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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
