Welcome to our newsletter ...
We appreciate our advertisers!
Advanced Mobility Systems
Advanced Mobility Systems
June 2006
MEETINGS
Next at IABC/Fort Worth ...
And Now, the Voice of Your Texas Rangers
In the same mold as the Yankees' Bob Shepherd and every bit the local legend, Texas Rangers P.A. announcer Chuck Morgan will regale the room with stories of 27 years in professional baseball when he keynotes the World Series of Communication annual Bronze Quill Awards luncheon June 27 honoring area communicators' best work.
How does Morgan, inventor of the dot race (no wagering, please) and the marketing and entertainment VP for the Texas Rangers Baseball Club, continue to generate creative ideas such as Wiffle Ball park, the mascot Rangers Captain and the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame? And what's his role on Acclaim Sports' All-Star Baseball video game (and how do you get a job like that)? Find out while hearing all about his cornfield appearances on "Hee Haw."
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, June 27
Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor
Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets
Cost: $30 members, $40 nonmembers, $20 students
RSVP by noon June 23: julie.trowbridge@c-b.com or iabcfortworth.com
-----
Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ...
For that Special Challenge, a Different Approach
What is "issues management," and how is it different from traditional strategic communications and crisis management? How can public affairs professionals use issues management tools to protect their clients' interests and enhance their dialogue with key constituencies? A veteran government and public affairs executive will share insights and tactical tips in what promises to be an engaging session at the June GFW PRSA luncheon.
Ray Thompson is a principal at Houston-based Wixted Pope Nora Thompson & Associates. In an earlier life, he served as director of issues management at Amoco Corp. in Chicago.
Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, June 14
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
-----
Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...
Blogging the Night Away
Blog. Ugly word. Does it clog your arteries? Your sink drain?
Actually, blogs (short for web logs) are close to clogging the internet -- they number in the hundreds of thousands -- and the phenomenon has journalists rethinking the way they deliver news and opinion.
Blogs not only make news, they report it and critique it -- the CBS goof on George W. Bush's National Guard service report, the exposure of an imposter among the White House press corps, response to news media coverage of Stephen Colbert's performance at the White House correspondents dinner. You get the idea.
Chris Kelley oversees The Dallas Morning News blogs. Jacque Lambiase has her journalism students blogging at UNT. Kelley and Lambiase will discuss the future of blogging at the June 21 SPJ meeting and why news media and journalism schools should get involved. Among the issues they'll address:
* What does the internet user need to know about the blogs that are out there? What's good and what's not so good? How can you tell?
* How can the news media participate? What should journalism schools be doing to prepare students for blogging?
* What does the future hold? Will blogs help or hurt news media credibility?
Time & date: mingling 5:30 p.m., eats around 6, then the program Wednesday, June 21
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
===================================================
STRAIGHT STUFF
RSVP by June 5 to attend a reception and preview of the Fort Worth Police and Fire Fighters Memorial on Wednesday, June 7, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Worthington National Bank, 500 Main St. in Sundance Square. The memorial will occupy approximately five acres of park land along West Seventh Street. More at cfwfallenheroes.org. ...
Writers who should be yours heroes will populate the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writers Conference of the Southwest, July 14-16 at the Hilton DFW Lakes in Grapevine. Count 'em (not a complete list): Gay Talese, author of "The Kingdom and the Power," about the history and influence of The New York Times, and "Honor Thy Father," the inside story of a Mafia family; Hampton Sides, author of the nonfiction bestseller "Ghost Soldiers" and the new "Blood and Thunder," a narrative history about the controversial frontier hero Kit Carson and his role in the conquest of the West; Ron Powers, author of "Flags of Our Fathers," which Steven Spielberg developed into a movie that Clint Eastwood will direct, and "Mark Twain: A Life," a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award; Melissa Fay Greene, author of "Praying for Sheetrock," a National Book Award finalist, and "Last Man Out: The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster." New this year, the conference will feature a publishers panel, a session on the author-agent relationship, and small-group gatherings with editors and agents. For students on a budget, The Dallas Morning News is offering five minority student scholarships to the conference, sponsored by UNT's Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism, and UNT faculty and staff are offering five general scholarships for any high school, college or university student. Details here. ...
The National Low Income Housing Coalition has started the Cushing Niles Dolbeare Media Awards to recognize print journalists who do an exemplary job of covering the crisis in affordable housing. Journalists publishing any time this year will be eligible to win $2,500 prizes. More at nlihc.org/cndma/index.htm. ... The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association is accepting entries for its annual competition in several print, broadcast, online and photojournalism categories. First-place winners receive cash. Details at nlgja.org/.
IABC local update: IABC Fort Worth has elected 2006-07 board members -- president, Ken Roberts; president-elect/program chair, Betsy Boyett; treasurer, Julie Trowbridge; secretary, Pam Fry; membership chair, Cheryl Hart; marketing/communications chair, Michael Agnello; webmaster, Colby Horton; Bronze Quill chair, Jeff Posey; accreditation chair, Deena Graves; and at-large members, Mike Long, Andrea Scott, Tim Tune, Jenny Walker and Amy Yancey. Richard Maxwell, as immediate past president, is senior delegate to the Southern Region.
IABC local update II: Texas gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman will share stories, his journey and mayhap a political issue or two at the annual joint communicators luncheon in Dallas, Wednesday, June 7. More here.
PRSA local update: Members have the opportunity to attend professional development teleseminars this month on communications planning, writing and crisis communication. Attendees will learn how to develop well-rounded and effective communications planning in the first offering, Tuesday, June 13. Those who attend the second teleseminar June 15 will be provided a seven-step system to help make their writing easier to understand. And June 22, crisis communications guru James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, will offer tips on how to handle provocative questions and emotional questioners. More on all three at fortworthprsa.org/events.htm.
PRSA local update II: Anyone thinking of joining PRSA, now's the time. PRSA national will pay the chapter memberships of those who join in June in its annual "Spring Ahead" promotion. Membership applications are at prsa.org.
PRSA local update III: Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Edna Ruano and Dora Tovar, a contributing author of "Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations: Understanding and Targeting America's Largest Minority," will discuss "Hispanic Media Relations: Enhancing Corporate and Community Interest" at the Dallas PRSA luncheon Friday, May 19. More here. REDO
SPJ national update: Public employees' speech rights restricted; the feds are tapping ABC's phones; and blogger-journalists win one. In a ruling affecting millions of government employees, the Supreme Court declared May 30 that the Constitution does not always protect their free-speech rights for what they say on the job. In a 5-to-4 decision, the court held that public employees' rights are protected when they speak out as citizens, but not when they speak out in the course of their official duties. More here. ... A senior federal law enforcement official told ABC News that the government is tracking the phone numbers it calls in an effort to root out confidential sources, possibly in connection with leaks about a CIA program to detain terrorism suspects at secret locations outside America. "It's time for you to get some new cellphones, quick," the source told reporters Brian Ross and Richard Esposito in an in-person conversation. More here and here. ... A California appeals court on May 26 rejected Apple Computer's bid to identify the sources of leaked product information that appeared on web sites, ruling that online reporters and bloggers are entitled to the same protections as traditional journalists. "In no relevant respect do they appear to differ from a reporter or editor for a traditional business-oriented periodical who ... comes into possession of confidential internal information about a company," Justice Conrad Rushing of the 6th District Court of Appeal wrote in a unanimous 69-page ruling. "The shield law is intended to protect the gathering and dissemination of news, and that is what petitioners did here." More here and here.
SPJ national update II: Reuters is hiring; U.S. urged to stop paying reporters; and journalists can be prosecuted, Gonzales says. Reuters is in the process of hiring 100 journalists after three years of cost cutting and reorganization. This will boost its ranks to 2,400 journalists operating 196 news bureaus in 130 countries, still short of the 2,500 journalists who worked for Reuters in 2000. ... A Defense Department investigation of Pentagon-financed propaganda efforts calls for an end to payments to a group of Iraqi journalists in Baghdad in exchange for positive stories. It was disclosed last November that the military had paid the Lincoln Group, a Washington-based Pentagon contractor, to plant articles written by American soldiers in Iraqi publications, without disclosing the source of the articles. The contractor also paid Iraqi journalists for favorable treatment. More here. ... Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says journalists can be prosecuted for publishing classified information. He also says the government would not hesitate to track reporters' phone calls as part of a leak investigation but that officials would not do so routinely. Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said she presumes that Gonzales is referring to the 1917 Espionage Act, which she said has never been interpreted to prosecute journalists who were providing information to the public.
SPJ national update III: Military admits massacre; and tape shows Louisiana Democrat taking money. Months after the killings were uncovered by the press, the U.S. military admits that a massacre took place in an Iraqi village in November and then was covered up by soldiers or officers. Time magazine brought the murder to light in the U.S. in March, after months of charges in the Arab press. Knight Ridder and the AP followed with stories. The main evidence was a video shot by a local journalism student, plus villagers' testimony to human rights workers. The military first said that the victims died from a homemade bomb and, later, in a crossfire. More here and here and here and here. ... A congressman under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded. Agents later found the cash hidden in the lawmaker's freezer. At one audiotaped meeting, Rep. William Jefferson chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the government contends was his corrupt role in getting his children a cut of a communications company's deal for work in Africa. More here and here.
SPJ national update IV: Ex-Qwest exec says he ignored NSA request; former campaign official goes to prison for suppressing votes; and embedded reporting objective, study finds. Telecommunications giant Qwest refused to give the government the phone records of its 15 million customers after deciding the request violated privacy law. The attorney for former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio said the government in fall 2001 sought access to the records with neither a warrant nor approval from a special court established to handle surveillance matters. The requests kept coming until Nacchio left the company in June 2002, his lawyer said. AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth complied with the request, USA Today reported, and all three have been sued for $200 billion by plaintiffs alleging violations of privacy, telecommunications law and the Constitution. More here and here. ... A senior official in George W. Bush's re-election campaign was sentenced to 10 months in prison May 17 for his role in suppressing votes in a U.S. Senate race. James Tobin, one of three GOP operatives convicted in a phone-jamming scheme designed to keep New Hampshire Democrats from voting in a 2002 election, was convicted in December of two telephone harassment charges. U.S. District Judge Steven McAuliffe called the crime "extremely serious" and a threat to the U.S. political tradition of free and fair elections. More here. ... An Indiana U. study of embedded TV news reporting in the early days of the Iraq war found that most of it was objective. "While embedded reporters described events in very personal ways, their reports were not slanted in favor of Allied forces as a result," according to a summary of the report. More here.
SPJ national update V: Zinsmeister, as in spinmeister; FOI documents reveal military violating own rules on mentally screening soldiers; and Center for Public Integrity prints former FEMA head's e-mails. A magazine editor named to a top White House policy post, Karl Zinsmeister, altered his own quotes and other text in a published newspaper profile of him posted on the web site of the magazine he has edited for more than a decade, the American Enterprise. The White House said the changes were to correct errors in the August 2004 article, which was written by Justin Park and published in a weekly newspaper, the Syracuse New Times. Park and his editor, Molly English, rejected that. "If there's an inaccuracy, he should have called me or he should have called Justin," English said. "Once this is published, it's not his property." More here. ... U.S. troops with severe psychological problems have been sent to Iraq or kept in combat, even when superiors saw signs of mental illness, the Hartford Courant reported May 14. Citing records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and more than 100 interviews with families and military personnel, the paper showed numerous cases in which the military failed to follow its own regulations in screening, treating and evacuating mentally unfit troops. Twenty-two U.S. troops committed suicide in Iraq last year -- nearly one in five of all non-combat deaths and the highest suicide rate since the war started, the newspaper said. More here. ... Newly released e-mails to and from then-FEMA head Michael Brown show that, among other things, a former U.S. senator who had become a registered lobbyist was trying, just hours after Hurricane Katrina hit, to get Brown to schedule a meeting to complain about a no-bid contract that was heading to his client's competitor. The note from former Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., is among the more than 900 pages of Brown's e-mails released May 5 in response to an FOI Act request. More here.
===================================================
PEOPLE & PLACES
The Interscholastic League Press Conference has honored the rookie student newspaper at Westlake Academy with its Distinguished Merit Award. The monthly Black Cow, launched in October and named for the ranchland bovine influence around Westlake Academy, is produced by three dozen students at the state's only municipally owned charter school. Only seven junior high and middle schools across Texas received the award. "You are to be commended on such a fine paper," the judges wrote. "You cover some topics that many high school papers might shy away from." Produced after school, the 500-circulation paper is funded solely by student-sold advertising. No journalism classes are offered in the charter school. Most issues are 20 pages in length. SPJ member Dave Lieber, the Star-Telegram's Watchdog columnist, volunteers as the paper's adviser; his son attends the school. ...
Abilene Christian U. students received five awards in the SPJ Region 8 Mark of Excellence competition, including four first-place honors: Optimist staff, first place, best all-around non-daily; Sarah Carlson, first place, general column writing; Steve Holt, first place, sports writing; Daniel Barcroft, first place, editorial cartooning; and Kyle Robarts, second place, sports column writing. ...
Alvarado High School senior Alexis Chernosky earned a second-place silver medal in editorial writing at the UIL state meet May 4 in Austin, the highest finish by an AHS academic student since the district's move to Class 4A. More than 2,400 students participated at the district level. "Alexis has been firing on all cylinders ever since the regional meet," AHS journalism coach and SPJ member Derik Moore said. "It's too bad the competition is over because she was continuing to progress each week." ...
Media law specialist and SPJ board member Tom Williams of Haynes and Boone, LLP received this year's Professionalism Award in the Tarrant County Bar Association's Law Day ceremonies. He was honored as the bar association member who best "exemplifies, by conduct and character, professional traits that others in the bar should try to emulate." A '75 UT Austin law school honors graduate, Williams has extensive experience in business, libel, intellectual property and media law litigation, and was counsel to a major Texas newspaper in two appeals to the Texas Supreme Court in a significant invasion of privacy case.
===================================================
GET A JOB
An American Society of Newspaper Editors regional job fair will be Saturday, Sept. 23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Radisson Hotel DFW South in Irving. More from cdelgado@aldiatx.com. ... SPJ's job bank for print, radio, TV and online journalists is growing, with listings now topping 100. Anyone can post a job, but only members can view the job bank with their SPJ membership ID and password. More at spj.org. ...
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is accepting applications through July 30 for a minority editorial training program. After successfully completing six months at the Sun-Sentinel in the fall, the trainee will begin 18 months as an entry-level reporter, with the goal of being offered a staff position. Applicants should be beginning journalists, preferably with a college degree, capable of conducting interviews in Spanish or Creole. The trainee will receive a salary and benefits. Send a cover letter, résumé, one-page personal essay, 8-10 clips and three references to recruitment editor Kathy Pellegrino, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33301. ...
Promotional Products Association International seeks a PR manager. Among the requirements are a B.A. in communications, journalism or PR, at least five years in management, proficiency in Microsoft Office and "cogent, coherent speaking ability." Apply here. ...
The McCormick Co. seeks a senior public relations strategist to work with an account team in multiple areas, including health care. Requirements include a minimum of six years developing and implementing PR programs related to product launches, marketing communications, sponsorship and promotions/advertising. Experience in the health care arena is a plus. McCormick also is looking for freelancers. Contact Susan Watt at watt@mccormickcompany.com. ...
CBS News offers journalism/broadcasting/communications internships in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, London and Tokyo. A commitment is required of two days per week minimum during the fall and spring and full time in the winter and summer. Participants are responsible for living arrangements and must be attending an accredited college and entering the junior or senior year. Minimum 3.0 GPA. Go to cbsnews.com and click on Internships at the bottom of the page. ...
For the self-employed, the communications freelancer or someone just trying to get a foot in the door, Swingshift Southwest could be a useful resource. Swingshift provides area businesses with creative, technical, administrative and executive talent for short-term, long-term and permanent basis assignments. A remote option is available for stay-at-home parents and active retirees to continue doing the work they love on a contract basis. Go to swing-shift.com or call (972) 868-9055.
===================================================
NEW MEMBERS
SPJ ... Katie Lutz, UNT
PRSA ... Kathryn Davis, TNT Marketing ... Brianna Henneke, HCA Health Care ... Alexandra Martin, Multiple Sclerosis Society ... Nicki Northcutt, XTO Energy ... Kelly Shafer, Shafer Communications ... Kimberly Thomas, Stockyards Station
===================================================
COMINGS & GOINGS
Additions ... at the S-T: Julie Mitchell, after six years at The Dallas Morning News, on the features copy desk
Shiftings ... at the S-T: Diario La Estrella translator and copy editor Gabriela Lomónaco, to the ad department as a translator ... copy editor Brian Johnston, from news to features ... Pat Stroope, currently on the a.m. copy desk and formerly with dallasnews.com, to the online copy desk ... Alex Russ, currently in the art department, to multimedia editor ... Tara Ransom, new Arlington metro editor after numerous assignments since joining the paper in 2004
Exits ... Diario La Estrella culture and entertainment editor Lucía González, to Telemundo's entertainment division in Miami ... environment/general assignments writer/one of the best people ever Liz Stevens, after 10 years at the paper, moving with husband Scott and their young son to Cheboygan, Mich. (home to the world's largest Big Boy statue), where Liz and Scott will run Camp Walden, an overnight summer camp; they will winter back in Fort Worth, and Liz may stay connected to the S-T as a freelancer
====================================================
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Holly Ellman, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
Why do people join professional organizations such as PRSA? Some do so for the monthly meetings, with speakers on topics of interest to the public relations professional. Some come for the networking, either to meet their future boss or snare a new client. And let's face it, ever since we moved to the Petroleum Club, some come for the food.
Since June is Effective Communications Month (as well as Adopt a Shelter Cat and National Iced Tea Month, among others), I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with a membership in PRSA. As the world's largest organization for PR pros, PRSA offers myriad benefits to its members, such as professional development seminars, award-winning media such as the Strategist and Public Relations Tactics, mentoring opportunities and a nationwide network of chapters, professional interest sections and affinity groups.
With the "Spring Ahead" promotion, you will receive your Fort Worth chapter membership at no additional cost (a savings of $45). Apply online at prsa.org. When applying online, be sure to indicate promotion code CHAP2006 to receive the special offer. The adjustment for chapter dues will not appear on the form but will be made by PRSA staff before your credit card is charged.
If you are a member of PRSA, consider joining one of the special interest groups (SIGs) or signing up for our upcoming community service project, the Cowtown Brush Up. Make your membership work for you -- get involved! For more information, go to fortworthprsa.org.
-----
PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
Richard Maxwell, IABC/Fort Worth
Greetings, fellow communicators.
Our May meeting was IABC past-chairman and new Dallas resident Charles Pizzo, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, who spoke on "Communication Planning for Disaster Recovery." Having lived through Katrina, he qualifies as an expert!
The 2006 Fort Worth IABC membership directory is now available to members. Pick yours up at the Bronze Quill Awards. Speaking of ...
Save Tuesday, June 27, on your calendar as Chuck Morgan steps from behind his Texas Rangers public address microphone to speak at the Bronze Quill Awards luncheon. Also, it's time to take those Bronze Quill entries to the next level by entering the 2006 IABC Southern Region Silver Quill Awards. Deadline is June 30, procrastinator's deadline July 12. Entries received by June 30 will be eligible to win a free registration to the IABC/Southern Region Conference in Kansas City. See iabcaustin.com/silverquill.
Member news. I'd like to thank Jeff Glover, AmeriCredit; Sherry Jones, Bimbo Bakeries; Carol Riggs, U.S. Bureau of Engraving & Printing; freelance writer Mike Long; and Lori De La Cruz, Blue Marble Media, for renewing their membership.
See you at the Bronze Quill Awards.
-----
OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
It's never too hot for barbecue (or too cold, or too wet, or too dry), which is why we're back at Shady Oak Barbeque & Grill in Arlington for the Wednesday, June 21, meeting on what one can learn/should avoid in blogs. Come curious and, yes, hungry. ...
For your edification from Bob Kerr at The Providence Journal, the Pentagon, the Republican administration and weak-willed D.C. Democrats at the top of their game: "The Iraq war has been the war fought on the cheap -- not enough body armor, not enough armor on vehicles, not enough night vision equipment. It has been the war in which packages from back home have had to fill some crucial needs. Now, we have chow call at the Greenwood Credit Union in Warwick. It's the latest in home-front intervention. It's partially in response to the unthinkable image of U.S. Marines approaching Iraqi citizens and asking for food because they do not have enough." ...
Call (240) 629-3161 for your free, 250-page "Terrorism and Other Public Health Emergencies: A Reference Guide for Media," published by the Department of Health and Human Services. An electronic version, which HHS will periodically update, is here.
Closing words: "I had this wonderful idea that this would be nice and collegial and relaxed. But it obviously at this point is just a mess." -- Tony Snow after his first briefing as White House press secretary, an off-camera session with more than 60 reporters ... "We spend all this money on the war in Iraq, and we can't take care of our own cities? You get out of downtown, and it's like a war zone in a lot of neighborhoods still. The government has been a huge letdown. I've heard billions of dollars are going to be sent here. Where are they? Nothing is taking place. I certainly think that now it's back-page news; the government is sweeping it under the rug." -- New Orleans businessman Michael Whelan to Sports Illustrated writer Peter King in a blistering article on the state of New Orleans' Ninth Ward
Closing words II, G.W.B. & the Pharisees division: "You know, I've experienced many great moments, and it's hard to name the best. I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5-pound perch in my lake." -- George W. Bush to the German weekly Bild am Sonntag when asked about his high point since becoming president in January 2001 ... "The policy was set. The war in Iraq was coming, and they were looking for intelligence to fit into the policy." -- Tyler Drumheller, formerly the highest-ranking CIA officer in Europe and now retired, saying on "60 Minutes," April 23, that during the run-up to the Iraq war the White House ignored intelligence that found no weapons of mass destruction or an active nuclear program in Iraq; he said the source was credible, Iraq's foreign minister, Naji Sabri, with whom U.S. spies had made a deal
Closing words III, special do as I say, not as I do entry: "When visiting cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia, in pivotal states, George W. Bush would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in Spanish, sometimes partying with a 'Viva Bush' mariachi band flown in from Texas." -- Kevin Phillips in his book "American Dynasty" ... "I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English." -- Bush to reporters at the height of the recent illegal immigrants boycott build-up