Welcome to our newsletter ...
March 2007
MEETINGS
Next at IABC Fort Worth ...
Media Savvy: Get Reporters to Eat Out of Your Hand, Not Bite It
Do you know the two phrases guaranteed to tick off a journalist? On the flip side, do you know the two things that every reporter wants from you? Do your sound bites have sizzle?
It's easy to get good publicity -- if you're media savvy. Lorri Allen will show those at the March IABC meeting the low-stress, high-results way to guide external communications and promote a positive public image about their organization.
Allen runs Good News!, a company that works with people who want to craft a clear media message and with organizations that need to communicate quickly in a crisis. She is the author of a book on dealing with the media and the writer/host of a two-part video training series.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, March 27
Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets
Cost: members $20, nonmembers $25, students $18 (online sign-up add $1)
RSVP by noon March 23: Jenny Walker, j.walker@tarrantcouncil.org, or iabcfortworth.com/paypal.htm
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Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ...
Publc Relations, Politics and Power
Scooter. Rick. Hillary. These names can be found in the news on any given day, but what's it like to work in the public relations hot seat for high-profile politicians? Anne Swanson knows -- she has done press work for George W. Bush, his wife and the grandma who wanted to be governor -- and the stories she can tell. Make that will tell, at the March 7 (moved up a week) PRSA meeting.
Swanson spent the first 10 years of her career in television news, working as a reporter, anchor and producer in Lubbock, Bryan/College Station and Austin. She left TV news to be Fox Kids Club host in Austin. She was communications director for the March of Dimes Southwest Central Texas Division in Austin. A graduate of UT Austin and Emerson College in Boston, she works in internal communication for Northrop Grumman IT.
Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Mach 7
Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets
Cost: members $25, nonmembers $30, students $20
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Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...
Bush and Barbecue
Bring your appetite for good food and lively discussion to Shady Oak Barbeque & Grill in Arlington on Thursday, March 22, for a look at the pros and cons of locating the George W. Bush presidential library at SMU.
Tony Pederson, journalism chair in the SMU Meadows School of the Arts and the Belo Distinguished Chair in Journalism, will lead a panel discussion on the proposal. He will be joined by Edward Countryman, SMU Distinguished Professor of History, and J. Matthew Wilson, SMU associate professor of political science.
The idea of locating the library at SMU has alternately piqued and pleased the campus and received national media attention. Some SMU faculty and Methodist clergy have cited concerns over academic freedom, the Bush administration's penchant for secrecy and the controversial war in Iraq as reasons to put the library elsewhere.
Time & date: mingling 6 p.m., eats around 6:30, then the program Thursday, March 22
Place: Shady Oak Barbeque & Grill, 1600 E. Copeland Road, Arlington (south side of I-30 at the Nolan Ryan Expressway exit)
Cost: $15 members, $20 nonmembers, $5 students
Menu: brisket, sausage, chicken, plenty of sides, iced tea and corporate parent Spring Creek Barbeque's signature bread; cash bar
RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com
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STRAIGHT STUFF
One in five Texas children lacks health insurance, reports the League of Women Voters of Texas, which is working with the Insure Texas Kids Campaign to improve the situation. The groups are tracking relevant bills introduced in the 80th Legislature and lobbying to implement changes to CHIP and Children's Medicaid. A forum at 7 p.m. Monday, March 5, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1330 S Fielder Road, Arlington, with Gregory Preston, Cook Children's Health Plan; Anita McNew, Catholic Charities; and Sandy Rivers, Arlington Independent School District, will detail what's needed and what's being done. ...
SPJ will select 12 students to produce The Working Press, a daily newspaper to be published during the 2007 SPJ Convention and National Journalism Conference, Oct. 4-7 in Washington, D.C. Interns will receive convention registration, most meals and hotel stay. Apply by April 17. Contact Joe Skeel at 317-927-8000, ext. 214, or jskeel@spj.org. ...
The Freedom Forum is accepting applications until March 31 for the seventh American Indian Journalism Institute, the premier j-training and summer internship program for Native American college students, June 3-22. Students attend AIJI for free and receive other financial assistance. Information and applications: Janine Harris at jharris@freedomforum.org or 605-677-5424. ...
The Roy W. Howard National Collegiate Reporting Competition offers nine winners an expenses-paid j-study trip to Japan and South Korea. Postmark deadline is March 31. Contact Sue Porter at 513-977-3030 or porters@scripps.com. ...
The Roy W. Howard National Collegiate Reporting Competition offers nine winners an expenses-paid j-study trip to Japan and South Korea. Postmark deadline is March 31. Contact Sue Porter at 513-977-3030 or porters@scripps.com. ...
Postmark deadline is April 9 to apply for the Metcalf Institute's 2007-08 diversity fellowships in environmental reporting. Six traditionally under-represented minority journalists will study marine and environmental science for a month at the University of Rhode Island and the URI Graduate School of Oceanography, then work for nine months as a reporter covering science and the environment at one of six news outlets. The program provides a $28,000 stipend and some travel compensation. Visit the Metcalf web site or call 401-874-6211. ...
The National Association of Minority Media Executives is offering fellowships for print and broadcast managers to attend the Albert E. Fitzpatrick Leadership Development Institute on April 24-27 in McLean, Va. Apply by April 2. Reach Nancy Osborn at nosborn@namme.org or 703-854-7179.
IABC local update: Sheri Rosen, ABC, a vice president with Frost Bank, San Antonio, will discuss "Employee Communications: Borrowing Best Practices from Unlikely Places" at the Dallas IABC meeting Tuesday, March 13. Register here.
PRSA local update: Students from Abilene Christian U., TCU, UNT and UTA will observe local PRSA professionals in their native habitat -- the office -- Wednesday, April 11, as Greater Fort Worth PRSA hosts its annual Pro-Am Day. The students and the professionals they're shadowing will gather at the Petroleum Club for the monthly PRSA meeting followed by a résumé/portfolio review session. To be a host or to critique the students' work, contact student liaison chairs Kim Speairs, APR, kim@balcomagency.com, or Allyson Cross, cross@gcgadvertising.com.
PRSA local update II: Have you been encouraging a colleague to join PRSA? Looking to join yourself? Now's the time. Sign up by the end of March and save $65. (Offer valid for those joining as full members at $225 annual dues.) Click on the blue "Taste of PRSA" box at prsa.org and connect the dots.
PRSA local update III: Free lunch. That's just one of the perqs of volunteering to help judge PRSA Albuquerque's annual competition March 24 from 9 a.m. until it's over (location to be determined). The judging teams must have new practitioners as well as seasoned APRs. "You will not only get to enjoy time with your cohorts," notes organizer Stephanie Mitchell, "but it's always a learning experience and an opportunity to see what fellow practitioners are doing." E- smitchell@novikoff.com or call 817-535-0826, ext. 123.
PRSA local update V: Kelley Barron, Ketchum South research director, will tackle "Media Myths and Realities" at the Dallas PRSA monthly luncheon Thursday, March 8. More here.
SPJ national update: Accused terrorist big GOP donor; of course it's a lie, but maybe nobody'll notice (and if anyone does, let's keep saying it anyway); and so much for faster FOIA responses. Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari has given $15,250 to the National Republican Congressional Committee since 2002, according to FEC records published on the web site opensecrets.org. On Feb. 16, Alishtari pled not guilty in Manhattan federal court to funding terrorism and other crimes, including financial fraud. The NRCC is the main political group dedicated to helping the Republican Party win seats in the House of Representatives. More here. ... Frank Gaffney Jr. opened his Feb. 13 Washington Times column with: " 'Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged.' -- President Abraham Lincoln." Except Lincoln never said that. But that didn't stop the paper, and Gaffney, from waiting three days to correct the record or remove the quote from the column. Brooks Jackson at FactCheck.org, the Annenberg Public Policy Center group, had studied the sudden appearance of the quote last August. His web search brought up more than 18,000 references to it. Writer J. Michael Waller now concedes that the words are his. He blamed an editor for the mistake. More here and here. ... In December 2005, President George W. Bush reportedly ordered federal agencies to fast-track requests under the Freedom of Information Act. But the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government concludes that the Bush directive did nothing to speed up responses by agencies that have been systematically cutting back the personnel assigned to FOIA work, even as backlogs of requests grow and the cost of fulfilling requests increases. More here.
SPJ national update II: More journalists revolt against new media tasks; and Sulzberger doesn't care if NY Times ends print publication? In addition to their traditional everyday functions, journalists now must interact with readers, create podcasts and blogs and succumb to the pressures of a 24-hour news cycle. Journalists at The Wall Street Journal are among those who are rebelling against a management that they feel is demanding too much. More here. ... New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. says he wouldn't care if the paper stopped publishing in print one day -- at least according to an interview with an Israeli newspaper. "I really don't know whether we'll be printing the Times in five years, and you know what? I don't care, either," he told Haaretz, which posted the interview on its web site Feb. 6. "Internet is a wonderful place to be and we're leading there." The Q&A reportedly occurred at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. More here.
SPJ national update III: AP launches citizen media deal, plus Yahoo and Reuters link pixels, and the "news and schmooze" explosion. The Associated Press and NowPublic.com have agreed to a partnership whereby the AP will use photos, video and news from the web site's "citizen journalists." The Vancouver, Canada-based start-up posts citizens' images and news accounts on the site, along with links to mainstream news sources. In the first phase of the partnership, AP news and photo editors in New York will have the option of using selected content to supplement the work of AP reporters. Meanwhile, Reuters hopes to turn the millions of people with digital cameras and camera phones into photojournalists. Photos and videos submitted will be placed throughout Reuters.com and Yahoo News. Reuters said it will also start to distribute some of the submissions next year to the thousands of print, online and broadcast media outlets that subscribe to its news service. The project is among the most ambitious efforts in what has become known as citizen journalism, attempts by bloggers, start-up local news sites and by global news organizations like CNN and the BBC to see if readers can also become reporters. On Feb. 6, the front page of New West, "a network of online communities" in the Rocky Mountain region, included a link to a photo essay on the Montana Legislature, a chapter from a guest writer's book on pantheism, and a "snowblog" item announcing the death of a famed "avalanche guru." Bankrolled for less than $1 million, New West is in the growing category of hyper-local "citizen media" outlets, places with names like Backfence, H20town and Village Soup, that utilize user-generated content. A study by the University of Maryland's J-Lab calls these sites a "fusion of news and schmooze" that promotes the kind of civic engagement that the mainstream press says it aspires to but has been slow to encourage. More here and here.
SPJ national update IV: Videographer who resisted grand jury sets jail record; and a little Libby. A freelance videographer who refused to assist a grand jury investigation became the longest-jailed journalist in modern American history Feb. 6. Josh Wolf passed Vanessa Leggett, who served 168 days in 2001 and 2002 for refusing to surrender information in a murder case. Wolf, 24, has been in prison since August, with a brief break in September, after refusing to cooperate with a grand jury investigation of a 2005 protest in which a police officer was injured and a squad car damaged. Prosecutors want Wolf to give them his raw video, some of which he posted on his web site, as well as testify about the protesters seen on the tape. More here. The number of journalists jailed worldwide increased for the second consecutive year, and one in three is now an internet blogger, online editor or web-based reporter, according to an analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists. CPJ's annual census found 134 journalists imprisoned on Dec. 1, an increase of nine from 2005. Read the report at cpj.org. ... News organizations praised U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton's decision to release tapes of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's grand jury testimony, saying it would open a window into court proceedings. Federal law supports the public release of evidence presented to a jury, but judges in high-profile cases occasionally have released only written transcripts. "This is a victory for the public's right to know," said Karen Magnuson, president of the Associated Press Managing Editors and editor of the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper in Rochester, N.Y. More here. And when Libby's attorneys asked former New York Times reporter Judith Miller about her spotty memory and former Time reporter Matthew Cooper about his sloppy note-taking and inconsistent handling of confidential sources, it's exactly what journalism groups feared when the trial began. Roy Peter Clark, senior scholar and an instructor at the Poynter Institute journalism center, predicted when the trial started that it would make both government spin doctors and reporters look bad. More here.
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On Writing the First Draft of History
by Susan Tallant
Words are more than ink on paper, audience members were told at the SPJ February meeting. Steve Stockdale, executive director of the Institute of General Semantics and a TCU adjunct professor, explained how words help us understand but if misconstrued can change lives. "Language is like a map, and words are the symbols," he said. "Too often we confuse the word with what it stands for."
And definitions are like history books, but meanings occur in the moment. He gave an example using the word cancer. "We can all agree with the term, but the term takes on new meaning when the doctor reveals the tests are positive. The word has now changed the patient's life forever."
Alfred Korzybski, the man best-remembered for developing the theory of general semantics, recognized the power of words as reflected in his 1933 quote, "Those who rule the symbols, rule us." Thus, journalists are symbol rulers, in Stockdale's view, because the words they say (or write) can cause people to think what they want.
Journalists also serve as honesty brokers, he said, to hold people accountable. "Journalists create all of the reality that the rest of us experience. What we know about current events comes from journalists."
Journalists, Stockdale said, "write the first draft of history." The future is not in print, he added, but the demand for journalism is greater now because of different types of media delivery.
Stockdale created another picture about word play by using the example of Taylor Hess, a 2002 sophomore honors student at L.D. Bell High School, who was suspended for "bringing a weapon to school and threatening students." The weapon was a butter knife that had dropped out of a moving box and fallen into the back of his truck. Because of the misinterpretation of the word weapon, a student's life was almost ruined.
"This kid's life was about to be destroyed," Stockdale said, "because of ink on a piece of paper in Austin."
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PEOPLE & PLACES
A star-studded lineup of journalism heavies -- Bob Schieffer, moderator of "Face the Nation" and CBS News chief Washington correspondent; "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert, late of the "Scooter" Libby trial; Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times; Earl G. Graves, founder and publisher of Black Enterprise magazine; and Jan Crawford Greenburg, ABC News legal correspondent -- will energize the TCU Schieffer School of Journalism's third Schieffer Symposium at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, in Ed Landreth Auditorium, 2800 S. University Drive. Schieffer, a 1959 TCU graduate, will moderate the symposium, titled "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of the News: The Media's Role in a Democracy." Tickets are $15, or free for TCU students with a student ID. To order tickets, call 817-257-5976; for ticket information, call 817-257-7808. ...
Theresa Davis has left Medical Center of Arlington to open her own public relations and brand consulting company, Vibrant Public Relations, LLC.
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GET A JOB
Tarrant County College seeks a bilingual writer to translate items on the TCC web site from English to Spanish and to do brochures and deal with Hispanic media. Pay is "in the 40s." E- Donna Darovich, donna.darovich@tccd.edu. ...
Haynes & Boone LLC seeks a writer to help with proposals, speeches, press releases, etc., in the downtown Dallas office, $35-$45/hour. Contact Rhonda Eudaly, 972-831-9915 or rhonda@paladinstaff.com. ...
Michael & Partners, named one of the top 10 agencies in the Metroplex by the Dallas Business Journal, seeks an experienced freelance writer to assist the PR and creative teams with drafting copy for ads, web sites and brochures. Should have 3-5 years copywriting experience, AP proficiency and strong copyediting skills. Send résumé to Elizabeth Browne at ebrowne@michaelpartners.com.
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NEW MEMBERS
SPJ ... Paige Hendricks, Paige Hendricks Public Relations ... Kim P. Jones, freelance and UTA ... Ellen Brisendine, Texas Cattle Raisers Association
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PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Marc Flake, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
It was one of the coldest mornings this winter. For days the forecasters had hyperventilated about freezing rain! sleet! snow! And yet, 20 hardy souls showed up Feb. 14 to hone their media training skills. Chapter member Dan Keeney, APR, rose to the occasion and presented a session that rivaled anything offered at the national level.
If you didn't attend, you missed out on the type of meaningful membership experience that the 2007 chapter board is committed to providing. I'd like to thank professional development chair Lisa Orr and program chair Chris Smith for arranging a quality program in such a short time. They really set the bar high for their next effort this fall.
Dan's description of how he's handling a client's issue in the blogosphere was especially intriguing. If you don't know what the blogosphere is or what blogs are, I would recommend that you "update your portfolio." Dan shared what he learned, and it was enlightening.
I was thinking about the program while watching my son's baseball team on its first day of practice. The coaches kept reminding the kids to remember the basics: Keep your eye on the ball, make good throws, don't let the ball get past you. Remembering the fundamentals is something we as PR professionals need to do when dealing with any media, but especially the new media. If we see something in the blogosphere that is detrimental to our organizations or clients, we need to respond with alacrity, accuracy and authenticity. As Dan showed us, things can go from bad to very bad to awful in minutes. But if we keep our focus on our message, make good on our attempts to deliver our message and don't let misinformation get past us, we can handle anything the new media throws our way.
Speaking of curveballs, our program this month is Wednesday, March 7. We were concerned that too many members would be off vacationing during the local schools' spring break March 12-16. Anne Swanson will tell us stories about her communications career, which included positions as press aide for then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, press secretary for first lady Laura Bush and speechwriter for Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn. Go to p. 1 for your Cvent invitation.
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PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
Ken Roberts, IABC Fort Worth
A great thing happened at the Feb. 27 IABC Fort Worth meeting. Lori De La Cruz received her Accredited Business Communicator pin. Scott Cytron, ABC, a member of IABC's international board of directors, made the presentation.
Professional accreditation is a tremendous achievement, and I am extremely proud of Lori. Having an international board member attend our meeting and give Lori her pin underscores the significance of this accomplishment. For a decade or more, Lori has been a dedicated member of IABC Fort Worth. She works hard to help the organization provide real value to its members.
Lori earned this recognition. As part of the accreditation process, she had to present a portfolio jam packed with quality and diversity. She had to demonstrate her ability to manage communications projects and functions. She had to affirm her adherence to the principles of accuracy, truthfulness and IABC's Code of Ethics for Professional Communicators. She also had to pass a rigorous exam.
Of IABC Fort Worth's 62 members, the accredited business communicators are Claude Crowley, ABC; Deena Graves, ABC; and Pam Huff; ABC. And, Lori De La Cruz, ABC. Congratulations!
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
You'll want to hear Pete Weitzel at the SPJ scholarships and awards gig Friday, April 13, at Cacharel in Arlington. Timely, if sobering, topic; culinary verve; upbeat, rather stylin' crowd. More on p. 1 and next issue. ...
First there was the Feb. 18 Washington Post bombshell on the appalling, appalling conditions in parts of Walter Reed Army Medical Center for the discarded troops of George W. Bush's war. (Salon.com published the same sordid tale of malevolent indifference two years before, to the day.) The Army Times and Air Force Times are all over the story, saying that soldiers at Walter Reed's Medical Hold Unit have been told not to talk with the media about difficulties with their medical evaluation paperwork or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters. Now we have a September memo from Garrison Commander Peter Garibaldi to Maj. Gen. George Weightman, who has since been fired as head of Walter Reed, that says privatizing support services there caused an exodus of "highly skilled and experienced personnel." Walter Reed awarded a five-year, $120 million contract to IAP Worldwide Services, which is run by Al Neffgen, a former senior Halliburton official. More than 300 federal employees providing facilities management services at Walter Reed had dropped to fewer than 60 by Feb. 3, 2007, the day before IAP took over facilities management. IAP replaced the remaining 60 employees with only 50 workers. Garibaldi's memo requests more federal employees because the hospital mission had grown "significantly" during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It states that medical command did not concur. The process of privatizing Walter Reed began in 2000 and accelerated under an initiative launched in 2002. And who decided to create this "competitive sourcing" initiative? Why, the decider did. ...
Your record of foolish, arrogant, just wrong pronouncements embarrass you? Erase it.
Closing words: "Any idiot can face a crisis; it is this day-to-day living that wears you out." -- Anton Chekhov ... "It is not the Republicans who are risible, but their opponents. It's as if a burglar broke into someone's house to steal the television, and the homeowner insisted he stay while he called his broker to make sure the thief also got the stocks and bonds." -- playwright David Mamet ... "We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery." -- H.G. Wells