eChaser: February 2006


	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 Balcom Agency Barr Printing Bass Performance Hall Business Wire The Collegian, Tarrant County College District DFW Printing Co. Fort Worth Business Press Fort Worth Transportation Authority Fort Worth Zoo Helping Restore Ability InterStar Marketing and Public Relations Jesse Hornbuckle Photography Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Restaurant Jubilee Theatre The Keller Citizen Optimist, Abilene Christian University PR Newswire PRSA Creative Consultants SIG Reasons Group, Inc. Robert Hart Studio The Shorthorn, UTA Star-Telegram TCU Daily Skiff Trinity Railway Express The University of Texas at Arlington VMS Weber Shandwick Worldwide Wise County Messenger Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations February 2006 MEETINGS Next at IABC/Fort Worth ... Every Picture Tells a Story Internationsally acclaimed location photographer Suzanne Salvo will tell how to "Increase Communication Effectiveness with Images" and offer tips to help non-photographers shoot like a pro at the February IABC meeting. Suzanne and her husband, Chris, own Salvo Photography, an award-winning studio based in Houston. Location shooting for such clients as Lockheed Martin, Travelocity, the American Bureau of Shipping and ExxonMobil has taken Suzanne to nearly 50 countries. A highly rated speaker at Ragan Communications and IABC regional and international conferences, she has conducted workshops on visual communications and digital photography throughout the United States and beyond. She is a past-president of IABC/Houston and served on IABC international's board of directors in 2003-04. Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28 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 Feb. 24: Julie Trowbridge at julie.trowbridge@c-b.com ----- Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ... Live and Learn: The PR Blunders We've Made Everyone knows that he should learn from his mistakes. Problem is, you have to make the mistake before you can learn from it. Chapter members will share their most memorable experiences (that's a nice way to put it) in the industry at the special Pro-Am Day meeting this month with PR students from PRSA affiliate universities. Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8 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, $15 students participating in Pro-Am Day, $20 students not participating in Pro-Am Day RSVP by noon Feb. 3: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org; members, watch your e-mail inbox for your Cvent invite ----- Next at Fort Worth SPJ ... Where Have All the Journalists Gone? Will we be paraphrasing Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" in a few decades? What's happening to newspapers and why? Knight Ridder may sell its papers. Major dailies are cutting staff. Circulation is down, and classified advertising is going to the Internet. Will there be jobs for print journalists in 10 years? Longtime newspaper observer and researcher Jerry Grotta will address those questions at the February SPJ meeting at Joe T. Garcia's. Grotta has worn many hats in the newspaper business over 50 years -- printer, writer, editor, photographer, editorial writer, page designer -- and three decades ago wrote an article predicting today's newspaper woes. For the last 30 years he has studied print media and their readers and advertisers. He has done research for The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone and other publications and has been a discussion leader more than 20 times for the American Press Institute. He has taught at Idaho State U., Southern Illinois U. and the University of Oklahoma. He retired in 2000 from TCU but continues to teach part time in the Schieffer School of Journalism. Time & date: mingling 5:30 p.m., eats at 6, then the program, Thursday, Feb. 23 Place: ballroom cantina at Joe T. Garcia's Mexican restaurant, 2201 N. Commerce St., Fort Worth Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers, $5 students; cash bar; just to hear the program -- free Menu: Joe T.'s legendary family-style enchilada dinner RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com =================================================== STRAIGHT STUFF Postmark deadline is Feb. 18 to vie for Fort Worth SPJ's third annual First Amendment Awards. Everything one needs to know is here. If you're still feeling competitive, the Chicago Headline Club is seeking nominations for its annual Ethics in Journalism Award, with forms available at headlineclub.org; deadline is Feb. 10. Contact Casey Bukro with questions and nominations: cbukro@tribune.com or (847) 869-4193. ... What do you call a Super Bowl party that's four days before the game? You call it a fiesta pep rally. The Dallas/Fort Worth Network of Hispanic Communicators and DFW Association of Black Communicators, both celebrating 25-year anniversaries, will greet and eat, mix and mingle at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, at La Calle Doce, 415 W. 12th St., Dallas. Admission is a $5 donation. Cash bar. Members of AAJA, NAJA, SPJ, AWA, etc. also are invited. For info call Gary Piña, (817) 390-7807, or Toya Stewart, (214) 977-8748. ... The Network of Hispanic Communicators has posted its 2006 scholarship form at dfwhispanic.org. Applications deadline is March 3. The scholarhip brunch/reception will be Saturday, April 22, at Los Vaqueros restaurant in Fort Worth. ... To commemorate the organization's first 25 years, inductees will be added to the Hispanic communicators' Hall of Fame. Send nominations by Feb. 1 to Ana Barrera Waggoner at abarrera@dallasnews.com. ... The NHC's daylong workshop for young journalists will be Saturday, March 4, at UTA, and coming soon will be details on the annual high school writing contest. E- Michael Vega at michael_vega@sbcglobal.net. ... The Western Knight Center for Specialized Journalism, in partners with the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, is accepting applications for an expenses-paid seminar March 26-31 at the University of California, Berkeley, that combines instruction in multimedia reporting with exploration of media convergence and other critical issues for online news. Apply at WKConline.org. Application deadline: Feb. 10. Questions: Lanita Pace-Hinton, (510) 643-7429 or pacel@berkeley.edu. IABC local update: Stacy Wilson, ABC, president of Eloquor Consulting, a Colorado-based communications consulting firm, will speak at IABC/Fort Worth's regular monthly meeting and also lead a half-day seminar, both March 28, on how well-managed technology boosts the bottom line. The presentations will cover legal issues, offer tools to enable those in key communication technology roles, and help attendees identify bottlenecks that can stifle creativity and content. Details next month. IABC local update II: Idil Cakim with Burson-Marsteller and James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, will present a virtual seminar from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, on "Dark Sites: Using the Web in a Crisis." Info at krm.com/iabc. IABC local update III: Former IABC chairman (and Hurricane Katrina survivor) Charles Pizzo will present "Cover Your Assets: Communication Planning for Disaster Recovery" at the Tuesday, Feb. 14, IABC/Dallas luncheon. More here. PRSA local update: Greater Fort Worth PRSA will host Pro-Am Day on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Students from ACU, TCU, UNT and UTA will spend the morning with local PRSA professionals at their offices, then gather at the Petroleum Club for the monthly PRSA meeting. To attend Pro-Am Day or to host a student, contact student liaison chairs Kim Speairs, APR, at kim@balcomagency.com or Allyson Cross at cross@gcgadvertising. PRSA local update II: Registration deadline is Feb. 21 (Feb. 17 for the $129 room rate) for the 2006 PRSA Southwest District Conference, "Life in the Fast Lane: Navigating Your Way to PR Success," March 2-3 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Fort Worth. Details at fortworthprsa.org. Direct questions to the pit crew -- Ann Heidger, ann.heidger@businesswire.com; Tracy Sturrock, tsturrock@fortworthzoo.org; or Ashley Antle, ashley.antle@cox.net. For registration queries, reach Lisa Orr at (817) 685-4873 or lisaorr@texashealth.org. PRSA local update III: The Education SIG's first meeting of 2006 will hear Star-Telegram managing editor Rex Seline and Dr. Amiso George, a professor in the TCU Schieffer School of Journalism, discuss blogging and its impact on journalism, at noon Friday, Feb. 17, at the Dee J. Kelly Alumni and Visitors Center on the TCU campus, 2820 Stadium Drive. Seline will expand on the Star-Telegram's strategy regarding new media tools, and George will address how blogging is affecting media and communication overall. RSVP to t.syler-jones@tcu.edu. PRSA local update IV: Membership VP Marc Flake said, "You get out of it (chapter membershp) what you put in to it" and the guacamole was holy (OK, not holy, merely excellent) as new and reinstated members, board members and the NuPros crowd attended a luncheon Jan. 19 at Joe T. Garcia's hosted by chapter president Holly Ellman and Phil Beckman, NuPros chairman. Student liaison co-chair Allyson Cross urged participation in Pro-Am Day. SPJ national update: Jack didn't know Dems; but Jack knew Bush. An analysis of campaign donations from Jack Abramoff's tribal clients undercuts the claim that the lobbyist directed sums to Democrats at the same rate. The research, done by the nonpartisan Dwight L. Morris & Associates, shows that when Abramoff added the clients, most ratcheted up donations to Republicans, while donations to Democrats either dropped, remained static or, in two cases, rose by a smaller percentage than the ones to Republicans. Abramoff has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion charges, to corrupting government officials and defrauding his clients out of $25 million. More here. Then there's this Federal Election Commission list of Abramoff beneficiaries. ... Abramoff raised more than $100,000 for the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign, making him a Bush "Pioneer." The campaign is giving up $6,000, which came directly from Abramoff, his wife and one of the Indian tribes he represented. The Washington Post reports that at least 24 politicians, 21 of them Republicans, pledged to relinquish $515,199 in Abramoff-tainted campaign cash. More here. ... Time magazine has seen photos of Abramoff and George W. Bush that counter assertions by White House press secretary Scott McClellan that "the president does not know him (Abramoff), nor does the president recall ever meeting him." In one shot, Bush appears with Abramoff, several unidentified people and Raul Garza Sr., a Texan Abramoff represented who was then chairman of the Kickapoo Indians, which owned a casino in South Texas. Another photo shows Bush shaking hands with Abramoff. More here and here. SPJ national update II: Judge orders Guantanamo prisoner names released; paying for happy news may violate Rumsfeld rule; and Google and Microsoft play ball with China. The U.S. must release the names and nationalities of more than 500 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay and said to be "enemy combatants," a federal judge ordered Jan. 23. The Associated Press sued for the material in April 2005 under the Freedom of Information Act. Previous rulings by the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, including rejecting the argument that releasing the prisoners' names would subject them to retaliatory action by terrorist groups, show Judge Jed Rakoff's commitment to the public's right to know, said AP attorney David Schulz. "The judge has recognized that this is an effort by the DoD (Department of Defense) to stonewall the public from knowledge and oversight -- it's part of a bigger picture." More here. ... A secret U.S. military program that pays Iraqi newspapers to publish articles favorable to the American mission appears to violate a 2003 Pentagon directive, according to a newly declassified document. The information campaign run by U.S. troops in Baghdad and a Washington-based private contractor is the subject of an investigation. More here. ... Google is censoring its results in China, adhering to the country's free-speech restrictions in return for better access in the Internet's fastest growing market, and Microsoft has shut down a popular Chinese-language blog that has published content potentially offensive to Chinese authorities. More here and here and here. SPJ national update III: Whither KR?; writer says former CEO paid for news coverage; and who will reform the reformers? Job cuts, benefit reductions and reduced newspaper size are part of a plan to improve margins by as much as $150 million a year at Knight Ridder, according to people familiar with presentations management has been making to potential buyers. The vision involves increasing annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization to about $825 million over the next 18 months. More here and here. ... Alabama writer Audrey Lewis says that Richard Scrushy, the former chief executive of HealthSouth, paid her to produce favorable articles for The Birmingham Times, a black-owned weekly. Scrushy was acquitted in June in a trial in Birmingham on 36 counts, despite testimony from former HealthSouth executives that he presided over a huge accounting fraud. "I sat in that courtroom for six months, and I did everything possible to advocate for his cause," Lewis said. More here. ... The three candidates running to replace Rep. Tom DeLay as majority leader in the House of Representatives have their own multiple "revolving door" connections to lobbying firms, each sending former staff members and staff members of the committees they chair to work for major K Street operations. Republican Reps. Roy Blunt, John Boehner and John Shadegg are linked to more than a dozen lobbying firms and other organizations that lobby through employees who worked in their Capitol Hill offices, making the differences between their operations and Delay's not immediately perceptible. More here. SPJ national update IV: Republicans accuse administration on environment; no "propaganda junket" for Columbia U.; no unaired videos for the D.A.; and no support from these people for warrantless wiretaps. Six EPA former directors, five of them Republicans, on Jan. 18 accused President Bush of neglecting global warming and other environmental problems. "I don't think there's a commitment in this administration," said Bill Ruckelshaus, the EPA's administrator when the agency opened its doors in 1970 under President Nixon and again the director under President Reagan in the 1980s. More here and here. ... The faculty of Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism voted not to send a professor on a Saudi Arabia trip largely paid for by the kingdom's state-owned oil company, saying it would set a poor ethical example for students. More here. ... Saying that "ever since the Constitution was issued, it's been chipped away at," state District Judge Mark Kent Ellis blocked the Harris County district attorney from making a Houston TV station turn over video footage from a news report that never aired. Ellis did, however, order KPRC to release video related to two other reports that were broadcast, including some unaired footage. More here. ... Fourteen law professors and former federal government officials sent a letter to congressional leaders critiquing the Department of Justice's legal argument in support of the lawfulness of the secret NSA surveillance program. The authors found it wanting. SPJ national update V: IRS said to illegally restrict access; and U.S. troops seize Iraqi journalist. The Bush administration has illegally stopped making public detailed tax enforcement data that has been used to show which kinds of taxpayers get the most and toughest audits, tax researcher Susan Long, a Syracuse University professor, says in papers filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle. She asserts that since Nov. 1, 2004, the IRS has violated a 1976 court order requiring release of the data. Long, who has written about federal tax administration for more than 30 years, used the FOI Act to win the court order directing the revenue agency to provide her regularly with its data on criminal investigations, tax collections and the number and hours devoted to audits by income level and taxpayer category. More here. ... American troops in Baghdad on Jan. 8 blasted their way into the home of an Iraqi journalist working for the UK Guardian, firing bullets into the bedroom where he was sleeping with his wife and children. Ali Fadhil, who recently won the Foreign Press Association Young Journalist of the Year award, was hooded and taken for questioning; he was released hours later. Fadhil is working on an investigation into claims that tens of millions of dollars in Iraqi funds held by the Americans and British have been misused. The troops told Fadhil that they were looking for an Iraqi insurgent and seized video tapes he had shot for the program. The tapes were not immediately returned. More here and here. SPJ national update VI: Extra armor could have saved lives, study shows; Bush military support slipping; is the NSA wiretapping reporters?; and Homeland Security opening private mail. A Pentagon study has found that at least 80 percent of the Marines killed in Iraq from upper-body wounds could have survived if they had extra body armor. That armor has been available since 2003, but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops despite calls from the field for additional protection, according to military officials. More here. ... Support for President Bush and for the war in Iraq has slipped significantly in the last year among members of the military's professional core, according to a 2005 Military Times poll. Approval of the president's Iraq policy fell 9 percentage points from 2004; a bare majority, 54 percent, now say they view his performance on Iraq as favorable. Support for his overall performance fell 11 points, to 60 percent, among active-duty readers of the Military Times newspapers. More here. ... In her interview with The New York Times' James Risen, author of the new book "State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration" and the man who co-wrote the domestic spying story in the Times in December, why would NBC's Andrea Mitchell ask a question about a reporter being wiretapped unless someone gave her information alluding to this possibility? Then, a few hours later, why did NBC cut the question from the online transcript? More here and here. ... In the 50 years that Grant Goodman has corresponded with a colleague in the Philippines, he never figured that their friendship was anything but ordinary. Now the relationship apparently has led the Department of Homeland Security to place him under surveillance. Last month Goodman, 81 and a retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words "by Border Protection" and carrying the Homeland Security seal. More here. =================================================== PEOPLE & PLACES Donna Darovich has been named coordinator of public information for the Tarrant County College District. ... The Columbia Scholastic Press Association at Columbia U. has named the UTA Shorthorn a finalist for its Gold Crown Award, recognized as one of the top honors in college media. Winners will be announced at the Spring National College Media Convention in New York City in March. The Daily Texan at UT Austin is the only other Texas newspaper selected as a finalist. This is the seventh time in the past eight years that The Shorthorn has been a Crown finalist. During that time, The Shorthorn has been awarded a Gold Crown four times. =================================================== GET A JOB Camp Fire U.S.A. First Texas Council in Fort Worth seeks a VP for marketing and public relations. Requirements include a bachelor's degree in marketing, communications or similar field. Contact president/CEO Zem Neill, zem@firsttexascampfire.org, (817) 831-2111 ext. 103. ... Check maker and financial services marketer Clarke American Co., based in San Antonio, seeks an Internet marketing manager. Must have a bachelor's degree in marketing and 3-5 years marketing experience, among other attributes. Pays $60,000-$70,000 a year. Apply to Craig Lemmon, clemmon@macrecruiters.com. ... Half Price Books seeks a PR manager to direct a variety of efforts for its 85 retail outlets nationwide. Position will be located at the corporate office in Dallas. Requirements include a college degree in communications, PR, journalism, English or related field and at least five years experience at an agency or in a corporate communications department. Experience with cause-related marketing and multi-unit retail companies is a plus. Send cover letter, résumé and salary requirements to Kirk Thompson at kthompson@halfpricebooks.com. =================================================== NEW MEMBERS SPJ ... Joan Hunter, Fort Worth Transportaton Authority ... Julie Greene PRSA ... Remecka Owens ... Holly Cross, Alcon Labs ... Julie Hatch, Cook Children's Hospital =================================================== COMINGS & GOINGS Exits ... at the S-T: Lamor Williams, to the Pine Bluff (Ark.) Commercial =================================================== READING MATTERS "Shakespeare: The Biography" / Peter Ackroyd / Doubleday Books / In re-creating 16th-century London and Stratford, best-selling biographer and novelist Ackroyd brings William Shakespeare to life in the manner of a contemporary rather than a biographer. Ackroyd, who applied the same approach to Chaucer, Dickens, T.S. Eliot, William Blake and Sir Thomas More, positions the playwright in the context of his world, exploring everything from Stratford's humble town to its fields of wildflowers; discerning influences on the plays from unexpected quarters; and entering London ("a city where dramatic spectacles became the primary means of understanding reality") at a time when modern theatre was just beginning to emerge. Ackroyd attempts to see Shakespeare's genius from within, so the reader may see Ackroyd the writer merge with Shakespeare the writer, the poet, the man and thus experience the way in which Shakespeare worked. ==================================================== PRESIDENT'S CORNER Holly Ellman, Greater Fort Worth PRSA I love February at PRSA. It's the month we connect with the PRSSA chapters at TCU, ACU, UNT and UTA, inviting their members to spend the morning shadowing one of our people and then join us at the regular monthly meeting at the Petroleum Club. The students requested a return to the Pro-Am Day format so they could experience a "typical" day in the life of a PR professional (wait until they find out there's no such thing!). The luncheon meeting will be an opportunity for both students and seasoned veterans to gain from others' gaffes as chapter members take the stage for "Live and Learn: The PR Blunders We've Made." Patterned after a successful program several years ago, presenters will discuss mistakes that they or their associates have made. If the program is anything like the last time, expect to gasp, grimace and guffaw. Mark your calendars now for March 2-3, PRSA's Southwest District Conference at the Fort Worth Radisson Plaza Hotel, co-hosted by the Fort Worth and Dallas chapters. Co-chairs Tracy Sturrock and Ashley Antle (and a busy committee) have been hard at work lining up terrific speakers and programs, not to mention a social event at Reata. Our web site, fortworthprsa.org, has been repaired and is up and running. Check it for conference information, meeting notices and committee opportunities. ----- PRESIDENT'S COLUMN Richard Maxwell, IABC/Fort Worth Those were 30 great ideas rolled out in 30 minutes at the January meeting. Thanks, Chris Smith at Tarrant County College, Laura Van Hoosier, Harris Methodist Hospitals, and Scott Cytron, secretary-treasurer of IABC international, for an informative presentation. Don't miss globe-trotting photographer Suzanne Salvo this month as she shows how visuals strengthen any message. Suzanne's web site, salvophoto.com, acquaints you with her exciting -- and perhaps a bit dangerous, certainly adventurous -- world. In March, Colorado-based consultant Stacy Wilson will address the monthly meeting ("Get a Seat at the Table: Become an Internal Communication Consultant") and present a half-day seminar ("Lasso the Moon: Managing New Technology with Real People"). More on Stacy at eloquor.com. The "Dark Sites: Using the Web in a Crisis" virtual seminar Wednesday, Feb. 22, reveals the effectiveness of "stealth" sites, fully developed and with pre-authorized information, that can go online immediately to get ahead of the negativity caused by delays in responding to a crisis. Seminar organizers assert that being ready with such a site can reduce media relations calls by 90 percent. Studies show that reporters increasingly consult the Internet on stories of all kinds, including emergencies and fast-breaking situations. See p. 1 of this eChaser issue for details on the virtual seminar and the upcoming chapter meetings. Our annual Bronze Quill Awards luncheon will be Tuesday, June 27. Look for entry information at the February meeting. And February is IABC worldwide membership month. When any new or lapsed member joins or re-joins, the $40 application fee will be waived. If you've been thinking about joining, do it now. Learn more at iabc.com/membershipinfo. ----- OVER & OUT John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ Count our latest sally into Arlington a resounding success. Dan Korem held 39 members and guests spellbound at the January meeting, explaining why ostensibly normal people suddenly kill other people, and newly opened Shady Oak Barbeque and Grill nailed the food, the service, the room arrangement -- everything it had a say in. You can bet we'll be back someday. And thanks, Dan, for a can't-turn-away presentation. ... You've already done the work, so why not grab some glory? FW SPJ's First Amendment Awards recognize work that defends the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, furthers the people's right to know the workings of the governments and businesses that affect their lives, and champions the cause of the powerless and disadvantaged. If that's your work, you should enter. Proceeds benefit scholarships. More here. ... Letterman vs. O'Reilly. Your government at work. Funny, sad, tragicomic. And while you're at it, start your free trial to TimesSelect, if only to read more of this from Tom Friedman: "A democratization policy in the Middle East without a different energy policy at home is a waste of time, money and, most important, the lives of our young people." ... As part of his investigation of how Illinois' "reformed" tenure system truly affects teacher accountability, Scott Reeder filed more than 1,500 requests for documents under the Illinois FOI Act with all 876 of the state's school districts. After much persistence, he received 100 percent compliance, and he credits the nation's first "public access counsel," working under the auspices of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, with ensuring he received all of the information to which the public is entitled. Can this be the same Madigan who urged the Supreme Court to let the Hosty v. Carter college-censorship ruling stand? In a filing Dec. 28, Madigan argued that the case presents neither the context nor the issues deserving of Supreme Court consideration. The case arose in fall 2000 after a dean at Governors State University in Illinois demanded that she or another GSU official be allowed to approve the student newspaper prior to publication. The editors refused. In June an 11-judge panel of the 7th Circuit reversed a unanimous three-judge decision favoring the students and said that the Supreme Court's 1988 Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier decision restricting the First Amendment rights of high school students applies to colleges and universities as well. News media groups led by the Student Press Law Center filed a brief in October asking the Supreme Court to consider the case. "What is shocking is to see Madigan reject press freedom for such a broad cross-section of student publications, including those newspapers operating as designated public forums," said SPLC executive director Mark Goodman. "Can anyone honestly believe that allowing censorship based on a standard as vague as 'minimum standards of competence' would not prompt efforts by college officials to silence legitimate criticism or enforce political correctness?" The Supreme Court is expected to decide early this year whether it will hear the case. Recall the furor last year over SPJ national giving its Sunshine Award to Madigan. SPJ looks bad on this one. Still. Closing words: "You can't say, 'Please don't be mean to me. Please let me win sometimes.' Give me a break here. If you don't want to fight for the future and you can't figure out how to beat these people, then find something else to do." -- Bill Clinton, drawing roaring applause from the several hundred people gathered in the Texas House chamber Oct. 29 to kick off the 10th annual Texas Book Festival ... "Before 70 we are merely respected, at best, and we have to behave all the time, or we lose that asset; but after 70 we are respected, esteemed, admired, revered and don't have to behave unless we want to." -- Mark Twain

Grotta has worn many hats in the newspaper business over 50 years -- printer, writer, editor, photographer, editorial writer, page designer -- and three decades ago wrote an article predicting today's newspaper woes. For the last 30 years he has studied print media and their readers and advertisers. He has done research for The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone and other publications and has been a discussion leader more than 20 times for the American Press Institute.

Time & date: mingling 5:30 p.m., eats at 6, then the program, Thursday, Feb. 23

Place: ballroom cantina at Joe T. Garcia's Mexican restaurant, 2201 N. Commerce St., Fort Worth

Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers, $5 students; cash bar; just to hear the program -- free

Menu: Joe T.'s legendary family-style enchilada dinner

RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com

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

Postmark deadline is Feb. 18 to vie for Fort Worth SPJ's third annual First Amendment Awards. Everything one needs to know is here. If you're still feeling competitive, the Chicago Headline Club is seeking nominations for its annual Ethics in Journalism Award, with forms available at headlineclub.org; deadline is Feb. 10. Contact Casey Bukro with questions and nominations: cbukro@tribune.com or (847) 869-4193. ...

What do you call a Super Bowl party that's four days before the game? You call it a fiesta pep rally. The Dallas/Fort Worth Network of Hispanic Communicators and DFW Association of Black Communicators, both celebrating 25-year anniversaries, will greet and eat, mix and mingle at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, at La Calle Doce, 415 W. 12th St., Dallas. Admission is a $5 donation. Cash bar. Members of AAJA, NAJA, SPJ, AWA, etc. also are invited. For info call Gary Piña, (817) 390-7807, or Toya Stewart, (214) 977-8748. ...

The Network of Hispanic Communicators has posted its 2006 scholarship form at dfwhispanic.org. Applications deadline is March 3. The scholarhip brunch/reception will be Saturday, April 22, at Los Vaqueros restaurant in Fort Worth. ... To commemorate the organization's first 25 years, inductees will be added to the Hispanic communicators' Hall of Fame. Send nominations by Feb. 1 to Ana Barrera Waggoner at abarrera@dallasnews.com. ... The NHC's daylong workshop for young journalists will be Saturday, March 4, at UTA, and coming soon will be details on the annual high school writing contest. E- Michael Vega at michael_vega@sbcglobal.net. ...

The Western Knight Center for Specialized Journalism, in partners with the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, is accepting applications for an expenses-paid seminar March 26-31 at the University of California, Berkeley, that combines instruction in multimedia reporting with exploration of media convergence and other critical issues for online news. Apply at WKConline.org. Application deadline: Feb. 10. Questions: Lanita Pace-Hinton, (510) 643-7429 or pacel@berkeley.edu.

IABC local update: Stacy Wilson, ABC, president of Eloquor Consulting, a Colorado-based communications consulting firm, will speak at IABC/Fort Worth's regular monthly meeting and also lead a half-day seminar, both March 28, on how well-managed technology boosts the bottom line. The presentations will cover legal issues, offer tools to enable those in key communication technology roles, and help attendees identify bottlenecks that can stifle creativity and content. Details next month.

IABC local update II: Idil Cakim with Burson-Marsteller and James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, will present a virtual seminar from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, on "Dark Sites: Using the Web in a Crisis." Info at krm.com/iabc.

IABC local update III: Former IABC chairman (and Hurricane Katrina survivor) Charles Pizzo will present "Cover Your Assets: Communication Planning for Disaster Recovery" at the Tuesday, Feb. 14, IABC/Dallas luncheon. More here.

PRSA local update: Greater Fort Worth PRSA will host Pro-Am Day on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Students from ACU, TCU, UNT and UTA will spend the morning with local PRSA professionals at their offices, then gather at the Petroleum Club for the monthly PRSA meeting. To attend Pro-Am Day or to host a student, contact student liaison chairs Kim Speairs, APR, at kim@balcomagency.com or Allyson Cross at cross@gcgadvertising.

PRSA local update II: Registration deadline is Feb. 21 (Feb. 17 for the $129 room rate) for the 2006 PRSA Southwest District Conference, "Life in the Fast Lane: Navigating Your Way to PR Success," March 2-3 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Fort Worth. Details at fortworthprsa.org. Direct questions to the pit crew -- Ann Heidger, ann.heidger@businesswire.com; Tracy Sturrock, tsturrock@fortworthzoo.org; or Ashley Antle, ashley.antle@cox.net. For registration queries, reach Lisa Orr at (817) 685-4873 or lisaorr@texashealth.org.

PRSA local update III: The Education SIG's first meeting of 2006 will hear Star-Telegram managing editor Rex Seline and Dr. Amiso George, a professor in the TCU Schieffer School of Journalism, discuss blogging and its impact on journalism, at noon Friday, Feb. 17, at the Dee J. Kelly Alumni and Visitors Center on the TCU campus, 2820 Stadium Drive. Seline will expand on the Star-Telegram's strategy regarding new media tools, and George will address how blogging is affecting media and communication overall. RSVP to t.syler-jones@tcu.edu.

PRSA local update IV: Membership VP Marc Flake said, "You get out of it (chapter membershp) what you put in to it" and the guacamole was holy (OK, not holy, merely excellent) as new and reinstated members, board members and the NuPros crowd attended a luncheon Jan. 19 at Joe T. Garcia's hosted by chapter president Holly Ellman and Phil Beckman, NuPros chairman. Student liaison co-chair Allyson Cross urged participation in Pro-Am Day.

SPJ national update: Jack didn't know Dems; but Jack knew Bush. An analysis of campaign donations from Jack Abramoff's tribal clients undercuts the claim that the lobbyist directed sums to Democrats at the same rate. The research, done by the nonpartisan Dwight L. Morris & Associates, shows that when Abramoff added the clients, most ratcheted up donations to Republicans, while donations to Democrats either dropped, remained static or, in two cases, rose by a smaller percentage than the ones to Republicans. Abramoff has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion charges, to corrupting government officials and defrauding his clients out of $25 million. More here. Then there's this Federal Election Commission list of Abramoff beneficiaries. ... Abramoff raised more than $100,000 for the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign, making him a Bush "Pioneer." The campaign is giving up $6,000, which came directly from Abramoff, his wife and one of the Indian tribes he represented. The Washington Post reports that at least 24 politicians, 21 of them Republicans, pledged to relinquish $515,199 in Abramoff-tainted campaign cash. More here. ... Time magazine has seen photos of Abramoff and George W. Bush that counter assertions by White House press secretary Scott McClellan that "the president does not know him (Abramoff), nor does the president recall ever meeting him." In one shot, Bush appears with Abramoff, several unidentified people and Raul Garza Sr., a Texan Abramoff represented who was then chairman of the Kickapoo Indians, which owned a casino in South Texas. Another photo shows Bush shaking hands with Abramoff. More here and here.

SPJ national update II: Judge orders Guantanamo prisoner names released; paying for happy news may violate Rumsfeld rule; and Google and Microsoft play ball with China. The U.S. must release the names and nationalities of more than 500 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay and said to be "enemy combatants," a federal judge ordered Jan. 23. The Associated Press sued for the material in April 2005 under the Freedom of Information Act. Previous rulings by the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, including rejecting the argument that releasing the prisoners' names would subject them to retaliatory action by terrorist groups, show Judge Jed Rakoff's commitment to the public's right to know, said AP attorney David Schulz. "The judge has recognized that this is an effort by the DoD (Department of Defense) to stonewall the public from knowledge and oversight -- it's part of a bigger picture." More here. ... A secret U.S. military program that pays Iraqi newspapers to publish articles favorable to the American mission appears to violate a 2003 Pentagon directive, according to a newly declassified document. The information campaign run by U.S. troops in Baghdad and a Washington-based private contractor is the subject of an investigation. More here. ... Google is censoring its results in China, adhering to the country's free-speech restrictions in return for better access in the Internet's fastest growing market, and Microsoft has shut down a popular Chinese-language blog that has published content potentially offensive to Chinese authorities. More here and here and here.

SPJ national update III: Whither KR?; writer says former CEO paid for news coverage; and who will reform the reformers? Job cuts, benefit reductions and reduced newspaper size are part of a plan to improve margins by as much as $150 million a year at Knight Ridder, according to people familiar with presentations management has been making to potential buyers. The vision involves increasing annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization to about $825 million over the next 18 months. More here and here. ... Alabama writer Audrey Lewis says that Richard Scrushy, the former chief executive of HealthSouth, paid her to produce favorable articles for The Birmingham Times, a black-owned weekly. Scrushy was acquitted in June in a trial in Birmingham on 36 counts, despite testimony from former HealthSouth executives that he presided over a huge accounting fraud. "I sat in that courtroom for six months, and I did everything possible to advocate for his cause," Lewis said. More here. ... The three candidates running to replace Rep. Tom DeLay as majority leader in the House of Representatives have their own multiple "revolving door" connections to lobbying firms, each sending former staff members and staff members of the committees they chair to work for major K Street operations. Republican Reps. Roy Blunt, John Boehner and John Shadegg are linked to more than a dozen lobbying firms and other organizations that lobby through employees who worked in their Capitol Hill offices, making the differences between their operations and Delay's not immediately perceptible. More here.

SPJ national update IV: Republicans accuse administration on environment; no "propaganda junket" for Columbia U.; no unaired videos for the D.A.; and no support from these people for warrantless wiretaps. Six EPA former directors, five of them Republicans, on Jan. 18 accused President Bush of neglecting global warming and other environmental problems. "I don't think there's a commitment in this administration," said Bill Ruckelshaus, the EPA's administrator when the agency opened its doors in 1970 under President Nixon and again the director under President Reagan in the 1980s. More here and here. ... The faculty of Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism voted not to send a professor on a Saudi Arabia trip largely paid for by the kingdom's state-owned oil company, saying it would set a poor ethical example for students. More here. ... Saying that "ever since the Constitution was issued, it's been chipped away at," state District Judge Mark Kent Ellis blocked the Harris County district attorney from making a Houston TV station turn over video footage from a news report that never aired. Ellis did, however, order KPRC to release video related to two other reports that were broadcast, including some unaired footage. More here. ... Fourteen law professors and former federal government officials sent a letter to congressional leaders critiquing the Department of Justice's legal argument in support of the lawfulness of the secret NSA surveillance program. The authors found it wanting.

SPJ national update V: IRS said to illegally restrict access; and U.S. troops seize Iraqi journalist. The Bush administration has illegally stopped making public detailed tax enforcement data that has been used to show which kinds of taxpayers get the most and toughest audits, tax researcher Susan Long, a Syracuse University professor, says in papers filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle. She asserts that since Nov. 1, 2004, the IRS has violated a 1976 court order requiring release of the data. Long, who has written about federal tax administration for more than 30 years, used the FOI Act to win the court order directing the revenue agency to provide her regularly with its data on criminal investigations, tax collections and the number and hours devoted to audits by income level and taxpayer category. More here. ... American troops in Baghdad on Jan. 8 blasted their way into the home of an Iraqi journalist working for the UK Guardian, firing bullets into the bedroom where he was sleeping with his wife and children. Ali Fadhil, who recently won the Foreign Press Association Young Journalist of the Year award, was hooded and taken for questioning; he was released hours later. Fadhil is working on an investigation into claims that tens of millions of dollars in Iraqi funds held by the Americans and British have been misused. The troops told Fadhil that they were looking for an Iraqi insurgent and seized video tapes he had shot for the program. The tapes were not immediately returned. More here and here.

SPJ national update VI: Extra armor could have saved lives, study shows; Bush military support slipping; is the NSA wiretapping reporters?; and Homeland Security opening private mail. A Pentagon study has found that at least 80 percent of the Marines killed in Iraq from upper-body wounds could have survived if they had extra body armor. That armor has been available since 2003, but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops despite calls from the field for additional protection, according to military officials. More here. ... Support for President Bush and for the war in Iraq has slipped significantly in the last year among members of the military's professional core, according to a 2005 Military Times poll. Approval of the president's Iraq policy fell 9 percentage points from 2004; a bare majority, 54 percent, now say they view his performance on Iraq as favorable. Support for his overall performance fell 11 points, to 60 percent, among active-duty readers of the Military Times newspapers. More here. ... In her interview with The New York Times' James Risen, author of the new book "State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration" and the man who co-wrote the domestic spying story in the Times in December, why would NBC's Andrea Mitchell ask a question about a reporter being wiretapped unless someone gave her information alluding to this possibility? Then, a few hours later, why did NBC cut the question from the online transcript? More here and here. ... In the 50 years that Grant Goodman has corresponded with a colleague in the Philippines, he never figured that their friendship was anything but ordinary. Now the relationship apparently has led the Department of Homeland Security to place him under surveillance. Last month Goodman, 81 and a retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words "by Border Protection" and carrying the Homeland Security seal. More here.

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Donna Darovich has been named coordinator of public information for the Tarrant County College District. ...

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association at Columbia U. has named the UTA Shorthorn a finalist for its Gold Crown Award, recognized as one of the top honors in college media. Winners will be announced at the Spring National College Media Convention in New York City in March. The Daily Texan at UT Austin is the only other Texas newspaper selected as a finalist. This is the seventh time in the past eight years that The Shorthorn has been a Crown finalist. During that time, The Shorthorn has been awarded a Gold Crown four times.

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Camp Fire U.S.A. First Texas Council in Fort Worth seeks a VP for marketing and public relations. Requirements include a bachelor's degree in marketing, communications or similar field. Contact president/CEO Zem Neill, zem@firsttexascampfire.org, (817) 831-2111 ext. 103. ...

Check maker and financial services marketer Clarke American Co., based in San Antonio, seeks an Internet marketing manager. Must have a bachelor's degree in marketing and 3-5 years marketing experience, among other attributes. Pays $60,000-$70,000 a year. Apply to Craig Lemmon, clemmon@macrecruiters.com. ...

Half Price Books seeks a PR manager to direct a variety of efforts for its 85 retail outlets nationwide. Position will be located at the corporate office in Dallas. Requirements include a college degree in communications, PR, journalism, English or related field and at least five years experience at an agency or in a corporate communications department. Experience with cause-related marketing and multi-unit retail companies is a plus. Send cover letter, résumé and salary requirements to Kirk Thompson at kthompson@halfpricebooks.com.

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SPJ ... Joan Hunter, Fort Worth Transportaton Authority ... Julie Greene

PRSA ... Remecka Owens ... Holly Cross, Alcon Labs ... Julie Hatch, Cook Children's Hospital

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Exits ... at the S-T: Lamor Williams, to the Pine Bluff (Ark.) Commercial

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"Shakespeare: The Biography" /

Peter Ackroyd / Doubleday Books /

In re-creating 16th-century London and Stratford, best-selling biographer and novelist Ackroyd brings William Shakespeare to life in the manner of a contemporary rather than a biographer. Ackroyd, who applied the same approach to Chaucer, Dickens, T.S. Eliot, William Blake and Sir Thomas More, positions the playwright in the context of his world, exploring everything from Stratford's humble town to its fields of wildflowers; discerning influences on the plays from unexpected quarters; and entering London ("a city where dramatic spectacles became the primary means of understanding reality") at a time when modern theatre was just beginning to emerge. Ackroyd attempts to see Shakespeare's genius from within, so the reader may see Ackroyd the writer merge with Shakespeare the writer, the poet, the man and thus experience the way in which Shakespeare worked.

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Holly Ellman, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

I love February at PRSA. It's the month we connect with the PRSSA chapters at TCU, ACU, UNT and UTA, inviting their members to spend the morning shadowing one of our people and then join us at the regular monthly meeting at the Petroleum Club. The students requested a return to the Pro-Am Day format so they could experience a "typical" day in the life of a PR professional (wait until they find out there's no such thing!).

Richard Maxwell, IABC/Fort Worth

Don't miss globe-trotting photographer Suzanne Salvo this month as she shows how visuals strengthen any message. Suzanne's web site, salvophoto.com, acquaints you with her exciting -- and perhaps a bit dangerous, certainly adventurous -- world. In March, Colorado-based consultant Stacy Wilson will address the monthly meeting ("Get a Seat at the Table: Become an Internal Communication Consultant") and present a half-day seminar ("Lasso the Moon: Managing New Technology with Real People"). More on Stacy at eloquor.com.

The "Dark Sites: Using the Web in a Crisis" virtual seminar Wednesday, Feb. 22, reveals the effectiveness of "stealth" sites, fully developed and with pre-authorized information, that can go online immediately to get ahead of the negativity caused by delays in responding to a crisis. Seminar organizers assert that being ready with such a site can reduce media relations calls by 90 percent. Studies show that reporters increasingly consult the Internet on stories of all kinds, including emergencies and fast-breaking situations. See p. 1 of this eChaser issue for details on the virtual seminar and the upcoming chapter meetings.

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

Count our latest sally into Arlington a resounding success. Dan Korem held 39 members and guests spellbound at the January meeting, explaining why ostensibly normal people suddenly kill other people, and newly opened Shady Oak Barbeque and Grill nailed the food, the service, the room arrangement -- everything it had a say in. You can bet we'll be back someday. And thanks, Dan, for a can't-turn-away presentation. ...

You've already done the work, so why not grab some glory? FW SPJ's First Amendment Awards recognize work that defends the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, furthers the people's right to know the workings of the governments and businesses that affect their lives, and champions the cause of the powerless and disadvantaged. If that's your work, you should enter. Proceeds benefit scholarships. More here. ...

As part of his investigation of how Illinois' "reformed" tenure system truly affects teacher accountability, Scott Reeder filed more than 1,500 requests for documents under the Illinois FOI Act with all 876 of the state's school districts. After much persistence, he received 100 percent compliance, and he credits the nation's first "public access counsel," working under the auspices of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, with ensuring he received all of the information to which the public is entitled. Can this be the same Madigan who urged the Supreme Court to let the Hosty v. Carter college-censorship ruling stand? In a filing Dec. 28, Madigan argued that the case presents neither the context nor the issues deserving of Supreme Court consideration. The case arose in fall 2000 after a dean at Governors State University in Illinois demanded that she or another GSU official be allowed to approve the student newspaper prior to publication. The editors refused. In June an 11-judge panel of the 7th Circuit reversed a unanimous three-judge decision favoring the students and said that the Supreme Court's 1988 Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier decision restricting the First Amendment rights of high school students applies to colleges and universities as well. News media groups led by the Student Press Law Center filed a brief in October asking the Supreme Court to consider the case. "What is shocking is to see Madigan reject press freedom for such a broad cross-section of student publications, including those newspapers operating as designated public forums," said SPLC executive director Mark Goodman. "Can anyone honestly believe that allowing censorship based on a standard as vague as 'minimum standards of competence' would not prompt efforts by college officials to silence legitimate criticism or enforce political correctness?" The Supreme Court is expected to decide early this year whether it will hear the case. Recall the furor last year over SPJ national giving its Sunshine Award to Madigan. SPJ looks bad on this one. Still.

Closing words: "You can't say, 'Please don't be mean to me. Please let me win sometimes.' Give me a break here. If you don't want to fight for the future and you can't figure out how to beat these people, then find something else to do." -- Bill Clinton, drawing roaring applause from the several hundred people gathered in the Texas House chamber Oct. 29 to kick off the 10th annual Texas Book Festival ... "Before 70 we are merely respected, at best, and we have to behave all the time, or we lose that asset; but after 70 we are respected, esteemed, admired, revered and don't have to behave unless we want to." -- Mark Twain