June 2014

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MEETINGS

Next at IABC Fort Worth ...
Strengthening Brand Loyalty and Customer-centricity

If you know Southwest Airlines, you know it’s serious about having fun. Micah Quillin knows Southwest Airlines, and as manager of rapid rewards strategy and development, who better to discuss a corporate culture focused on generating consumer excitement to drive customer loyalty.

In a world where customer loyalty is fragmented and customer service fleeting, delivering the right message at the right time is key to retaining customers. Southwest Airlines prides itself on keeping the customer at the center of its decisions, and Quillin will discuss how the company is evolving to become truly customer-centric. Attendees should learn ways to strengthen brand loyalty in their own organizations.

Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, June 24
Place: Joe T. Garcia’s, 2201 N. Commerce St., Fort Worth
Cost: members $25, nonmembers $30, students $20; online add $1, walk-ins without a reservation add $5; lunch included

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How to be Heard: Learning to Use Agility to Win the C-Suite’s Attention

Want to unlock the C-Suite? You need to be nimble. Dr. Suzanne Carter from TCU’s Neeley School of Business will discuss how today’s agile leader strives to move out of silos and into conversations to become a powerful influencer within the organization. She also will highlight ways professionals and organizations can develop agile leadership from within and how agile leadership can be used along a successful career path.

Carter is executive director of the university’s Executive MBA program. She also teaches and conducts research in strategic leadership and corporate reputation. She has consulted with nonprofit organizations regarding strategic direction and taught courses on strategy and innovative social enterprise strategies. She has also been faculty on global study abroad courses in China, South Africa and South America.

Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, June 11
Place: Colonial Country Club, 3735 Country Club Circle, Fort Worth
Cost: chapter members $25, national members $30, nonmembers $35, students $20; walk-ups add $5

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Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...
Covering Natural Disasters: What You Need to Know
About Covering Tornadoes, Floods, Hurricanes and Wildfires

Details on p. 2; register here.

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STRAIGHT STUFF

As the 25th anniversary of a bloody populist uprising in China arrives, veteran Beijing-based National Public Radio reporter Louisa Lim has written an insightful book examining the government's method of handling that event and its aftermath: “The People’s Republic of Amnesia: Tiananmen Revisited.” The book describes how the Chinese government has suppressed national memories of the populist uprising in June 1989. Lim will discuss China and the Tiananmen challenge, as well as the status of women in China, in a luncheon program and book signing at noon Wednesday, June 18, at Colonial Country Club. Tickets are $30 for members of the sponsoring Women's Policy Forum of Fort Worth and the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, and $45 for nonmembers. More at dfwworld.org or from Kris Mewherter at 214-965-8413 or kmewherter@dfwworld.org. ...

Keynote speakers David Quammen, a contributing writer for National Geographic, and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Lawrence Wright and Sheri Fink will highlight the annual Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, hosted by UNT’s Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism, July 18-20 at the Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center in Grapevine. This year’s focus is on writing about science, technology, medicine and innovation. Info at themayborn.com. ...

Time once again for the annual WGT member read-in — 7 p.m. Monday, June 16, Richardson Public Library — where Writers’ Guild of Texas members may strut their stuff or share writing that has grabbed their interest with brief readings (one-minute intro, five minutes of reading). Contact Virginia Boylan at velkaecs@aol.com to be added to the list of readers.

IABC local update: Nancy Powell Bartlett will discuss “Corporate Communications: a Key Strategic Partner in Organizational Change” at the IABC Dallas luncheon Tuesday, June 10, at Maggiano’s NorthPark. Info here. Bartlett is president of the Bartlett Allliance and works with the FranklinCovey Leader in Me program to promote leadership culture in elementary schools in the U.S. and Canada.

PRSA local update: The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce marketing team took the top prize — Best of Show — and Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Walter Dansby was honored as Communicator of the Year at Greater Fort Worth PRSA’s third annual Worthy Awards Gala. The chamber team won for the print collateral supporting the chamber’s largest event of the year, its annual meeting attended by 730 business leaders, featuring nationally acclaimed keynote speakers and spotlighting the region’s critical issues. The chamber team also won three other awards. The marketing and public relations agency J.O. won four awards, including a Worthy, and the Fort Worth ISD Communications Department won three awards, including a Worthy. Senior public relations professionals from the PRSA Arkansas Chapter judged the entries, choosing winners of 11 Worthy Awards, seven Awards of Excellence and 10 Awards of Achievement.

PRSA local update II: Rhonda Newman, senior partner and leader of Mercer’s Communication and Change Business, will share insights on the competencies she sees firsthand when working with Fortune 500 organizations at the PRSA Dallas monthly meeting Thursday, June 12. Info here.

THIS MONTH IN PR/MARKETING HISTORY   BY JEFF RODRIGUEZ
An irreverent look at the people and events that keep us up at night

All the News That Gives Them Fits
Unauthorized Release of Classified Government Documents Provoked Controversy and Lawsuits; Sound Familiar?

Thirty-three years ago this month The New York Times published an article titled "Vietnam Archive: Pentagon Study Traces Three Decades of Growing US Involvement." It was the first installment in a nine-part series, and what a series it would be: On the Richter Scale of political embarrassments, this one was double digits. But publishing the Pentagon Papers was never a certainty. It also created a firestorm about national security vs. the public’s right to know that rages still.

The man behind the study, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, supposedly wanted to help future presidents avoid the mistakes made by the Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy administrations. While that may seem noble, it’s instructive that McNamara was rather secretive about his initiative. He did not involve the Defense Department’s historians or even tell President Johnson about it. Perhaps he intended it as a surprise gift for LBJ’s re-election.

But Johnson didn’t have a next term, and McNamara left the department in 1968. The study was finished in January 1969, a few days before Richard Nixon’s inauguration. “United States – Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense” at roughly 7,000 pages should have included the warning, “Do not lift without proper back support.” It also was marked “Top Secret – Sensitive,” and for good reason.

Among the disclosures: The U.S. had helped orchestrate the coup of the former South Vietnamese president. The U.S. had secretly conducted bombing raids in Cambodia and Laos, and conducted activities intended to provoke North Vietnam into war. The real purpose of the war was not to aid South Vietnam but to contain Communist China. Perhaps most significant, the government knew early on that the war probably could not be won and that the primary reason for continuing it was to avoid a humiliating defeat.

As bad as all this was, it still might have taken years for the Pentagon Papers to come to light if not for a military analyst who worked for the Rand Corp. Daniel Ellsberg contributed to the report but also had grown disillusioned with the war and had begun attending anti-war protests. Eventually, he concluded that the war must be stopped, and with the Pentagon Papers he had a very big speed bump. The only question was how to get the documents distributed.

Ellsberg and a Rand colleague made copies of the study, which must have been en epic undertaking in itself. He approached a couple of senators and scholars without success and eventually shared the material with Times reporter Neil Sheehan, who promised to keep the study confidential, then — imagine this — broke his promise.

The Times began publishing excerpts Sunday, June 13, 1971. Nixon’s initial reaction was mostly a shrug; it was not his administration that was being embarrassed. However, Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s national security adviser and later secretary of state, thought that if they did not oppose the publication, it would set a precedent for future breaches of national secrets. What’s more, he thought Ellsberg had violated the Espionage Act, which would be a felony.

Attorney General John Mitchell asked the Times to voluntarily cease publication. The paper said no, so bring in the lawyers. Mitchell got a federal injunction to block the Times, which by then had published three articles. Notably, the injunction was the first time since the Civil War that the government was able to restrain the publication of a major newspaper.

But just two days later, The Washington Post published an article based on the papers. The administration again requested an injunction, but this time the district court judge declined. Meanwhile, more than a dozen papers were now publishing excerpts. Ellsberg, it seemed, favored a whack-a-mole strategy.

The judge who refused the injunction shared some words that should inspire everyone involved in public relations: “A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous press must be suffered by those in authority in order to preserve the even greater values of freedom of expression and the right of the people to know.” June 30, just 17 days after the first article appeared, the Supreme Court weighed in, ruling in favor of the Times and the Post, and publication resumed. Ah, those were the days.

Stymied by the courts, the Nixon administration took the logical next step and began planning character assassination against Ellsberg. The administration authorized wiretapping his phone, and a team of men broke into the office of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist, perhaps hoping to find incriminating Rorschach results.

Ellsberg would later be indicted, but the judge declared a mistrial. Besides the government actions against him, it was disclosed that Nixon considered having him beat up. Also, prior to the trial, an administration representative had met with the judge to discuss a future job opportunity. Since the Pentagon Papers did not embarrass Nixon, apparently he decided to do it on his own.

As publication of the papers resumed, the anti-war movement continued to divide the nation. But was Ellsberg a hero or a traitor? That question continues to stir debate. Certainly in his mind, the answer was clear: “I felt that as an American citizen, as a responsible citizen, I could no longer cooperate in concealing this information from the American public.”

Sen. Birch Bayh, D-Ind., agreed, saying, “The existence of these documents, and the fact that they said one thing and the people were led to believe something else, is a reason we have a credibility gap today, the reason people don't believe the government.”

Perhaps the most telling perspective came from H.R. Haldeman, the Nixon aide who was involved in discrediting Ellsberg. “To the ordinary guy, all this is a bunch of gobbledygook,” he told Nixon. “But out of the gobbledygook comes a very clear thing. ... It shows that people do things the president wants to do, even though it's wrong, and the president can be wrong.”

Proof yet again that the PR pro’s work is never done — and never easy.

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Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas update: Rick Perry’s office refuses to release any information about the $40 million it’s offering Toyota to relocate to Texas, despite providing The Texas Observer with similar information last year for a $12 million grant to Chevron. The Observer and the Houston Chronicle both filed open records requests with the governor’s office after Perry announced in April the $40 million incentive grant to Toyota from the Texas Enterprise Fund. Perry promotes the Enterprise Fund as a “deal-closing” program that helps bring jobs to Texas. But in some cases evidence suggests that the fund does little but line the pockets of companies planning to move to Texas anyway. Details here. ... University of Texas officials must hand over the personnel records of Longhorn offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, a state district judge has ruled. The move is a leap forward in the $1 million discrimination lawsuit filed against the university by former track coach Bev Kearney. Kearney says the university discriminated against her and ultimately fired her for a consensual relationship she had with a student athlete in 2002. She resigned Dec. 28 2012, according to court records, instead of being fired. The suit asserts that Kearney’s former white male colleagues who also had inappropriate relationships are still working at the school. Details here. ... At the start of the 2013 school year, students at Hoover High School in California’s Glendale Unified School District were surprised to discover that the district had been paying a social media monitoring company to keep tabs on their online activity for more than a year. Increasingly, schools are turning to third parties for help monitoring students’ public social media posts. Cyberbullying researchers and First Amendment experts around the country say such services could lead to unnecessary and unconstitutional restrictions on students’ freedom of speech. Details here.

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GET A JOB

UT Dallas seeks a qualified communications specialist – periodicals. ... Application deadline is June 15 for a communications strategist position with SPJ national in Indiana. ... The Dallas Morning News seeks a reporter/team leader to head its state government and politics coverage as Austin Bureau chief. ... The Rockport (Texas) Pilot is looking for an individual who can write stories, report news, cover meetings, typeset copy and perform assorted other journalistic duties. Experience preferred. Knowledge of sports writing a plus.
Apply in person (1002 Wharf St., Rockport) or e-mail résumé to managingeditor@rockportpilot.com. ... The Duncan (Okla.) Banner has openings for two reporters who can also take pictures. News editor Steve Olafson: “We plan to focus much more attention on our web product in the coming year, which would provide a good avenue for a new graduate to make his or her mark. We also publish a quarterly magazine.” Pay is negotiable. Full health benefits after 60 days. Duncan is 75 miles south of Oklahoma City. Contact Olafson at steve.olafson@duncanbanner.com or 580-255-5354
ext. 127.

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NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS

PRSA ... Jessamy Brown, JPS Health Network/John Peter Smith Hospital

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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Richie Escovedo, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

Turn out the lights, the party's over. The 3rd annual Worthy Awards gala is in the books, and we had a great time. We were thrilled to celebrate another year with colleagues, guests, clients and friends at this wonderful event.

I'd like to thank co-chairs Holly Ellman and Joe Stout, who met the challenge of putting on an awards program and hosting a major event. Also, a special thanks to the exceptional committee members — Lisa Albert, Kyndall Burroughs, Megan Force, Liz Heck, Beth Lamb, Megan Murphey and Jahnae Stout. Muchísimas gracias!

We had fantastic entries, and the caliber of programs, campaigns and projects is something of which we should all be proud. Congratulations to all of our winners, especially the 2014 Best of Show recipient, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce marketing team, for its publication Annual Meeting Creative: Methods of Mass Instruction.

I'd also like to thank our judging partners for the 2014 Worthys, the Arkansas Chapter from Little Rock. I sincerely appreciate the time that team of professionals took to judge our entries. Let me encourage our members to volunteer when it's our chapter's turn to judge. Reviewing communication award entries is a great way to learn from other professionals' campaigns and projects while sharpening those strategic PR skills.

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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

What happens when journalists band together to fight unjust FOI demands from the government? They produce results. SPJers last month produced an internet storm after Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens demanded SPJ Pulliam/Kilgore Freedom of Information intern David Schick remove public documents from his personal blog. The next day, Olens rescinded his request. As always, SPJ will continue to fight for your rights. Links here and here and here and here and here. ...

SPJ is accepting applications for the Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award and the Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing through June 22. The $10,000 First Amendment Award recognizes accomplishments on behalf of First Amendment freedoms by an individual, group of individuals or an organization. The $75,000 editorial writing fellowship helps an editorial writer broaden his or her journalistic horizons and knowledge of the world. Questions? E- awards coordinator Chad Hosier at awards@spj.org.

Closing words: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." — poet, novelist and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, who died May 28 at the age of 86

Closing words II, fundamentalists all up in a four-foot hover: “You have to be deaf, dumb and blind to think that this Earth that we live in only has 6,000 years of existence.” — Pat Robertson on young Earth creationism ... "Pat Robertson illustrates one of the biggest problems we have today in the church — people like Robertson compromise the word of God with the pagan ideas of fallible men!" — young Earth creationist Ken Ham in response