May 11, luncheon. Members will pair up with the boys and discuss interests, educational goals and career possibilities. The program encourages participants not only to finish high school, but to explore the career possibilities that could be in their future. PRSAers interested in arriving a bit early and having lunch with a student, e-mail Andra Bennett, APR, at abennett@fortworthchamber.com.

PRSA local update II: Let your career bloom by joining PRSA this month or next, and add a one-year enrollment in one of the 19 professional interest sections for free. Sections offer seminars, teleseminars, workshops, conferences, newsletters, monographs, web sites and electronic exchange with a nationwide network of PR pros in specific fields. More on sections at (212) 460-1420, prsa.org/_Networking/pis/ or sections@prsa.org. Quickest way to join PRSA: Apply online. Enter SECT2005 in the promotion code field to benefit from the sections offer. Request the special application at membership@prsa.org. Still with the questions? Chapter membership chair Holly Ellman, hellman@fwcds.org, is standing by.

SPJ national update: Hard sell, hard toll; support the troops -- listen to them; and government in the pitch dark. It's maybe the toughest sell job in American military history, and recruiters are cracking under the strain. One in New York says the pressure has given him stomach problems and searing back pain. He says he has considered suicide. Another, in Texas, says he volunteered for Iraq duty rather than face the Army's wrath. A chaplain says he counseled nearly a dozen recruiters in the past 18 months as they cope with marital troubles and job-related stress. More here. ... Soldiers' online diaries let anyone with an internet connection eavesdrop on the war zone. "Dozens of houses raided, no arrests, only one weapon confiscated -- same old story, 'holding it for a friend' -- which led to that house being trashed for a more thorough search," wrote Spc. Nick Cademartori in his blog, The Questing Cat, describing a mission he conducted in January as part of the 1st Infantry Division. More here. And there's Operation Truth, a nonprofit organization that says it seeks to educate the American public about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the soldiers' perspective. The best part of the site is the Hear It from the Troops section. A real eye-opener. ... Three short sentences tucked inside President Bush's 2,000-page federal budget would give the president the power to appoint an eight-member "Sunset Commission" that would review federal programs every 10 years and decide whether they should be eliminated. Any programs not "producing results" would "automatically terminate unless the Congress took action to continue them." More here.

SPJ national update II: "You can't replace the paper" (whoa, maybe you can); reporting scared; and Marines sound off. One conclusion from the recent International Radio and Television Society Foundation convention in New York was that a decade from now, much of what's taken for granted today will have morphed beyond recognition. Blogs will play a role, but so may citizen journalism. More here and here and here and here. ... Arab reporters covering the Iraq war find themselves under attack from every direction. Western reporters retreated to fortified compounds months ago. Now Arab journalists are retreating, too. Result: Firsthand reporting is getting squeezed out. "We can no longer get close to people's suffering, people's hopes, people's dreams," says Nabil Khatib, Al Arabiya's executive editor for news. More here. ... On May 29, 2004, a station wagon that insurgents had packed with C-4 explosives blew up on a highway in Ramadi, killing four American Marines.They were in an unarmored Humvee that their unit had rigged with scrap metal, but the makeshift shields rose only as high as their shoulders. In returning home, the men of Company E are telling their story. It is one of insufficient armor and too little planning, which hampered their efforts in battle, destroyed morale and took from them some of their fiercest warriors. More here.

SPJ national update III: More numbers so large, you can't comprehend; blog relief; PR as PR, news as news; and bill challenges censorship rush. Government spending would keep deficits over $200 billion annually for the next decade, Congress' top budget analysts assert in a new report. The Congressional Budget Office says cumulative deficits over the next decade may be $125 billion worse than it estimated only in January. Contributing to that will be the cost of combat and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, for which Congress has appropriated more than $300 billion. More here. ... A bill introduced by Texas Republican Rep. Jeb Hensarling would effectively rewrite a 2002 campaign finance law popularly known as McCain-Feingold in a way that would bar the Federal Election Commission from regulating political web sites. The bill mirrors a companion measure introduced by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat. More here. ... The U.S. Senate on April 14 voted to require U.S. government agencies to clearly identify themselves on video news releases they distribute to broadcasters. VNRs, often resembling TV news segments, have been sent out by agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, and some TV stations have aired them without identifying the source. The Government Accountability Office, the audit arm of Congress, has said some were covert propaganda. ... The FCC could not slap indecency fines on cable and satellite television and internet entities under a bill, the Stamp Out Censorship Act of 2005, introduced March 17 by Rep. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Nonpublic broadcasts such as those on cable and satellite television and the internet are not now subject to indecency regulation. More here.

SPJ national update IV: When gay men receive the Purple Heart; when Republican men marry each other; and it's a mandate. Army Sgt. Robert Stout wants to remain in the military as an openly gay soldier and says he has not encountered trouble from fellow soldiers. Stout was awarded the Purple Heart after a grenade sent pieces of shrapnel into his arm, face and legs. A report from the Government Accountability Office found that since the "don't ask, don't tell" policy began in 1993, the Army has ejected nearly 10,000 service members, many of whom had valuable language skills. The Army spent $190 million to replace them. More here. ... Arthur Finkelstein, a prominent GOP consultant who has found success defeating Democrats by demonizing them as liberal, married his male partner in a civil ceremony at his home in Massachusetts. Finkelstein, 59, said he married his partner of 40 years to ensure that the couple had the same benefits available to married heterosexuals. More here. ... George W. Bush's approval rating has plunged to the lowest level of any president since World War II at this point in his second term, the Gallup Organization reported last month. All other presidents who served a second term had approval ratings well above 50 percent in the March following their election. Presidents Truman and Johnson had finished out the terms of their predecessors and then won election on their own for a second term. Bush's rating is around 47 percent. The next lowest was Ronald Reagan with 56 percent in March 1985. More here.

With Dockets Secret, Justice in Question

A court super-seal "casts a total information eclipse that's both extraordinary and pernicious," he said, and to combat it, reporters must become more aggressive. "Judges, court clerks and prosecutors should be put on the spot and questioned about whether the practice is in use in their courthouse. And court records should be watched for clues that might flush important cases from the dark corners that we now know exist in some of our nation's courthouses."

Christensen's far-reaching speech punctuated a Fort Worth SPJ evening of recognition, highlighted by the awarding of $19,000 in scholarships and by Star-Telegram writer Jennifer Autrey receiving the 2005 Open Doors Award for excellence in using public records in investigative reporting. Other winners: Betty Brink, Fort Worth Weekly, Defending the Disadvantaged Award; finalists: Steve Lackmeyer, John Perry, Judy Gibbs Robinson and Ryan McNeill, The Oklahoman, and Mary Alia Robbins, Texas Lawyer. ... Sarah Fenske, Houston Press, Use of Public Records: General News; finalists: Michael Baker and Steve Lackmeyer, The Oklahoman.

Also, Jeff Claassen, Scott Streater and Seth Borenstein, Star-Telegram/Knight Ridder, print, and Dawn Tongish, WB33, broadcast, Use of Public Records: Investigative; print finalists: Randy Ellis and Diana Baldwin, The Oklahoman, and Jennifer Autrey and Toni Heinzl, Star-Telegram. ... Linda P. Campbell, Star-Telegram, Opinion Writing; finalist: Dave Lieber, Star-Telegram. ... Jessica DeLeón, Star-Telegram, Reporting on Open Government; finalists: Dan Malone and Julian Aguilar, Fort Worth Weekly. ... Margaret Downing, Houston Press, Opening the Books; finalists: Yamil Berard, Star-Telegram, and Paul Monies, The Oklahoman. ... Todd Bensman, CBS 11, Online Project; finalist: Marcy Williams, NewsOK.com. Students at UNT and SMU were honored for a story package, "Insecurity on Campus," published Dec. 1 in Fort Worth Weekly.

Kevin Bueker, UTA, Staley and Beverly McBrayer Scholarship; Reneé Gatons, UTA, Donna Darovich Scholarship; Elaine Marsilio, UTA, Jack B. Tinsley Scholarship; and Melissa Winn, UTA, Joe Holstead Scholarship, led the student honors list, and five additional students -- Natalie Kaspar and Christi Snow, Mary Hardin Baylor; Landon Moore, Sul Ross; Kendra Newton, UT Austin; and Chad Peters, St. Mary's -- received Gridiron Scholarships.

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The Rotary Club of Fort Worth has named Bill Lawrence of Lawrence & Associates a Paul Harris Fellow, the highest honor awarded by Rotary International. ... Kristy Libotte Keener has received the Award of Honor, logo division, in the International Dalton Pen Communications competition and an Award of Distinction in the Communicator Awards competition. ... Baby daze! Sean and Pamela (past PRSA chapter president) Smith and big sister Shonna welcomed Jordan Elizabeth into their family at 10:14 a.m. April 18. ...

AP Fort Worth correspondent Angela Brown was named AP Staffer of the Year at the Texas APME annual meeting. The UTA Shorthorn was named the state's best university daily, with the North Texas Daily at UNT receiving second place and the TCU Daily Skiff honorable mention. Star-Telegram writer Yamil Berard received first place in FOI reporting for her work on government pensions and the Teacher Retirement System. The Star-Telegram's Mark Horvit, Barry Shlachter, Jennifer Autrey and Toni Heinzl also were honored. ...

UTA Student Publications' triumphant spring continued in Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and regional SPJ competitions. At TIPA, The Shorthorn tied with UT Austin for sweepstakes and won best of show. At SPJ, Renegade was named best magazine. Staffers, former staffers and contributors Jessica Freeman, Kevin Bueker, Mark Roberts, Josh Taylor, William Chop, Brandon Wade, Whitney Shropshire, Andrew Campbell, Richard-Michael Manuel, Reneé Gatons, Mary Richert, Elaine Marsilio, Melissa Winn, Caren Penland, Jessica Ramirez, Jean Weaver, Brad Rollins, Awais Ikram, Tiffany Murphy, Brandon Guidry, Cory Wells, Daniel Worthington, Daniel Buck, Amber Chisholm, Amanda Kowalski and Hayley Harris were lauded for individual work. ...

The Star-Telegram's Anna Tinsley won eight awards and took the Faragher Sweepstakes at the Press Women of Texas convention last month. It was the fifth time she won the sweepstakes prize. ... Jessica DeLeón, also at the Star-Telegram, was one of 30 journalists invited to the Western Knight Center seminar "Going Beyond the Agenda: Investigating Local Government." ...

Star-Telegram page designers and editors received 14 awards -- the most of any Texas newspaper -- in the 26th annual Society for News Design competition. An Award of Excellence marked the redesign that debuted in August. Sports and the LiVe! page, which replaced Encore, also were recognized for redesign. Alex Rodriguez, Cody Bailey, Charean Williams, Linda Meyer, Kate Gorman, Jill Johnson, Sarah Huffstetler, Gregg Ellman, Paul Moseley, Max Faulkner, Celeste Williams, Terry Bigham, Ellen Alfano, Broc Sears, Ryan Peterson, Meredith Poldrack, Amanda Reiter, Spencer Skelley and UTA Shorthorn exes Seth Schrock, Michael Currie and Jessica Felkel all received Awards of Excellence, some more than one. Second-place silver medals went to Currie, Celeste Williams, Ralph Lauer and Clif Bosler.

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The Tarrant Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse seeks a public affairs coordinator. Requirements include a degree and/or experience in related area and a knowledge of design software. At least two years experience in marketing or nonprofit PR are preferred. Salary $30,000-$33,000. Send résumé to 1701 W. Freeway, Suite 1, Fort Worth 76102, fax (817) 332-2828 or e-mail w.hurford@tarrantcouncil.org. ... The South Tarrant Star needs someone who can edit, report and take pictures, presumably not all at once. Call senior editor Paul Gnadt at (817) 295-0486. UTA Shorthorn ex Kim Pewitt-Jones is already there. She'll save a story for you. ...

The Community Credit Union in Dallas seeks an e-marketing specialist with a bachelor's degree in marketing, business, advertising or similar field, knowledge of Front Page/Dreamweaver and at least two years in internet marketing, web production and e-mail strategy. Contact Kim Miklis, (972) 509-2001. ... A Fort Worth ad agency seeks a creative director to "manage and inspire" a staff of 10 people. In-depth agency experience is a priority or product/brand management experience. Principal owner needs a strong business partner. Send résumé to Ben Perryman at bperryman@whitneysmithco.com. ...

A large corporation in Plano seeks a senior communications professional. Requirements include at least five years in internal communications or change management with a large corporation or consulting firm and experience developing and implementing strategic plans. Send résumé to connie@careerprofiles.com. ... A consumer-products company in Richmond, Va., needs a communications manager. Requirements include knowledge of all aspects of advertising/communications (print, TV, internet, direct mail), an undergraduate degree in communications or marketing (M.B.A. preferred) and at least five years management experience in a corporate or agency field. E-mail résumé to connie@careerprofiles.com.

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Promotions ... at the S-T: David Sedeño, to publisher of Diario La Estrella

Additions ... at the S-T: Adam Barth, part-time news researcher

Exits ... at the S-T: Ken Williams, to The San Diego Union-Tribune as copy desk slot ... Julie Adelsberger, going home to St. Louis to write and edit sales proposals for Express Scripts, a pharmaceutical benefits manager ... father-to-be Sean Wood to the San Antonio Express-News

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Heather Senter, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

Did you know that PRSA has 19 professional interest sections? I didn't, either, until a couple of years ago, when I started attending national PRSA events and realized the vast resources available through our membership. Professional interest sections offer niche networks and programming relevant to a particular industry, like health care or travel and tourism, or that emphasize a specific discipline such as employee communications.

Tim Tune, IABC/Fort Worth

Just as each of us has different tastes in food, we also like to receive information in different ways. Some of us have the Joe Friday attitude -- we just want the facts. Others are audience members, so entertain us. Facts are fine, but could you present them in a poem? A third kind of learning happens best through demonstration: Show me how to do it.

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

Be honest, you blinked when you saw that scholarship amount in the write-up of the First Amendment Dinner. $19,000. What a tribute to the Tarrant County journalism crowd for creating and nurturing the endowment that makes much of this possible. And eChaser advertisers, your support helps, too -- you're giving back to the community in a big way. Yessir, makes us proud. ...

For anyone who thinks he can write like the late Hunter S. Thompson, UTA anthropoligist Karl Petruso has created a web site upon which to hurl one's best HST-like maunderings. A plethora of clever submissions could prompt Petruso, speaking in third person, to "reconfigure this stupid project into a contest, and the best entries will be awarded prizes, the nature of which is yet to be determined. Perhaps he will be able to secure big endorsements from breweries, munitions dealers, drug manufacturers, disgraced former executives of Enron, or Jose Canseco. Otherwise the winners will just have to take satisfaction in the undying glory their literary achievements will confer on them within the metacommunity of losers in cyberspace." Have a few beers first, then go here. ...

Closing words: "Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock." -- Ben Hecht ... "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." -- Abraham Lincoln ... "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismograph." -- Ken Kesey

Closing words II, G.W.B. & the Pharisees bracket: "He knew who I was, at that time, because I had a reputation as a writer. I knew he was part of the Bush dynasty. But he was nothing, he offered nothing, and he promised nothing. He had no humor. He was insignificant in every way, and consequently I didn't pay much attention to him. But when he passed out in my bathtub, then I noticed him. I'd been in another room, talking to the bright people. I had to have him taken away." -- Hunter S. Thompson in The Independent on George W. Bush at Thompson's Super Bowl party in Houston in 1974

Closing words III, goofball division: "You know, it's funny. ... I've only met Angie Dickinson once." -- Billy Bob Thornton on ex-wife Angelina Jolie's full-page ad in Variety ("Billy, I love your brilliant mind. Congratulations! With love and respect always, Angie.") celebrating his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... "I'm on top of the world right now, because everyone's going to know that I can shove more than three burgers in my mouth!" -- Ezra Nicholas, 19, after setting a world record by cramming 3 1/5 McDonald's hamburgers into his kisser without swallowing at Singapore's contest to be the world's wackiest