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October 2006
MEETINGS
Next at IABC Fort Worth ...
The program's being planned. Stay tuned.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24
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, $18 students (online sign-up add $1)
RSVP by noon Oct. 20: julie.trowbridge@c-b.com or iabcfortworth.com/paypal.htm
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Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ...
Engaging Employees to Advance Your Brand
Come to the PRSA October luncheon and leave equipped with the tools to improve internal communications and involve employees in advancing your organization's brand. Teisha Van de Kop, a senior VP in the Dallas office of Weber Shandwick, will present case studies on building brands with employees.
Using American Airlines as an example, Van de Kop will explore its extensive internal communications accompanying the "We know why you fly" campaign in 2004. She also will share insight into ExxonMobil's seven-city employee communications campaign, which generated excitement about the company's new line of motor oils.
Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11
Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets
Cost: $25 members, $30 nonmembers, $20 students
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Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...
Curry-Moore: They Call It Sparring
Tarrant County DA Tim Curry and his challenger in the Nov. 7 election, Terri Moore, will front what promises to be a rowdy session at Joe T. Garcia's (actually La Puertita, the renovated church the restaurant owns, south of the main building) on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
Moore, former deputy chief of the felony trial division in the Tarrant County district attorney's office and founder of its gang crime unit, says her former boss has lost his passion for the job. "Thirty-four years is long enough for anyone," she said. "We don't own these elective jobs."
Curry, who has been district attorney since 1972, said he stands on his record and pledges to continue to run the best DA's office in the state. "The Tarrant County DA is not elected to try any one case that happens to be in one of our courts at any given time," he said. "This is a very well-managed office, and I've worked hard for it to be that way. I've delivered on my end of the deal, and I will continue to do that."
Moore was a state prosecutor for almost 10 years and a federal prosecutor for four. She said that if elected she will appoint a veteran prosecutor to every homicide case, revitalize the gang unit and put more resources into stopping computer crime, including internet fraud, ID theft and online pornography.
Curry said the most important job of the district attorney in a large, metropolitan county is making wise hires and that he has hired "156 of the best prosecutors in the country."
Time & date: mingling 5:30 p.m., eats around 6, then the program Wednesday, Oct. 18
Place: La Puertita, the converted-church dining room south of Joe T. Garcia's, 2201 N. Commerce St.
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers, $5 students
Menu: Joe T.'s famous family-style enchilada dinner
RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com
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STRAIGHT STUFF
Postmark deadline is Nov. 15 to apply for a 2007 Pulliam Journalism Fellowship -- a cash grant of $6,500 and 10 weeks at The Arizona Republic or The Indianapolis Star. More from Russell B. Pulliam at russell.pulliam@indystar.com or azcentral.com/help/articles/info-pulliam.html. ...
The McCormick Tribune Foundation, Northwestern University's Media Management Center and the National Association of Minority Media Executives Foundation seek applicants for the 2007 McCormick Tribune Fellowship program. Eight media execs of color will attend the executive development program at Northwestern. More here.
IABC local update: Joel Frey, PR manager for Travelocity, and Denisha Stephens, APR, executive vice president of Vollmer Dallas, will outline their strategic plan for Travelocity's IABC Gold Quill-winning customer championship campaign at this year's Dallas IABC Quill Awards luncheon, Friday, Oct. 6. Business communicators from across the Metroplex will be recognized for their work in categories ranging from government relations and marketing communication to crisis communications, writing and design. Learn more and register here.
PRSA local update: Prior to the regular October meeting, a free, members-only seminar will help attendees make more effective pitches to broadcast news organizations. Assignment editors Deitria Coleman, KTVT; Lance Conrad, WFAA; Gary Daniels, KDFW; and Stephen Wright, KXAS, will explain what television news looks for and a lot more. GFW PRSA president-elect Marc Flake will moderate the panel, scheduled for 9-11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, at the Petroleum Club on the 39th floor of Carter-Burgess Plaza. Expect an extended question-and-answer period with Q&A's flying in all directions.
PRSA local update II: Greater Fort Worth PRSA is partnering with the Texas Public Relations Association to sponsor the 2007 Silver Spur/Best of Texas Awards, the only statewide contest for Texas PR practitioners. Entry deadline is Jan. 25. Info should be available at tpra.com by late October.
PRSA local update III: Betty Nguyen, co-host of CNN's "Saturday & Sunday Morning" and a former news anchor at KTVT CBS 11, will keynote Dallas PRSA Media Day 2006 on Friday, Oct. 20. More here.
PRSA local update IV: It's another doubleheader program in November, with two UTA professors and marketing/management experts, and worthy of advance notice. The morning session will address how to create a strategic plan, analyze competitors and create a measurable strategy for your company. At lunch it's "Strength-Based Leadership: Learning How to be a Better Leader." Details next month.
SPJ national update: Foley scandal: GOP leader calls Washington Post to change story; and Senate panel freezes bill on legal protection for reporters. Did the Republican leadership in Congress attempt to cover up its lack of oversight and action when tipped off about possible ethical problems related to Rep. Mark Foley? The prominent House Republican resigned Sept. 29 after the revelation that he exchanged raunchy electronic messages with a teenage boy, a former congressional page. Once his resignation letter was read to the House, Republicans spent the night trying to explain -- six weeks before congressional elections -- how this could have happened on their watch. The Washington Post carried this remarkable passage Sept. 30: "House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of inappropriate 'contact' between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he then told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Boehner later contacted The Post and said he could not remember whether he talked to Hastert." More here and here. ... The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed consideration of a federal shield law for journalists after hearing new objections from the Justice Department. Passage of the legislation is doubtful given powerful opposition in the House and from the Bush administration. More here.
SPJ national update II: Media study suppressed?; database of government contracts approved; and false reports on Iran may be replay of run-up to Iraq war. FCC chairman Kevin Martin on Sept. 18 ordered an investigation into why two agency reports on media ownership were never made public. The draft of a recent FCC study shows that locally owned stations air more news than stations controlled by outside owners. A lawyer with the FCC told the AP that FCC managers ordered the report destroyed; the lawyer is no longer with the agency. More here and here. ... Following the Senate's lead, the House of Representatives passed a bill to establish a publicly searchable database of federally funded grants and contracts. The bill would require the Office of Management and Budget to create a free, easily accessible web site listing all grant awards and contracts, said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va. ... A report by veteran McClatchy reporters John Walcott and Warren P. Strobel warns that the same shaky intelligence that proved false prior to the Iraq war may be surfacing in regard to Iran. "U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials say Bush political appointees and hard-liners on Capitol Hill have tried recently to portray Iran's nuclear program as more advanced than it is and to exaggerate Tehran's role in Hezbollah's attack on Israel in mid-July," Walcott and Strobel write. They quote one U.S. counterterrorism official: "It seems like Iran is becoming the new Iraq." More here.
SPJ national update III: Ellsberg urges insiders to leak alleged war plans; down a twisted "Path"; and two more journalists are killed in Iraq, bringing the total to 79 journalists and 28 media support workers killed since the war began March 20, 2003. The man who leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971 is asking government officials to leak "the Pentagon Paper of the Middle East," to short-circuit another possible war. Based on reporting by Seymour Hersh and others, Daniel Ellsberg believes that insiders are aware of "serious plans for war with Iran" while "Congress and the public remain largely in the dark." His remedy: "Conscientious insiders" need to leak hard evidence to the public, even if it risks their current and future employment, as he, then a defense analyst, did in the early 1970s. More here. ... Two retired FBI agents say they rejected advisory roles on the disputed ABC mini-series "The Path to 9/11" over concerns about the program's accuracy. Thomas E. Nicoletti, hired by the producers in July 2005 to oversee technical accuracy, left after less than a month. "There were some of the scenes that were total fiction," he said, including placing people at places where they had not been present and depicting events out of chronological order. "I'm well aware of what's dramatic license and what's historical inaccuracy. And this had a lot of historical inaccuracy." Before retiring in 2003, Nicoletti was a supervisory special agent and a member of the joint terrorism task force. Dan Coleman, who retired from the FBI in 2004, saw the script last summer after being approached about being a technical adviser. "I read it and told them they had to be kidding," he said. "I wanted my friends at the FBI to still speak to me." (Then-CEO Michael Eisner on Disney's decision not to let its subsidiary Miramax Films distribute the film "Fahrenheit 9-11": "We just didn't want to be in the middle of a politically oriented film during an election year.") More here and here and here and here.
SPJ national update IV: Oregon warrantless wiretapping lawsuit stands; from a Marine intelligence expert, an unusually bleak assessment; and U.S. paid 10 journalists for anti-Castro reports. A federal judge has rejected a Bush administration plea to dismiss a lawsuit over the government's warrantless-surveillance program, saying he was not convinced that going ahead with the case would harm national security. More here. ... The intelligence chief for the Marine Corps in Iraq recently filed a classified report concluding that the prospects for securing the western Anbar province are dim and that there is little the U.S. military can do to improve the situation. Military officers and intelligence officials said Col. Pete Devlin's assessment represents the first time that a senior U.S. officer has filed so negative a report from Iraq. One Army officer summarized it as arguing that in Anbar province, "We haven't been defeated militarily but we have been defeated politically -- and that's where wars are won and lost." More here. ... The administration's Office of Cuba Broadcasting paid 10 reporters in Miami to provide commentary critical of Fidel Castro on Radio and TV Martí, which transmits to Cuba. The group included three writers at El Nuevo Herald, the Spanish-language sister newspaper of The Miami Herald, which fired them after learning of the relationship. The Castro regime has long alleged that some Cuban-American reporters in Miami were paid by the government. Other pseudo-journalists have been found to accept money from the administration, including Armstrong Williams, a commentator and talk-show host who took $240,000 to promote its education initiatives. More here.
SPJ national update V: But they're still dead; Supreme Court to post transcripts of proceedings online; and government secrecy expanding. U.S. officials aren't counting scores of dead killed in car bombings and mortar attacks as victims of the country's sectarian violence. In a distinction previously undisclosed, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Johnson said Sept. 8 that the United States includes in its tabulations of sectarian violence only deaths of individuals killed in drive-by shootings or by torture and execution. Johnson declined to provide an actual number for the U.S. tally of August deaths or for July, when the Baghdad city morgue counted a record 1,855 violent deaths. More here. ... The Supreme Court will post transcripts of oral arguments on its web site the same day they occur, beginning this month. The change has long been sought by court watchers. There is no indication that the justices are prepared to relent on another matter of media interest. Television cameras still are barred from the court. More here. ... OpenTheGovernment.org's third annual report of measurable indicators that evaluate openness in government shows a continued expansion of government secrecy across a broad array of agencies and actions.
SPJ national update VI: It's a climate-controlled White House; and spy agencies say Iraq war worsens threat. The administration's claim that it wasn't telling scientists what to say about climate change apparently is false. A large batch of e-mails obtained through an FOI Act request shows that the White House was, in fact, controlling access to scientists and vetting reporters. There were several press reports in February about the administration exercising message control on the subject of climate change. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist Thomas Knutson said he'd been barred from speaking to CNBC because his research suggested a link between more-intense hurricanes and global warming. More here. ... A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies finds that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq spawned a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. This is the first formal appraisal of global terrorism by U.S. intelligence agencies since the Iraq war began and represents a consensus of the 16 disparate spy services inside the government. More here and here.
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The Right to Privacy vs. the Right to Know
by Susan Tallant
Technology has created a new kind of battle for citizens, and in Texas the conflict has reached the Supreme Court, members and guests of Fort Worth SPJ learned at the September meeting.
In response to questions by panel moderator Tom Williams -- to what extent should paper records be maintained electronically, and can anyone get these records? -- Tarrant County District Clerk Tom Wilder said he and his counterparts statewide are on the front lines of "a very serious issue."
"This is starting to get more publicity, and it should," he said. "We're all waiting to see what the [Texas] Supreme Court is going to do."
Wilder said the Legislature has been inundated with complaints about people using court records to steal identities and that the Texas Supreme Court can actually mandate access to records and override judges' control.
"What you're going to see is an attempt to standardize access to court records," he said.
Wilder said that if a record is open at the courthouse, it should be open on the internet. But to stave off identity theft and the casual snoop, he requires an application and subscriber agreement. The $35 per month allows access to only one case at a time and includes free copies.
Dallas County Clerk Cynthia Figueroa Calhoun takes a different approach -- all access, all the time, no user screening. "My biggest priority was real estate records," she said. "We digitized records and put them online."
All Dallas County real estate images from 1974 forward are online. Indexes from 1964 are also accessible. "I know we are providing a tremendous service to the average citizen," she said. "We get 1,500 to 2,000 hits a day."
Calhoun said she understands that identity theft is a possibility but that it has never happened with records under her control.
She said it is too difficult for some people to visit the courthouse for a record. "Those people should have the same access as those who can come down and get it," she said.
Internet access allows the Dallas County documents to be printed from home and saves taxpayers $4.5 million plus $100,000 annually in postage, Calhoun said. "We are determined to keep that information up online, keep it free and keep it accessible to everyone."
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PEOPLE & PLACES
Cathy O'Neal has joined the Arlington YMCA as a grant writer and donor communications specialist. Since leaving the Girl Scouts two years ago, she has done "anything for a buck," she says, writing all kinds of things for all kinds of clients. She also is an adjunct in the UTA communication department. ...
The Henry House Foundation has enlisted the Balcom Agency to create brand identity and communications materials for the newly formed nonprofit. Started by PGA golfer J.J. Henry, the foundation will support community-based programs addressing the well-being of children. It will fund projects initiated by children's medical and support services and organizations in Fort Worth and southern New England. Henry achieved his first PGA Tour career win in his home state at the 2006 Buick Championship and was on the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team. He and his wife, Lee, are graduates of TCU.
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GET A JOB
The Paladin staffing agency has a full-time opportunity for a copywriter, preferably with 2-7 years promotions experience, in downtown Dallas. E- Antje Spethmann at antje@paladinstaff.com.
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NEW MEMBERS
PRSA ... Christina Aguilar, Fort Worth ISD ... Jennifer Engstrand, Texas Ballet Theater ... Holly Gambrell, Tarrant County Medical Society ... Kathleen Golden, Alcon Labs ... Barbara Griffith, Fort Worth ISD ... Bill McCoy, Hill & Co.
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COMINGS & GOINGS
Additions ... at the S-T: Amherst College magna cum laude grad Matthew Erikson, classical music critic
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PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Holly Ellman, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
Wow! The last quarter of 2006 is shaping up to be a busy time.
The chapter is fielding a team for the annual Cowtown Brush Up on Oct. 7, where we will help spruce up more than 100 homes of elderly, disabled and low-income citizens. We'll paint houses, plant trees, remove graffiti and just generally enjoy a great bonding experience while making a visual impact on our central city neighborhoods. Contact Richie Escovedo, community service chair, if you want to join the fun.
We will host two events Oct. 11, including our second members-only media forum. Membership VP Marc Flake has put together a dynamic panel of television news assignment editors who will give us the skinny on the best ways to make an effective pitch. This free special event runs from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Petroleum Club.
Then stay in the room for the regular chapter meeting featuring Teisha Van de Kop, senior vice president in the Dallas office of Weber Shandwick. She will share the secrets to improving internal communications and engaging employees to help promote your brand. The chapter meeting is open to members and guests.
In November we will host a professional development seminar on strategic planning. John Bassler, Ph.D., will discuss SWOT analysis, SWOT-driven strategic planning, and environmental and competitor analysis. He also will provide tips on how to develop a strategy and measure the results. Following the seminar, David A. Mack, Ph.D., will discuss leadership on a practical level -- how to lead effectively, strategies to be a good leader and how to motivate (and discipline) employees.
Also in November, we will celebrate the chapter's 20th anniversary with an evening soiree. A committee is feverishly working to find the best location with great food, drink and festivities. If you'd like to serve on the committee, contact me at hellman@fwcds.org.
And finally, we wrap up the year with the SPJ/PRSA/IABC holiday party and our annual holiday networking luncheon. Who knew you could have so much fun in a professional organization?
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PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
Ken Roberts, IABC Fort Worth
Chapter president-elect Betsy Boyett returned from the 14-state IABC Southern Region Conference last month with a broader perspective on IABC. "Before going to Kansas City, my IABC experience had been limited primarily to our local chapter," she said. "I have worked with individual members from other chapters on Bronze Quill awards judging, but this was the first time I spent significant time with a large group of IABC members from several states."
The Silver Quill awards banquet opened the conference Sunday evening, Sept. 24. Monday and Tuesday were filled with more than 30 educational sessions on skills, leadership and marketing and iscellaneous. Keynote presentations were made at breakfast and lunch on Monday and Tuesday.
"The classes and the keynote speakers were outstanding. I came back with my head and notebook full of new ideas that I'm ready to implement," Betsy said. "It was also great to meet so many people whose careers are similar to mine. I probably learned as much from them as I did in the classrooms and my professional network grew tremendously."
I look forward to Betsy sharing her experiences with the chapter. Having attended last year's conference, I can attest to personal growth and a fresh enthusiasm for all things IABC.
We don't have to leave Tarrant County, however, to enjoy professional development and networking. IABC Fort Worth is finalizing plans for a half-day professional development seminar this fall. Watch the web site, iabcfortworth.com, and next month's e-Chaser for details.
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
What if even half of this is true. Who are we? What have we become? ...
More reasons to experience Tim Curry and Terri Moore on Oct. 18 -- you might hear things like this. Moore: "Whether someone is hit by a drunk driver or shot by a capital murderer, we need the case assigned to a court and a prosecutor and kept there -- from the time the case is presented to the grand jury, until we get a conviction and it is appealed." Curry: "The DA is responsible for the overall operation of this office, and we have a $28 million budget. I would say that calls for some management skills. Wouldn't you?" I'd say this calls for your attendance. Arlington Star-Telegram publisher Gary Hardee will moderate the debate. If history serves -- Curry and Moore conducted a similar event four years ago -- it will be the questions from the crowd that need moderating. ...
Contact SDX Foundation president Steve Geimann at sgeimann@spj.org to be considered to represent SPJ on the Accreditation Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. SPJ is among 16 professional groups committed to the accreditation process endorsed by more than 100 colleges. Candidates will be expected to study ahead of each visit and to spend four days on a campus conducting investigations.
Closing words: "It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." -- Samuel Adams
Closing words II, G.W.B. & the Pharisees division: "Well, for example -- there's a -- we -- we uncovered a -- a potential anthrax attack on the United States. Or the fact that -- Khalid Sheik Mohammed had got somebody to -- to line up people to fly airlines, to -- to crash airlines on, I think, the West Coast or somewhere in America. And these would be Southeast Asians. In other words, we've uncovered cells." -- George W. Bush, responding to Katie Couric's question on what the United States has learned from interrogating high-value terrorism suspects; Couric to Bush: "I'm really grateful. Thank you. Thank you." ... "It wasn't just a crocodile tear. I felt like I moved him. I don't think he's going to wake up tomorrow and say, 'Oh my gosh, I've been wrong this whole time and I'm going to change all my policies because of my meeting with this woman.' I just hope that with each soldier, he remembers my pain." -- Hildi Halley, whose husband was killed in Iraq, after a meeting with the president
Closing words III, special FCC war is heck installment: "It's a really sorry state of affairs if we're Disney-fying combat." -- "Frontline" producer Martin Smith on sanitizing part of an upcoming documentary, "Return of the Taliban," wherein Canadian soldiers are heard swearing