eChaser: June 2002


	Society of Professional Journalists, Fort Worth Professional Chapter Public Relations Society of America, Greater Fort Worth Chapter International Association of Business Communicators, Fort Worth Chapter eChaser archive [graphics format] June 2002 MEETINGS Next at IABC/Fort Worth ... Bronzed and Ready for Business: Luncheon Honors Quill Winners Ten Bronze Quill Awards of Excellence, and more than 30 awards in all, will be presented at the June IABC luncheon as Tarrant County communicators gather to applaud each other's best work. Delbert Bailey, recently retired after 32 years as Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo publicist and now the Hill Country king of karaoke, will be the guest speaker. IABC chapters in Kansas City, Austin and Las Vegas judged the more than 50 entries submitted in 16 written and visual communication categories, from public service announcements to Web sites to newsletters and annual reports. Sponsors are AJ Bart Printing, Freese and Nichols, and Galley Cats Design. * Time, date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, June 11 * Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor * Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets (get ticket validated) * Cost: $25 members, $30 nonmembers, $20 students * RSVP by noon June 7: Dan Frost at (817) 735-6157 or frostdg@c-b.com ----- Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ... Grit, Community Spirit and Chicken-fried Steak: the Reata, from Tornado to Triumph After surviving a tornado, a drawn-out closing, creation of a catering business and now reopening at a new location (and even that not without heated words from impassioned fans of the former tenant), the Reata restaurant has itself become the stuff of the Texas lore that it depicts. And the media can't seem to get enough. At the June PRSA luncheon, Julie Hatch, APR, will share the secrets to Reata's media success and the strategies that helped keep the closed restaurant's name in the spotlight. She will also relate how Reata expanded its brand through its Reata on the Road catering venture and what plans are in store for the Reata name. * Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, June 12 * Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor * Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets (get ticket validated) * Cost: $20 members, $23 nonmembers, $18 students * RSVP by noon June 10: Lisa Albert at lalbert@ymcafw.org ----- Next at Fort Worth SPJ ... Road Trip! Bus All Gassed and Ready for Junket to See Pulitzer Prize-winning Photography Exhibit in Dallas In a radical programming departure, SPJ members, nonmembers, family and friends -- hey, the bus holds 44 -- will go to Dallas on Saturday afternoon, June 22, to experience the Pulitzer photos on display in the Sixth Floor Museum on Elm Street. The bus will leave the Interstate 30/Trinity River Pappasito's parking lot at 2:30 p.m., advance to Arlington to add a second batch of revelers at Joe's Crab Shack west of The Ballpark, then plow on to Large D. The pictures -- a breathtaking account of life in always glorious, sometimes distressing, detail, and each with a background write-up -- can be strolled past in two hours. Bus returns to God's county by 6:30. The chapter is paying for the Cowtown Charters coach, soft drinks and munch items. Miller Brewing will provide the beer, for those envisioning some middle-aged Ken Keseyesque hops happening. No glass containers or frowns allowed. An individual's only cost will be the group-rate $5 to see the exhibit. * Date: Saturday, June 22 * Times: bus departs at 2:30 p.m. from Pappasito's on I-30 and the Trinity River (park near the Pappasito's sign on the south side of the lot) and approximately 30 minutes later from Joe's Crab Shack in Arlington on Copeland Road and Nolan Ryan Expressway (park in the northeast corner of the lot) * Cost: $5 admission per person to the Sixth Floor Museum for groups of 20 or more * RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com ======================================= STRAIGHT STUFF The Network of Hispanic Communicators media guide is ready for the reference shelf -- $5 for members, $10 nonmembers. Mail a check to P.O. Box 222313, Dallas 75222-2313, Attn. Media Guide. ... Fresh from blockbuster runs at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., "Game Face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like?" at the Women's Museum in Dallas captures the female athletic experience in pictures by some of America's best photojournalists and fine-art photographers, including Mary Ellen Mark, Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams and Annie Leibovitz. Former sports reporter Jane Gottesman, whose book first drew the images together, and photographer Geoffrey Biddle co-curated the exhibit, which runs through July 28. Info at (214) 915-0861 or thewomensmuseum.org. ... Early notice. Get your creative juices flowing Wednesday, July 10, with PRSA's professional development seminar, Creative Juice Bar, an invigorating look at unorthodox approaches used to create award-winning campaigns. Three agency-client teams, including representatives of The Richards Group, Dallas, and Fleishman-Hillard in Kansas City, Mo., will discuss their methods and explore several nonprofit and for-profit case studies. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with the seminar from 8:30 to 11:30 followed by a lunch panel, all at the Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St. Cost: $50 members, $60 nonmembers, $35 students. RSVP by July 8 to Lisa Albert at lalbert@ymcafw.org. ... Local print and broadcast health reporters will explain why some press releases reach their desk and others hit the recycle bin at "The Perfect Pitch," a roundtable meeting of Greater Fort Worth PRSA's Healthcare Special Interest Group on Thursday, June 20, in the lower-level conference room at JPS Health Center-Viola M. Pitts/Como, 4701 Bryant Irvin Road N. Supply your own lunch, or a $9.50 box lunch is available. Participants are asked to bring questions and suggestions but not press kits, brochures or releases for the reporters to consider. RSVP by June 17 to Theresa Singleton, (817) 927-1616. SPJ national update: 1 loss, 1 warning ... An appeals court that plays a leading role in lawsuits involving the Freedom of Information Act has made it more difficult to collect attorney fees from the government for such suits. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia essentially ruled May 10 that attorney fees in an FOIA dispute may be awarded only when a court has issued a judgment or a court-ordered consent decree. With the decision, if agencies in the circuit choose to release records after a lawsuit is filed, rather than challenge the lawsuit in court, the requester cannot recover fees from the government to pay his attorney. Previously, courts in FOIA cases followed the "catalyst theory": so long as the litigation substantially caused the requested records to be released, the FOIA plaintiff could recover attorney fees even though the district court had not rendered a judgment in the plaintiff's favor. Robert Becker, SPJ's Project Sunshine chair for the District of Columbia, believes federal agencies will be more likely now to force FOIA disputes to court rather than settle before a judge issues a decision, leaving the plaintiff to pick up the legal tab. ... Senate Bill 1456 would exempt from the FOIA private entities that report and help solve security problems with computer systems that control "critical infrastructure" such as chemical plants and public utilities. In addition, information about the reporting and any federal responses would be kept confidential. After Sept. 11, many corporate interests are asking Congress to exempt all records "voluntarily" submitted to federal regulators under the bill's provisions. SPJ warns that the bill could have negative implications for public scrutiny and accountability. SPJ national update II: 1 Windy City weirdness, 1 bad lie ... The Headline Club, Chicago's SPJ chapter, is girding for its biggest access battle in years, over the most basic of media rights: the right to cover stories. The Chicago Police Department has dusted off a never-enforced ordinance governing the issuance of press credentials. Old credentials were set to expire March 31, and by then the entire press corps was expected to report to police headquarters for mug shots and fingerprinting. Chapter members and officers have been told that background checks are possible, as are the taking of DNA samples. The ordinance is so outdated that it references "news-reel" photographers, but not television or online journalists, or freelancers. Jon A. Duncan, Headline Club attorney: "There is no basis in the ordinance for delaying the issuance of a press credential until a background check is made." Cubs lose. ... In the rough, out of bounds and where's the love? SPJ objects to new policies of the U.S. Golf Association and U.S. Tennis Association requiring rigid background checks for journalists covering the golf U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park on Long Island June 13-16 and the tennis U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows, N.Y., from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9. In a letter to USGA executive director David Fay, SPJ said the demand that writers seeking press credentials allow the examination of "any and all records" relating to them, and then waive liability for the use of such records, goes beyond reason. Also protesting are the Associated Press Sports Editors, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Tribune Co., which owns Newsday, based on Long Island. SPJ national update III: 1 win (finally), 1 deterioration ... UT Tyler now says that it will extend the contract of newspaper adviser Vanessa Curry, weeks after it chose not to. Journalism organizations had accused the school of punishing Curry for the student paper's aggressive reporting, which Tyler officials denied. The university also has recast an all-administrator panel that oversees the UT Tyler paper, The Patriot; it now is composed of five students, three faculty members, the dean of student affairs and two professional journalists. Spring '02 Patriot editor Melissa Tresner has met with a Handbook of Operating Procedures committee and President Rodney Mabry throughout a recent revision process, and she tells UTA Student Publications director Lloyd Goodman that the revision that will go to the UT System features many positive changes, including sweeping language that removes administrator control of the paper. The panel will still recommend the adviser and select the editor. ... When it comes to viewing federal and state records since Sept. 11, the pendulum has swung from a presumption of access to tougher standards for release, lawyers and journalists said last month at the National Freedom of Information Conference in Orlando. At the same time, the U.S. government is demanding more information of its citizens by making it easier to authorize wiretaps and suggesting that in some cases confidentiality between an attorney and client can be breached, said Paul McMasters, First Amendment ombudsman at The Freedom Forum. "The government should not be asking its citizens to trust it if the government isn't going to trust them,'' he said. In Florida, for example, 135 bills were introduced last year creating further exemptions to the state's vaunted Sunshine Laws. Less than a dozen passed. ----- From the Pros, a Proper Send-off: Recipients Bask in Scholarships, Career Strategy by Frank Perkins Some of the 2002 Texas Gridiron Scholarship winners were not at the awards banquet May 4 at Shady Oaks Country Club, but they had a good excuse. They were working as journalists, covering the elections that night. They missed a killer talk. NBC 5 morning show host Deborah Ferguson gave those who weren't covering the elections, their parents and SPJ members an enthusiastic battery charge of a speech about her passion for the profession. "When I have a good day at work, it is not because I get e-mails praising my hair, makeup or clothes, but because I get e-mails that say, 'Thank you for doing that story. It helped my daughter.' Journalists do not do TV news because it's 'cool,' " she said. "You do news to tell the story and to help people." Ferguson has wanted to be a journalist since her grade-school days and single-mindedly pursued the dream through high school and graduation from TCU. She edged her way into broadcast journalism by taking an intern's job with WBAP Radio legendary broadcaster and SPJ stalwart Joe Holstead. She did not, however, share Holstead's trademark early-morning (4 a.m.) breakfasts of canned sardines. "That wasn't in my contract." She offered a challenge to the young reporters, that as journalists they must be honest. "All you have is your integrity," she said. "When people see your byline, you want to be the kind of journalist they can believe." Gary Hardee, Arlington publisher of the Star-Telegram, had his own words of advice for the scholarship winners and old hands alike: "Tonight we applaud you, but many among you won't hear applause as you do your job. People who don't like the message you bring them will question your ethics, your core beliefs. With the country at war, journalists must report the truth, even when it is not popular. We must be able to freely report the truth in order to continue having an open government, and that is why the freedom of the press under the First Amendment is so important." Orchestrated by Star-Telegram Arlington editor Larry Lutz, the evening was a showcase for 11 university students and three high school seniors, who received almost $11,000 in scholarships -- Zenobia Harris (West Texas A&M), Staley and Beverly McBrayer Scholarship; Pat Gillespie (UTA), Donna Darovich Scholarship; Emiko Fitzgerald (UT Austin), Joe Holstead Scholarship; Sarah Stiles (Texas Tech), Jerry Flemmons Scholarship; Jamie Hall (UT Austin School of Law), Jack Tinsley Scholarship; Jim Bob Phillips (UNT) and A. Lars Levie (New York University), Lina Davis Scholarships; Stephanie Michelle Gonzales (Arlington High School) and Cynthia Martinez and Alicia Byrd (both Arlington Sam Houston High School), Lina Davis Scholarships; and Jessica Lewis and LaTosha Smith (both UTA), Jaclyn Joseph (Angelo State University) and Paul Gibson (Abilene Christian University), all Texas Gridiron Scholarships. ======================================== PEOPLE & PLACES Longtime Star-Telegram editor Jack Tinsley, a former SPJ chapter president (1991-92) and producer of the celebrated Texas Gridiron Show, received the Texas APME's highest honor, the Jack Douglas Award, at its March meeting in Fort Worth. A top Star-Telegram editor for almost 11 years -- executive editor when the paper won its only Pulitzer Prizes, in 1981 and '85 -- Tinsley was a key player as a reporter in the coverage of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, and won an Education Writers Association first-place award in 1965 for an acclaimed series on academic freedom in Texas. The University of North Texas last year named its journalism reporting lab for Tinsley, who earlier established a major scholarship there. He also has been honored by his alma mater, Sam Houston State University, where he was a Distinguished Alumnus in 1984 and commencement speaker in 1998. In APME circles, he is known for providing leadership and initiative in card games at Mike Cochran's hospitality room. Tinsley retired in December after 38 years with the Star-Telegram but still oversees its Christmas charity for children, the Goodfellow Fund. ... Magna cum laude TCU grad Kim Speairs, APR, has been promoted to the first executive vice president in the 15-year history of Stuart Bacon Advertising-Public Relations. The agency's account services director since 2000, she will continue to manage both the advertising and public relations divisions and serve on the company's management team. A past president of Greater Fort Worth PRSA, she also chairs the communications committee for Lena Pope Home and is a board member for the YMCA Community Services branch. ... Also at Stuart-Bacon, SMU honors grad Patty Potter has been promoted to senior vice president. She was vice president for creative services, after joining the agency in 1994 as creative director. She was named to the newly created position of business development director in January. She also serves on the board of directors for Lena Pope Home and has been a Big Sister since 1996. ... NCTCOG's Kristy Libotte Keener has received the Award of Excellence in the logo division, International Dalton Pen Communications Competition. The winning design was for the Wise Regional Health System in Decatur. ... Baby daze! Kaitlyn Elizabeth Speairs was born at 2:19 a.m. May 12 to Scott and Kim Speairs. She weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces. Mom is executive vice president at Stuart Bacon. ... Sara Sprinkle of the Star-Telegram Northeast design desk and husband Steve are the new parents of Shelby Madisan Sprinkle, born at 4:49 p.m. May 15. Baby Shelby weighed in at 8 pounds 8 ounces. Kudos & Contracts ... The Star-Telegram nailed a first-place photo sweep -- spot news, Paul Moseley; feature, Jen Friedberg; sports, Sharon Steinman -- plus a staff first in infographics and Gil LeBreton's sports-column first in this spring's Texas APME competition. Mitchell Schnurman, Andrea Ahles and Meda Kessler recorded second-place finishes and Charean Williams, Jim Reeves, Jennifer Hart and Sarah Yoest Pederson honorable mentions. In the university division, UTA's The Shorthorn was rated best daily. ... They're competitive, those Star-T people. Darren Barbee, Matt Frazier, Dianna Hunt, Miles Moffeit, Gordon Dickson, Liz Stevens, Alyson Ward, Charlotte Huff, Mitchell Schnurman, Catherine Newton, Andrew Marton, Kathy Harris, Tom Pennington and Charean Williams all made the finals in the Houston Press Club's Lone Star Awards competition. Winners will be announced June 1. Kudos & Contracts II ... The LaChapelle Agency received a 2002 Neos Award from the Colleyville Woman's Club. The award is one of four CWC Circle of Hope Community-Partner awards, which honor the achievements of businesses, organizations and individuals. Established in 1987, LaChapelle offers a full range of services in advertising, marketing, public relations and interactive media. ... Again with The Shorthorn. The UTA student newspaper has received eight national design awards, including best overall design, from the Student Society of News Design. The competition is sponsored by the University of Missouri School of Journalism. ... Stuart Bacon Advertising-Public Relations will create a graphics look and Web site for SwimwearBoutique.com. Developed by a husband and wife team, Charles and Peggie Perryman, the online store is an extension of The Beachcomber, for 30 years a resort-clothing store in Graford near Possum Kingdom Lake. The Perrymans bought The Beachcomber three years ago. The Web outlet will offer high-end swim and resort wear, including shoes and jewelry. Stuart Bacon will also provide recommendations for packaging and customer relations. ... Stuart Bacon recently made Adweek's top 50 Southwest agencies list. Ranked No. 50, the agency tallied $2.3 million in revenues for 2001 -- a 27 percent increase from 2000. ======================================== GET A JOB A local nonprofit organization seeks a development director. Proven record and nonprofit experience required, with emphasis on grant writing, PR, marketing, special events and graphics. Fax resume to (817) 924-3992. ======================================== WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS PRSA ... Kristin Escovedo, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD ... Sheryl Lewis, AmeriCredit ... Lisa Orr, UNT Health Science Center ... Alex Southern, North Central Texas Workforce Commission ======================================== COMINGS & GOINGS Additions ... at the Mansfield News-Mirror: editor Brigitte Cummings, returning with her family to Tarrant County after a couple of years in San Francisco ... at the S-T: universal desk rimmer Tommy Cummings, back after being sports copy desk chief at the San Francisco Chronicle; before his first pass through town, he worked at the Arkansas Gazette, Tulsa Tribune and USA Today ... night business editor Richard Stubbe, formerly metro editor at The State in Columbia, S.C.; a UT Austin grad, he worked at papers in Zanesville, Ohio, and Richmond, Ind., and as a copy editor at the Houston Chronicle Exits ... at the S-T: business writer Lila LaHood, to pursue a free-lance writing career in San Francisco ======================================== PRESIDENT'S CORNER Kristie Aylett, APR; GFW PRSA Several times in the past month, a new acquaintance has asked what I do and then responded to my explanation with, "That sounds interesting." I tend to agree. I tell people that having "lots of good stories to tell" makes my job easier. I think my fellow PRSA members have cool jobs and fun projects, too. Public relations does have all the elements of an exciting career. The rush that comes when racing a deadline, the satisfaction of developing a successful campaign, the thrill of seeing your work in the public eye -- PR offers this in abundance. Now it's not all fun and games, but it beats flipping burgers any day. If you know someone who should be a part of PRSA, a membership promotion in June makes it $45 cheaper. National will pay local dues for anyone who joins during the month. Associate members are not eligible. Simply have the new member write "Chapter Appreciation Month" at the top of the application before mailing it in. For online applications, promotion code CHAP2002 should be used. A software glitch makes it seem as if local dues are being charged, but national promises otherwise. Limited time offer, as they say. We have an incredibly busy summer planned -- monthly meetings, special interest group get-togethers, the Creative Juice Bar seminar July 10 and our chapter support of Sister Cities' People to People for Peace later that month. The months ahead promise to be full of opportunities for networking, professional development and for you to get involved. As an example, if you want to help with People to People for Peace, e-mail Kelli Horst at k.horst@tcu.edu. More members need to come forward to volunteer their time and expertise. And a final thought on our profession. My mom still doesn't understand what I do or why other people get credit for the things I write. She likes to see my name in the paper, not that of my organization or my boss. I guess I still have some work to do there. ----- PRESIDENT'S COLUMN Cecilia Jacobs, IABC/Fort Worth I hate farewells. But then, who said anything about a farewell? This may be my last meeting as IABC/Fort Worth president, but it isn't my last meeting. I plan on having lunch with the gang for a long time to come. It seems like just a few days back that I donned my Texas cowgirl getup and moseyed over to the Petroleum Club for my first meeting as president. Guessed you missed it if you weren't there. A year has passed, and a lot has changed. I've made a bunch of friends, and they've all got their wagons hitched to great success. I also have come to appreciate chapter and board members who applaud your efforts even when they know you forgot to put the baking powder in the biscuits. Just bet there won't be any flat biscuits with the new board, scheduled to take the reigns in July. Actually, a lot of the chapter's new officers are current board members continuing another year's stint. Debbie Young, with the help of Pam Fry, will begin her third year as Bronze Quill chairperson; Lori De La Cruz is moving up to president-elect; Arden Dufilho will help Lydia Murphy with membership; Julie Trowbridge will continue to keep our budget balanced; and Dan Frost again will serve as secretary. Lauren Reis joins the board as vice president of marketing/communications, and my dear friend Patrick Grady will be trail boss for the whole bunch. Wonder if he'll wear a Western getup for his inaugural meeting? A Texas-size thanks to members who support IABC/Fort Worth with their time and finances. This organization is gaining a reputation as a network of friends and not just a gathering for professionals. At least that's this cowgirl's observation. Membership is up and this year's Bronze Quill is a tremendous success -- some 50 entries and 10 Awards of Excellence. Hope you plan to join us at 11:30 a.m. June 11 for one gigantic, boot-scootin' celebration. I haven't been this excited since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Enough Texasisms. You get the message. Thanks to each of you for the opportunity to serve. Most importantly, thanks for your friendship. Rollin', rollin', rollin', keep those wagons rollin'. ----- OVER & OUT John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ Hooray for Gridiron scholarship winner Zenobia Harris, who drove in from West Texas to express her thanks at the banquet, then had to immediately return -- right through a stretch of threatening weather. "I did get home safely," she writes. "Life threw me a curve that night because not only was I driving back to Abilene at a very late hour but also during a tornado warning. However, none of the 'traumatic' circumstances ... made me regret my trip. Thank you again for inspiring me to be a better journalist and believing in me." ... Best line at the banquet, from UTA recipient Pat Gillespie: "All of these scholarship winners who aren't here because they're working journalists -- I'm here, so that must mean I'm not working." Pat interned last summer in Vero Beach, Fla., and is news editor this summer at the UTA paper. ... Best acceptance speeches, from Arlington Sam Houston High School seniors Cynthia Martinez and Alicia Byrd, who went up together and thanked SPJ, then hugged and thanked each other! If you didn't go "Awwww," you wanted to. ... While we've been thinking of Sally Hix and Linda Swift these days, they've been thinking of us. Sally's husband Bill, 1972-73 chapter chief and one who helped craft the SPJ Code of Ethics, died Feb. 25; new member Bill Swift, Linda's husband, died suddenly March 12. "Please tell everyone how much SPJ meant to Bill, and how much I appreciate all of our friends in the chapter," Sally said recently. "I could not have gotten through this without their support." And from Linda: "Bill enjoyed so many SPJ functions, including one program where he got to meet his favorite author, Dan Jenkins. Through my work, Bill became an 'editor,' a media expert and a newspaper enthusiast. Thanks for making his short life richer." You're welcome, ladies. Call on us. ... Three cheers (also two-bits, four-bits, six-bits, a dollar) for the YMCA's Lisa Albert and husband Kier, proprietors of the new Cheer and Tumble Factory on Camp Bowie. Married 18 months, the entrepreneurs of pep met five years ago as TCU cheerleaders and have a combined 20 years experience in, whoop! (wait, that's A&M), cheering. Classes and private lessons are available for beginner through elite tumblers. And you thought an elite tumbler was a shot glass. For once, a legitimate pyramid scheme. ... Best wishes to Tammi Hughes, a dynamic and skilled chapter liaison who left SPJ last month. She was a delight -- upbeat, organized, knowledgeable. Thoroughly professional. It would take three men at SPJ national working around the clock (they could sleep in shifts) to replace her. ... And put a big Magic Marker box around Sept. 12-14, dates of the national convention at the Renaissance Worthington. Web pages will go online soon; for now, see http://spj.org/events_convention.asp?ref=2.

The bus will leave the Interstate 30/Trinity River Pappasito's parking lot at 2:30 p.m., advance to Arlington to add a second batch of revelers at Joe's Crab Shack west of The Ballpark, then plow on to Large D. The pictures -- a breathtaking account of life in always glorious, sometimes distressing, detail, and each with a background write-up -- can be strolled past in two hours. Bus returns to God's county by 6:30.

* Date: Saturday, June 22

* Times: bus departs at 2:30 p.m. from Pappasito's on I-30 and the Trinity River (park near the Pappasito's sign on the south side of the lot) and approximately 30 minutes later from Joe's Crab Shack in Arlington on Copeland Road and Nolan Ryan Expressway (park in the northeast corner of the lot)

* Cost: $5 admission per person to the Sixth Floor Museum for groups of 20 or more

* RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com

=======================================

The Network of Hispanic Communicators media guide is ready for the reference shelf -- $5 for members, $10 nonmembers. Mail a check to P.O. Box 222313, Dallas 75222-2313, Attn. Media Guide. ... Fresh from blockbuster runs at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., "Game Face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like?" at the Women's Museum in Dallas captures the female athletic experience in pictures by some of America's best photojournalists and fine-art photographers, including Mary Ellen Mark, Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams and Annie Leibovitz. Former sports reporter Jane Gottesman, whose book first drew the images together, and photographer Geoffrey Biddle co-curated the exhibit, which runs through July 28. Info at (214) 915-0861 or thewomensmuseum.org. ...

Early notice. Get your creative juices flowing Wednesday, July 10, with PRSA's professional development seminar, Creative Juice Bar, an invigorating look at unorthodox approaches used to create award-winning campaigns. Three agency-client teams, including representatives of The Richards Group, Dallas, and Fleishman-Hillard in Kansas City, Mo., will discuss their methods and explore several nonprofit and for-profit case studies. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with the seminar from 8:30 to 11:30 followed by a lunch panel, all at the Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St. Cost: $50 members, $60 nonmembers, $35 students. RSVP by July 8 to Lisa Albert at lalbert@ymcafw.org. ...

Local print and broadcast health reporters will explain why some press releases reach their desk and others hit the recycle bin at "The Perfect Pitch," a roundtable meeting of Greater Fort Worth PRSA's Healthcare Special Interest Group on Thursday, June 20, in the lower-level conference room at JPS Health Center-Viola M. Pitts/Como, 4701 Bryant Irvin Road N. Supply your own lunch, or a $9.50 box lunch is available. Participants are asked to bring questions and suggestions but not press kits, brochures or releases for the reporters to consider. RSVP by June 17 to Theresa Singleton, (817) 927-1616.

SPJ national update: 1 loss, 1 warning ... An appeals court that plays a leading role in lawsuits involving the Freedom of Information Act has made it more difficult to collect attorney fees from the government for such suits. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia essentially ruled May 10 that attorney fees in an FOIA dispute may be awarded only when a court has issued a judgment or a court-ordered consent decree. With the decision, if agencies in the circuit choose to release records after a lawsuit is filed, rather than challenge the lawsuit in court, the requester cannot recover fees from the government to pay his attorney. Previously, courts in FOIA cases followed the "catalyst theory": so long as the litigation substantially caused the requested records to be released, the FOIA plaintiff could recover attorney fees even though the district court had not rendered a judgment in the plaintiff's favor. Robert Becker, SPJ's Project Sunshine chair for the District of Columbia, believes federal agencies will be more likely now to force FOIA disputes to court rather than settle before a judge issues a decision, leaving the plaintiff to pick up the legal tab. ... Senate Bill 1456 would exempt from the FOIA private entities that report and help solve security problems with computer systems that control "critical infrastructure" such as chemical plants and public utilities. In addition, information about the reporting and any federal responses would be kept confidential. After Sept. 11, many corporate interests are asking Congress to exempt all records "voluntarily" submitted to federal regulators under the bill's provisions. SPJ warns that the bill could have negative implications for public scrutiny and accountability.

SPJ national update II: 1 Windy City weirdness, 1 bad lie ... The Headline Club, Chicago's SPJ chapter, is girding for its biggest access battle in years, over the most basic of media rights: the right to cover stories. The Chicago Police Department has dusted off a never-enforced ordinance governing the issuance of press credentials. Old credentials were set to expire March 31, and by then the entire press corps was expected to report to police headquarters for mug shots and fingerprinting. Chapter members and officers have been told that background checks are possible, as are the taking of DNA samples. The ordinance is so outdated that it references "news-reel" photographers, but not television or online journalists, or freelancers. Jon A. Duncan, Headline Club attorney: "There is no basis in the ordinance for delaying the issuance of a press credential until a background check is made." Cubs lose. ... In the rough, out of bounds and where's the love? SPJ objects to new policies of the U.S. Golf Association and U.S. Tennis Association requiring rigid background checks for journalists covering the golf U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park on Long Island June 13-16 and the tennis U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows, N.Y., from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9. In a letter to USGA executive director David Fay, SPJ said the demand that writers seeking press credentials allow the examination of "any and all records" relating to them, and then waive liability for the use of such records, goes beyond reason. Also protesting are the Associated Press Sports Editors, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Tribune Co., which owns Newsday, based on Long Island.

SPJ national update III: 1 win (finally), 1 deterioration ... UT Tyler now says that it will extend the contract of newspaper adviser Vanessa Curry, weeks after it chose not to. Journalism organizations had accused the school of punishing Curry for the student paper's aggressive reporting, which Tyler officials denied. The university also has recast an all-administrator panel that oversees the UT Tyler paper, The Patriot; it now is composed of five students, three faculty members, the dean of student affairs and two professional journalists. Spring '02 Patriot editor Melissa Tresner has met with a Handbook of Operating Procedures committee and President Rodney Mabry throughout a recent revision process, and she tells UTA Student Publications director Lloyd Goodman that the revision that will go to the UT System features many positive changes, including sweeping language that removes administrator control of the paper. The panel will still recommend the adviser and select the editor. ... When it comes to viewing federal and state records since Sept. 11, the pendulum has swung from a presumption of access to tougher standards for release, lawyers and journalists said last month at the National Freedom of Information Conference in Orlando. At the same time, the U.S. government is demanding more information of its citizens by making it easier to authorize wiretaps and suggesting that in some cases confidentiality between an attorney and client can be breached, said Paul McMasters, First Amendment ombudsman at The Freedom Forum. "The government should not be asking its citizens to trust it if the government isn't going to trust them,'' he said. In Florida, for example, 135 bills were introduced last year creating further exemptions to the state's vaunted Sunshine Laws. Less than a dozen passed.

From the Pros, a Proper Send-off:

Recipients Bask in Scholarships, Career Strategy

NBC 5 morning show host Deborah Ferguson gave those who weren't covering the elections, their parents and SPJ members an enthusiastic battery charge of a speech about her passion for the profession. "When I have a good day at work, it is not because I get e-mails praising my hair, makeup or clothes, but because I get e-mails that say, 'Thank you for doing that story. It helped my daughter.' Journalists do not do TV news because it's 'cool,' " she said. "You do news to tell the story and to help people."

Ferguson has wanted to be a journalist since her grade-school days and single-mindedly pursued the dream through high school and graduation from TCU. She edged her way into broadcast journalism by taking an intern's job with WBAP Radio legendary broadcaster and SPJ stalwart Joe Holstead. She did not, however, share Holstead's trademark early-morning (4 a.m.) breakfasts of canned sardines. "That wasn't in my contract."

Gary Hardee, Arlington publisher of the Star-Telegram, had his own words of advice for the scholarship winners and old hands alike: "Tonight we applaud you, but many among you won't hear applause as you do your job. People who don't like the message you bring them will question your ethics, your core beliefs. With the country at war, journalists must report the truth, even when it is not popular. We must be able to freely report the truth in order to continue having an open government, and that is why the freedom of the press under the First Amendment is so important."

Orchestrated by Star-Telegram Arlington editor Larry Lutz, the evening was a showcase for 11 university students and three high school seniors, who received almost $11,000 in scholarships -- Zenobia Harris (West Texas A&M), Staley and Beverly McBrayer Scholarship; Pat Gillespie (UTA), Donna Darovich Scholarship; Emiko Fitzgerald (UT Austin), Joe Holstead Scholarship; Sarah Stiles (Texas Tech), Jerry Flemmons Scholarship; Jamie Hall (UT Austin School of Law), Jack Tinsley Scholarship; Jim Bob Phillips (UNT) and A. Lars Levie (New York University), Lina Davis Scholarships; Stephanie Michelle Gonzales (Arlington High School) and Cynthia Martinez and Alicia Byrd (both Arlington Sam Houston High School), Lina Davis Scholarships; and Jessica Lewis and LaTosha Smith (both UTA), Jaclyn Joseph (Angelo State University) and Paul Gibson (Abilene Christian University), all Texas Gridiron Scholarships.

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Longtime Star-Telegram editor Jack Tinsley, a former SPJ chapter president (1991-92) and producer of the celebrated Texas Gridiron Show, received the Texas APME's highest honor, the Jack Douglas Award, at its March meeting in Fort Worth. A top Star-Telegram editor for almost 11 years -- executive editor when the paper won its only Pulitzer Prizes, in 1981 and '85 -- Tinsley was a key player as a reporter in the coverage of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, and won an Education Writers Association first-place award in 1965 for an acclaimed series on academic freedom in Texas. The University of North Texas last year named its journalism reporting lab for Tinsley, who earlier established a major scholarship there. He also has been honored by his alma mater, Sam Houston State University, where he was a Distinguished Alumnus in 1984 and commencement speaker in 1998. In APME circles, he is known for providing leadership and initiative in card games at Mike Cochran's hospitality room. Tinsley retired in December after 38 years with the Star-Telegram but still oversees its Christmas charity for children, the Goodfellow Fund. ...

Magna cum laude TCU grad Kim Speairs, APR, has been promoted to the first executive vice president in the 15-year history of Stuart Bacon Advertising-Public Relations. The agency's account services director since 2000, she will continue to manage both the advertising and public relations divisions and serve on the company's management team. A past president of Greater Fort Worth PRSA, she also chairs the communications committee for Lena Pope Home and is a board member for the YMCA Community Services branch. ... Also at Stuart-Bacon, SMU honors grad Patty Potter has been promoted to senior vice president. She was vice president for creative services, after joining the agency in 1994 as creative director. She was named to the newly created position of business development director in January. She also serves on the board of directors for Lena Pope Home and has been a Big Sister since 1996. ... NCTCOG's Kristy Libotte Keener has received the Award of Excellence in the logo division, International Dalton Pen Communications Competition. The winning design was for the Wise Regional Health System in Decatur. ...

Baby daze! Kaitlyn Elizabeth Speairs was born at 2:19 a.m. May 12 to Scott and Kim Speairs. She weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces. Mom is executive vice president at Stuart Bacon. ... Sara Sprinkle of the Star-Telegram Northeast design desk and husband Steve are the new parents of Shelby Madisan Sprinkle, born at 4:49 p.m. May 15. Baby Shelby weighed in at 8 pounds 8 ounces.

Kudos & Contracts ... The Star-Telegram nailed a first-place photo sweep -- spot news, Paul Moseley; feature, Jen Friedberg; sports, Sharon Steinman -- plus a staff first in infographics and Gil LeBreton's sports-column first in this spring's Texas APME competition. Mitchell Schnurman, Andrea Ahles and Meda Kessler recorded second-place finishes and Charean Williams, Jim Reeves, Jennifer Hart and Sarah Yoest Pederson honorable mentions. In the university division, UTA's The Shorthorn was rated best daily. ... They're competitive, those Star-T people. Darren Barbee, Matt Frazier, Dianna Hunt, Miles Moffeit, Gordon Dickson, Liz Stevens, Alyson Ward, Charlotte Huff, Mitchell Schnurman, Catherine Newton, Andrew Marton, Kathy Harris, Tom Pennington and Charean Williams all made the finals in the Houston Press Club's Lone Star Awards competition. Winners will be announced June 1.

Kudos & Contracts II ... The LaChapelle Agency received a 2002 Neos Award from the Colleyville Woman's Club. The award is one of four CWC Circle of Hope Community-Partner awards, which honor the achievements of businesses, organizations and individuals. Established in 1987, LaChapelle offers a full range of services in advertising, marketing, public relations and interactive media. ... Again with The Shorthorn. The UTA student newspaper has received eight national design awards, including best overall design, from the Student Society of News Design. The competition is sponsored by the University of Missouri School of Journalism. ... Stuart Bacon Advertising-Public Relations will create a graphics look and Web site for SwimwearBoutique.com. Developed by a husband and wife team, Charles and Peggie Perryman, the online store is an extension of The Beachcomber, for 30 years a resort-clothing store in Graford near Possum Kingdom Lake. The Perrymans bought The Beachcomber three years ago. The Web outlet will offer high-end swim and resort wear, including shoes and jewelry. Stuart Bacon will also provide recommendations for packaging and customer relations. ... Stuart Bacon recently made Adweek's top 50 Southwest agencies list. Ranked No. 50, the agency tallied $2.3 million in revenues for 2001 -- a 27 percent increase from 2000.

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A local nonprofit organization seeks a development director. Proven record and nonprofit experience required, with emphasis on grant writing, PR, marketing, special events and graphics. Fax resume to (817) 924-3992.

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WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS

PRSA ... Kristin Escovedo, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD ... Sheryl Lewis, AmeriCredit ... Lisa Orr, UNT Health Science Center ... Alex Southern, North Central Texas Workforce Commission

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Additions ... at the Mansfield News-Mirror: editor Brigitte Cummings, returning with her family to Tarrant County after a couple of years in San Francisco ... at the S-T: universal desk rimmer Tommy Cummings, back after being sports copy desk chief at the San Francisco Chronicle; before his first pass through town, he worked at the Arkansas Gazette, Tulsa Tribune and USA Today ... night business editor Richard Stubbe, formerly metro editor at The State in Columbia, S.C.; a UT Austin grad, he worked at papers in Zanesville, Ohio, and Richmond, Ind., and as a copy editor at the Houston Chronicle

Exits ... at the S-T: business writer Lila LaHood, to pursue a free-lance writing career in San Francisco

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Kristie Aylett, APR; GFW PRSA

Several times in the past month, a new acquaintance has asked what I do and then responded to my explanation with, "That sounds interesting." I tend to agree. I tell people that having "lots of good stories to tell" makes my job easier. I think my fellow PRSA members have cool jobs and fun projects, too. Public relations does have all the elements of an exciting career. The rush that comes when racing a deadline, the satisfaction of developing a successful campaign, the thrill of seeing your work in the public eye -- PR offers this in abundance. Now it's not all fun and games, but it beats flipping burgers any day.

If you know someone who should be a part of PRSA, a membership promotion in June makes it $45 cheaper. National will pay local dues for anyone who joins during the month. Associate members are not eligible. Simply have the new member write "Chapter Appreciation Month" at the top of the application before mailing it in. For online applications, promotion code CHAP2002 should be used. A software glitch makes it seem as if local dues are being charged, but national promises otherwise. Limited time offer, as they say.

We have an incredibly busy summer planned -- monthly meetings, special interest group get-togethers, the Creative Juice Bar seminar July 10 and our chapter support of Sister Cities' People to People for Peace later that month. The months ahead promise to be full of opportunities for networking, professional development and for you to get involved. As an example, if you want to help with People to People for Peace, e-mail Kelli Horst at k.horst@tcu.edu. More members need to come forward to volunteer their time and expertise.

Cecilia Jacobs, IABC/Fort Worth

It seems like just a few days back that I donned my Texas cowgirl getup and moseyed over to the Petroleum Club for my first meeting as president. Guessed you missed it if you weren't there. A year has passed, and a lot has changed. I've made a bunch of friends, and they've all got their wagons hitched to great success. I also have come to appreciate chapter and board members who applaud your efforts even when they know you forgot to put the baking powder in the biscuits.

Just bet there won't be any flat biscuits with the new board, scheduled to take the reigns in July. Actually, a lot of the chapter's new officers are current board members continuing another year's stint. Debbie Young, with the help of Pam Fry, will begin her third year as Bronze Quill chairperson; Lori De La Cruz is moving up to president-elect; Arden Dufilho will help Lydia Murphy with membership; Julie Trowbridge will continue to keep our budget balanced; and Dan Frost again will serve as secretary. Lauren Reis joins the board as vice president of marketing/communications, and my dear friend Patrick Grady will be trail boss for the whole bunch. Wonder if he'll wear a Western getup for his inaugural meeting?

A Texas-size thanks to members who support IABC/Fort Worth with their time and finances. This organization is gaining a reputation as a network of friends and not just a gathering for professionals. At least that's this cowgirl's observation. Membership is up and this year's Bronze Quill is a tremendous success -- some 50 entries and 10 Awards of Excellence. Hope you plan to join us at 11:30 a.m. June 11 for one gigantic, boot-scootin' celebration. I haven't been this excited since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

Hooray for Gridiron scholarship winner Zenobia Harris, who drove in from West Texas to express her thanks at the banquet, then had to immediately return -- right through a stretch of threatening weather. "I did get home safely," she writes. "Life threw me a curve that night because not only was I driving back to Abilene at a very late hour but also during a tornado warning. However, none of the 'traumatic' circumstances ... made me regret my trip. Thank you again for inspiring me to be a better journalist and believing in me." ... Best line at the banquet, from UTA recipient Pat Gillespie: "All of these scholarship winners who aren't here because they're working journalists -- I'm here, so that must mean I'm not working." Pat interned last summer in Vero Beach, Fla., and is news editor this summer at the UTA paper. ... Best acceptance speeches, from Arlington Sam Houston High School seniors Cynthia Martinez and Alicia Byrd, who went up together and thanked SPJ, then hugged and thanked each other! If you didn't go "Awwww," you wanted to. ...

While we've been thinking of Sally Hix and Linda Swift these days, they've been thinking of us. Sally's husband Bill, 1972-73 chapter chief and one who helped craft the SPJ Code of Ethics, died Feb. 25; new member Bill Swift, Linda's husband, died suddenly March 12. "Please tell everyone how much SPJ meant to Bill, and how much I appreciate all of our friends in the chapter," Sally said recently. "I could not have gotten through this without their support." And from Linda: "Bill enjoyed so many SPJ functions, including one program where he got to meet his favorite author, Dan Jenkins. Through my work, Bill became an 'editor,' a media expert and a newspaper enthusiast. Thanks for making his short life richer." You're welcome, ladies. Call on us. ...

Three cheers (also two-bits, four-bits, six-bits, a dollar) for the YMCA's Lisa Albert and husband Kier, proprietors of the new Cheer and Tumble Factory on Camp Bowie. Married 18 months, the entrepreneurs of pep met five years ago as TCU cheerleaders and have a combined 20 years experience in, whoop! (wait, that's A&M), cheering. Classes and private lessons are available for beginner through elite tumblers. And you thought an elite tumbler was a shot glass. For once, a legitimate pyramid scheme. ...

Best wishes to Tammi Hughes, a dynamic and skilled chapter liaison who left SPJ last month. She was a delight -- upbeat, organized, knowledgeable. Thoroughly professional. It would take three men at SPJ national working around the clock (they could sleep in shifts) to replace her. ... And put a big Magic Marker box around Sept. 12-14, dates of the national convention at the Renaissance Worthington. Web pages will go online soon; for now, see http://spj.org/events_convention.asp?ref=2.