SPJ national update III: GAO says administration acted improperly; troops still killing journalists; a hard look in the mirror; and they call it Airhead America. Federal auditors said Sept. 30 that the Bush administration violated the law by buying favorable news coverage of the president's education policies, by making payments to the conservative commentator Armstrong Williams and by hiring a PR company to analyze media perceptions of the Republican Party. In a blistering report, the investigators, from the Government Accountability Office, said the administration disseminated "covert propaganda" in the United States, in violation of a statutory ban. There is no penalty for violation of this law. More here. ... The International Federation of Journalists has urged the United Nations to investigate media deaths at the hands of coalition forces in Iraq. The organization said the death of Reuters TV sound technician Waleed Khaled on Aug. 28 brought to 18 the number of journalists and other members of the media killed by U.S. troops since the invasion. More here. ... CBS News is starting its own blog, Public Eye, which will wade into controversies over how CBS covers the news. And the AP has published a new FAQ on its About AP/What's New site that includes one question related to the criticism that it does not report enough "positive" news from Iraq, and others addressing charges that reports from there are not always full or accurate because of travel restrictions caused by constant violence. More here and here. ... The former chairman of Air America Radio -- whom former colleagues said engineered transfers of more than $800,000 to the liberal radio network from a boys and girls club in the Bronx -- was missing in late August, according to a lawyer who was trying to have him served with legal papers. More here.
SPJ national update IV: Cue the grief; call the movers; Iraqi reporters get tough; and UT Austin paper criticizes SPJ. In a White House that choreographs the president's appearances days ahead, the flubbed post-Hurricane Rita photo op in San Antonio -- it was too sunny to convey tragedy -- was a reminder that the new strategy of putting George W. Bush close to the action has its risks. More here. ... As Galveston County prepared to evacuate ahead of Rita, The Galveston County Daily News was packing up to head north while also staying very much in business. "I suspect I will have to deliver some papers," said publisher Dolph Tillotson. "I've done it before." More here. ... In today's hurly-burly Iraq, dozens of media outlets have created something approximating a Western-style environment in which newly minted politicians tirelessly spin journalists. Mosques have their own media centers, insurgents have web sites, all while the government struggles to control the message that reaches the public. More here. ... The Daily Texan nicked SPJ national for giving Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan its Sunshine Award for contributions to open government. While Madigan's public-access accomplishments are substantial, she also is "responsible for a court case that makes the jobs of student journalists much more difficult." More here.
SPJ national update V: The people have no right to know; the president's pornorities; DPS challenges pro-journalists ruling; and when reporters report, and when they don't. Federal databases tracking gun sales are no longer public, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago (7th Circuit) ruled Sept. 12, citing a new law that makes the data "immune from the judicial process" and therefore exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. Meanwhile, where are dangerous chemicals leaking as a result of Hurricane Katrina? The New Orleans Times-Picayune's lead hurricane reporter, Mark Schleifstein, had asked the EPA that for days without an answer. So he filed a request under FOIA. More than a week later, he still didn't have an answer. More here and here and here. ... The Bush administration's War on Porn has diverted eight FBI agents, a supervisor and support staff to gather evidence against "manufacturers and purveyors" of pornography -- not the kind exploiting children, but the kind that depicts, and is legally marketed to, consenting adults. "I guess this means we've won the war on terror," said one exasperated agent. More here. ... The Texas Department of Public Safety has filed a lawsuit fighting Attorney General Greg Abbott's decision in favor of a journalist requesting access to videos taken by Capitol security cameras. The Texas Observer had sought video taken of the hallway behind the Texas House on May 23, the day lawmakers rejected a proposal to allow some low-income students to attend private schools with state funding amid speculation that James Leininger, a proponent of the plan, was secretively leaning on members. More here. ... The last time reporters were so personally involved in a story was early in the invasion of Iraq, when embedded journalists became drumbeaters for the mission. Hurricane Katrina had a similar but opposite effect: After spending time in the Superdome and the convention center in New Orleans, normally poised TV reporters openly deplored the government's failure to help the victims. But just a few days earlier, about 50 members of the White House press corps accepted the president's invitation to drop by the ranch, hang around the pool and shmooze -- while promising not to tell anyone what he said. More here and here and here.
===================================================
GET A JOB
The Tarrant County College District has two public information officer positions open, one of them half time. Requirements for both include a bachelor's degree in communications or design. Pay $37,381 and $17.97 per hour. Apply online at tccd.edu. ... Irving-based Valor Telecom seeks a corporate communications manager. Requirements include 8-10 years writing experience, knowledge of AP style and full software skill set. Valor is one of the largest providers of telecommunications services in primarily rural communities in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arkansas. Info at valortelecom.com. ...
Blanchard Schaefer Advertising & Public Relations seeks an account coordinator. Must have 2-3 years PR experience. Send résumé to jobs@bsapr.com. ... The Denton County Transportation Authority has an opening for a communications and marketing specialist. Required: bachelor's degree with major study in marketing, journalism and communications and three years experience. Salary $44,044-$62,983. Return application and résumé to DCTA, 1660 S. Stemmons, Suite 250, Lewisville 75067. For additional information, job description and application, see dcta.net/employment.htm. ...
The Star-Telegram has openings for a religion writer -- knowledgeable about Christian denominations, Islam and Judaism -- and a reporter to cover immigration and the immigrant community (fluency in Spanish preferred). In both cases, looking for five years experience and an ability to work in a variety of journalism forms, from online and deadline reporting, to in-depth profiles and trend pieces. Send a résumé and clips to Jean Marie Brown, S-T managing editor/eastern Tarrant County, P.O. Box 915007, Fort Worth 76115.
===================================================
NEW MEMBERS
PRSA ... Cathy Walensky ... Holly Cross, Alcon Labs ... Lisa Lankes, Justin Brands ... Laura Squires, Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations ... Jill Eastman, Weaver and Tidwell ... Mark Johnson, Barnes & Noble ... Amiso M. George, APR, Ph.D.
===================================================
