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.
