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.
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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 school. Most issues are 20 pages. 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.
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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.
