Citing the CIA's reluctance to comply with the FOI Act, a judge on Feb. 2 ordered the agency to release records about the treatment of detainees and prisoners in Iraq or explain better why it cannot. It was the second time in six months that U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein suggested that the government is hamstringing the ACLU's quest to monitor government actions in the war on terrorism. More here and here. ... Federal courts would have to meet strict national standards before they could issue subpoenas to reporters under legislation introduced Feb. 2 in the House. The bill also shields reporters from having to reveal confidential sources. Identical or similar bills were later introduced in the Senate. More here and here and here. Meanwhile, two reporters who have refused to name their sources to a grand jury investigating the disclosure of the identity of a covert CIA officer should be jailed for contempt, a unanimous three-judge panel ruled Feb. 15. Following the decision, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press reiterated its support for a federal shield law. More here and here and here.
SPJ national update VI: The march of the Stepford children; the march of the Iraqi voter; no democracy on the march for Iraqi women; and Fox News does it but Al Jazeera cannot? One in three U.S. high school students says the press should be restricted, and even more say the government should approve newspaper stories before readers see them, according to a recent survey of 112,003 students on First Amendment rights. More here. ... "The crowd began streaming into the polling station near our hotel by 10 a.m. They lined up patiently behind rolls of barbed wire and submitted to being frisked and searched with metal detectors. Men smiled as they handed over personal belongings -- mobile phones, cameras and pens -- to the security guard. Women, many covering their hair with festive scarves, pulled along little kids in party dresses." More here and here. ... Nearly two years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, women there are no better off, Amnesty International said in a report Feb. 21. The systematic repression under Saddam Hussein has been replaced by increased murders and by sexual abuse, including from U.S. forces, the report says. More here. ... Relations with Qatar, a crucial American ally in the Persian Gulf, are strained over Qatar's sponsorship of Al Jazeera, the TV station that the heaviest hitters in the Bush administration have complained broadcasts inflammatory, misleading and occasionally false stories, especially on Iraq. More here.
===================================================
PEOPLE & PLACES
The Tarrant County League of Women Voters' 2005 Citizen Participation Award, also known as the "Movers and Shapers" Award, went to Fort Worth Weekly for the paper's propensity for uncovering environmental abuses and government-related scandals, a recent example of the latter being in the Fort Worth school district. The award goes annually to a group that has "an outstanding record of informed and active participation in local government or [that] has influenced policy through education and advocacy." The presentation was made Feb. 22 at Fort Worth Botanic Garden. ...
Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations will develop and execute ad/PR campaigns for Fort Worth Electric, a full-service electrical contractor with recent work at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the Mansfield Law Enforcement Center and Spinks Airport in Fort Worth. Also at Witherspoon, Westwood Contractors has hired the company to help formulate strategy on all marketing and external communications. Westwood is a national general contractor specializing in retail stores and hospitality venues; clients range from Abercrombie & Fitch and Banana Republic, to Eddie Bauer and Holiday Inn, to Jared's Jewelers, The Gap and Victoria's Secret.
===================================================
GET A JOB
A Southwest-based company seeks a senior corporate communications specialist. Requirements include a bachelor's degree, concentration in journalism or communications preferred, and at least five years experience in internal corporate communications, communication planning and change management, and total compensation. APR or ABC credentials are preferred, as are media relations experience and proven news judgment. The company's businesses produce, gather, process and transport natural gas to heat homes and power electric generation nationwide. Contact Tanya Hinton, CPC, Diversified Search Services, (773) 714-2846, tanya@diverssvs.com.
===================================================
NEW MEMBERS
SPJ ... Jamie Jorgensen, TCU ... Cara West, Fort Worth Business Press
===================================================
COMINGS & GOINGS
Exits ... at the S-T: Javier Aldape, leaving Diario La Estrella to become editor for Hoy in Chicago
===================================================
