eChaser: June 2003


	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 2003 MEETINGS Next at IABC/Fort Worth ... Bronze 'em, Dano: Luncheon Honors Quill Winners The Bronze Quill Awards, IABC/Fort Worth's signature competition, will be presented at the June luncheon as Tarrant County communicators gather to applaud each other's work. Danny Defenbaugh, former special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI office, will be the guest speaker. Entries were submitted in 16 written and visual communication categories, from special events/meetings to graphic design to magazines. Sponsors are Freese and Nichols, and Regali. * Time, date: lunch 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, June 10 * 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 6: Julie Trowbridge at trowbridgeja@c-b.com ----- Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ... Texas Perspective: A Lone Star Look at National News Pick a topic -- what's brewing on the Southwest news front; recommendations on how to get news outlets to read your advances, then print them, then cover the event -- and chances are a panelist at the June meeting has an opinion, and the best kind: one based on experience. Gabrielle Cosgriff, a correspondent with People magazine; Karen Blumenthal, Dallas bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal; Loren Steffy, Dallas bureau chief of Bloomberg News; and New York Times correspondent Kathryn Jones, who's also a corresponding editor at Texas Monthly, will give a glimpse into their role as reporters of national news and their own personal lists of do's and don'ts for PR practitioners. * Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, June 11 * Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor * Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets (get ticket validated) * Cost: $20 members, $23 nonmembers, $18 students * RSVP by noon June 9: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org ----- Next at Fort Worth SPJ ... Philosophies at War: How Public Opinion, Politics Influenced Iraq Reporting David Willis and other BBC correspondents cringed when the U.S. media used words like "enemy" and "our forces" in describing the latest Iraq war. Clearly, he says, the British and U.S. press portrayed the war differently, despite the countries being allies. Those differences came in everything from video choices and word usage to visuals, such as a flag on an anchor's desk. Willis, who's based in Los Angeles, and Fort Worth-Dallas embedded war correspondents will share the stage Saturday, June 28, at Joe T. Garcia's in a frank analysis of how both sides of the Atlantic saw the conflict, how the reporting influenced viewers and how viewer opinions influenced coverage. Partially underwritten by the Haynes and Boone law firm, the meeting promises a forthright examination of war writing and the way it divides countries and can sometimes lead to the same misunderstandings that begin battles in the first place. * Date: Saturday, June 28 * Time: mingling 1 p.m., eats 1:30, program 2 * Place: ballroom cantina at Joe T. Garcia's Mexican food restaurant, 2201 N. Commerce St. * Cost: $12 members, $17 nonmembers, $5 students; cash bar; free just to hear the program * Menu: Joe T.'s famous enchilada dinner * RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com ================================================= STRAIGHT STUFF The Jayson Blair case at The New York Times gets an airing at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, at The Dallas Morning News with Larry Lutz (representing SPJ), Bob Ray Sanders (Star-Telegram), Lorraine Branham (UT Austin journalism), Tom Huang (Asian American Journalists Association), Ernest Perry (TCU journalism) and Stu Wilk (Associated Press Managing Editors) speaking on a panel sponsored by the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Communicators. Park in the newspaper's lot and enter at the loading dock. ... René Syler of "The Early Show" on CBS will keynote the DFW/ABC awards breakfast at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 7, at Skyline Ranch, 1801 E. Wheatland Road in Dallas. Thousands of dollars in scholarships will be awarded, and Robert Ashley, KHVN-AM; John Jenkins, NBC 5; Mollie Belt, the Dallas Examiner; and Syler will be honored as 2003 Trailblazer Award recipients. Info at (214) 333-4513. ... The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is raffling a Chevrolet Trailblazer LS, proceeds to benefit NAHJ educational programs. Tickets are $25; contact Gary Piña at gpina@star-telegram.com or (817) 390-7807. The winner will be announced June 28 at the NAHJ convention in New York City. The holder of the lucky ticket does not need to be present to win. ... Special Olympics Texas needs area practitioners on its North Texas PR committee. The committee meets four times a year to provide counsel for the organization's PR staff and to offer support for local initiatives. Info from Dena Buford, dena@victorypr.com or (972) 462-7525. ... Texas Instruments communications VP Terri West will discuss "To be First, Put First Things First" at the annual joint communicators luncheon at noon (mingling starts at 11:15) Wednesday, June 18, at the Renaissance Dallas North Hotel, LBJ Freeway at Midway Road. More at 123signup.com/calendar?org=dallas-iabc. ... SPJ national update: Battles lost in the ER, sort of, and likely at the FCC. Concerning the new rules required as part of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, unless a patient objects to being listed in its directory, a care facility may still release his or her condition and location (e.g., ICU, CCU) -- but only if the requester asks for the patient by name and not simply the person "just shown on the 6 o'clock news." No name, no information. SPJ and other news organizations contend that the rules, which went into effect April 14, make it harder for journalists to follow up on accident victims or disease outbreaks. ... SPJ called on the Federal Communications Commission to hold additional public hearings on the proposed easing of media ownership restrictions and asked the media to devote more attention to the issue. A poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press showed three-fourths of respondents being unaware of the proposals that Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, writing in The New York Times, said "could reduce the independence of the news media and the ability of Americans to take part in public debate." FCC commissioners -- two Democrats, three Republicans -- on June 2 plan to vote on whether to loosen the ownership rules. SPJ national update II: Battles won on campus. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit said in April that public colleges and universities may not ask to review content in student publications before it is published, thus rejecting an attempt to impose a high school censorship standard on college media. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled similarly two years ago. Student journalists at Governors State University brought the case after an administrator ordered a publishing company in 2000 to not print The Innovator student paper without obtaining her approval. The Innovator has not published an issue since. ... Student government at the University of Missouri at St. Louis will fund the campus paper, after all. The Current will receive about $38,000 after staff members clarified concerns over the publication's use of activity fees. Jason Granger, next year's editor, said he's worried about a precedent being set that funding can be denied to show disfavor with editorial content. ... Citing "an extreme error in judgment," Murray State University administrators in Kentucky apologized for "inappropriate action" taken by those who swiped 300 copies of the April 25 edition from high-traffic areas -- it was orientation weekend for prospective students -- because it carried front-page stories om campus thefts and a reported sexual assault. Two professional staff members in the Division of Student Affairs instructed student leaders to confiscate the copies. SPJ national update III: Bad guv, good guv. In a money-saving move, California Gov. Gray Davis wants to free city councils, county boards of supervisors and school districts from posting meeting notices. A small provision on page 82 of his revised budget proposal states that the requirement "result[s] in additional general fund costs without producing a significant benefit to the state." First Amendment advocates say the change would gut the 50-year-old Ralph M. Brown Act, a cornerstone of open government that compels legislative bodies to meet publicly and with adequate notice. ... Maine Gov. John Baldacci signed legislation May 16 to boost the state's Freedom of Access Law. A statewide public records audit found that police departments were inconsistent in FOA compliance. Chief administrators from each municipality, county and state law enforcement agency now must certify that they have a written policy on how to deal with open records requests and that annual certification must be provided by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. ----- 'What Rights are You Willing to Give Up?' by Frank Perkins The controversial Patriot Act and the even more restrictive but not yet passed Patriot Act II made Fort Worth SPJ's May meeting both thrilling and chilling as Star-Telegram city editor Lee Williams and Dr. Mark Cichock of the UTA political science faculty sounded warning bells about the erosion of Americans' rights in the name of national security. Although sometimes drowned out by a Blue Mesa throng celebrating opening day at Bank One Colonial, the message came through: Attorney General John Ashcroft appears determined to expand the secret surveillance approved by the Patriot Act, as well as weaken the Freedom of Information Act and other safeguards. "Ashcroft seems to feel that the less you know, the better," Cichock said, adding that follow-up legislation is even more dangerous because it would allow the government to revoke citizenship. "Today, the only way an American citizen can lose his or her citizenship is to formally renounce it," he said, "but if Patriot II becomes law, the government could say that a person can't criticize it or the president without putting his or her citizenship at risk." There was no rebuttal from the government at the meeting, as representatives of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney General's Office declined to attend. Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger cited prior commitments. Both Williams and Cichock expressed concern that Patriot II provisions would clamp a lid of secrecy on trials by military tribunals. Records have already become more difficult to obtain, such as when the Star-Telegram asked Denton County for the names of government detainees held in its jail after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Williams: "We sent in an FOI request and got back a long list, but names on it were whited out. When our reporter pressed Denton County officials for the names, they told him that under the Patriot Act, they were allowed to ignore demands for the names." (On May 27 the Supreme Court said it will not review government policies that allowed secret deportation hearings for hundreds of foreigners swept up after the Sept. 11 attacks. The court declined to hear an appeal from New Jersey newspapers that sought information about detainees.) The Star-Telegram also faced resistance while doing a profile on a Fort Worth woman who was believed to be the next head of the Federal Aviation Administration. "The FAA squelched an interview with the woman," Williams said. "They told us they wouldn't give us any information about her and didn't want us to do the story because of 'national security concerns.' " Williams, a member of the Dallas-based First Amendment Institute, a facet of the FOI Foundation of Texas, drew approving nods when he added: "It is ironic that we can't get the names of the detainees, but our government holds that the same action, if taken by another government, is not acceptable." For background on the 650-page Patriot Act, Cichock said that it originated not in Congress but through the Justice Department and became law a mere 46 days after the terror attacks -- too short a time, he suggested, for such a massive work to be created from scratch, much less suitably debated. "That's just not the way Congress works." Besides, he said, "Congress makes laws, not the Department of Justice." Questions at the meeting prompted a lively exchange, with some participants saying that relinquishing a few rights to protect national security might be worth it. Cichock answered with a question of his own: "I guess it comes down to what rights are you willing to give up?" ================================================= PEOPLE & PLACES He never took an advertising or PR course, but he holds the Fort Worth Ad Club's Silver Medal, its highest honor. He earned degrees at Villanova, the University of Iowa and the University of Dallas but never planned to teach. He was department chairman for a while. He didn't like it. Now after 5,000 students and 30 years and with the title of TCU professor emeritus, Jack Raskopf is out of a full-time job. The last World War II veteran on the TCU faculty and a former Naval Reserve captain, he has retired but will teach two classes this summer and continue to head an internship program he started several years ago. ... Star-Telegram editorialist Alan Cochrum won first prize in the 2002 Amy Writing Awards for his column "Praying for Terrorists? A Scandalous Side to Mercy'' in the paper's Sept. 22, 2002, Weekly Review. He received the award May 13 in a ceremony at Michigan State University. In the 1980s, Paul Buckley won two Amys, which recognize writing that presents the biblical position on world issues. Cochrum and Buckley, now a Dallas Morning News copy editor, are both graduates of UTA and the university's hands-on newspaper program. ... Drenda Witt, director of public relations and marketing for JPS Health Network, has been chosen to join the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems fellows program. With JPS for more than 19 years and a nationally known speaker on crisis relations, she also is a member of PRSA, a board member of Fort Worth SPJ and in 2000 was named the IABC/Fort Worth Communicator of the Year. ... Star-Telegram writer Carolyn Poirot won the Michael DeBakey Journalism Award for her story on the Southwest National Primate Research Center in San Antonio. An April winner of the Texas Public Health Associaton award for media excellence, she received the DeBakey honor from the pioneering heart surgeon in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. ... The Star-T's Tim Madigan, Rodger Mallison and Jeffery Washington won the 2002 Headliners award given by the Headliners Club of Austin for "The Color of Hate," a weeklong series of stories and photos about Fort Worth in the Jim Crow era. Kudos & Contracts ... The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication this year named the Fort Worth Journalism Project among the country's top programs supporting high school journalism. The April 26 workshop for nearly 40 students and their advisers, crafted by SPJ and TCU journalism faculty, featured give-and-take with local pros, a writing exercise, an address by veteran newsman Tracy Rowlett and a critique. A session for advisers recognized the challenges they face and offered a range of assistance, from curriculum help to contact numbers for willing mentors. Kudos & Contracts II ... Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations took first place in the International Newspaper Marketing Association's 68th Annual Marketing Awards competition for its ad campaign to promote a new online service offered by the Austin American-Statesman. ... Also at Witherspoon, Larry's Shoes, the country's largest specialty retailer of men's shoes and accessories, has selected the PR firm as its agency of record. Witherspoon developed a strategy to build on Larry's success at making footwear shopping enjoyable and recently put the final touches on a new retail campaign. From its first outlet in downtown Fort Worth more than 50 years ago, Larry's Shoes today has 14 stores in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. ================================================= GET A JOB PR writer/publicist sought, minimum five years experience. Details from Jane Schlansker, InterStar Marketing & Public Relations, js@interstargroup.com. ... A Dallas-based marketing and PR agency specializing in imported luxury consumer goods seeks a specialist to pitch stories, manage interviews and organize promotional tours, including pre-planning, timelines/budgets and on-site setup. Some travel required. Must be bilingual (English-Spanish). Ideal candidate has a bachelor's degree, at least two years experience with a record of press placement, strong communication skills and team orientation. Knowledge of Spain a plus. Wine, food and beauty industry experience preferred. Must work well in fast-paced environment. Salary commensurate with experience. Fax resume and cover letter to (214) 373-1325, or e-mail jennifer@janetkafka.com. ================================================= NEW MEMBERS PRSA ... Julie Lopez, Baylor Medical Center in Irving IABC ... Jeff Bond, RadioShack ... Brian Badillo, Johnson Printing Services ================================================= COMINGS & GOINGS Exits ... at the S-T: Gwin Grogan, after several years with the paper, leaving to accept a fellowship at TCU ================================================= READING MATTERS "The Teammates: A Portrait of Friendship" and "Firehouse" / David Halberstam / Hyperion Books This man can tell a story, wheher of ballplayers whose skill made them legends or of firefighters bestowed legendary status by fate. Both books sensitively portray man at his noblest, battling age and sickness, trauma and loss with the inherent courage that never ceases to amaze. "The Teammates" is two stories, actually, of a final trip that Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky take to see a dying Ted Williams and of a flight back in time as they and Bobby Doerr recall their years on the powerhouse Boston Red Sox teams of the 1940s and early '50s and reminisce about a magical era. Halberstam's baseball book is even more about friendship. Likewise, "Firehouse" extends beyond the trucks and neighborhood lore to detail with lingo, humor and danger the men of Engine 40 Ladder 35 who died Sept. 11, 2001. Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, lives in Manhattan only blocks from Engine 40 Ladder 35 and donated a portion of the book profits to the victims' families. ================================================= RESOURCES The U.S. Geological Survey's "Tapestry of Time and Terrain" site presents comprehensive geological and topographical maps of the United States. Reached at tapestry.usgs.gov, the site rolls out what those poets at the USGS call a "digital tapestry (that) outlines the geologic story of continental collision and break-up, mountain-building, river erosion and deposition, ice-cap glaciation, volcanism and other events and processes that have shaped the region over the last 2.6 billion years." ... Scientists have created an ultra-thin screen that can be bent, twisted and even rolled up and still show crisp text. The material, only as thick as three human hairs, displays black text on a whitish-gray background with a resolution similar to that of a laptop computer. The screen is so flexible it can be rolled into a cylinder about a half-inch wide without losing image quality. E Ink and other companies are working to develop electronic "paper" for e-newspapers and e-books and other applications, even clothing with computer screens sewn into it. ================================================= PRESIDENT'S CORNER Roger Partridge, Greater Fort Worth PRSA We have terrific members in this PRSA chapter! When Fox 4 News reporter Jeff Crilley followed the runaway Democrats to Oklahoma, Heather Senter, APR, was left scrambling for a program on the morning of the May luncheon. She hit the program topics file, invited a few local PR people to share on-the-job mistakes that they have encountered but not caused, and emerged with a great program, entertaining and educational. Many thanks to the pros who contributed: Bill Lawrence, APR; George Hedrick; John Hoffmann; and, of course, our favorite stand-up comic, Kelli Horst, APR. Thank you, Heather, for your quick action and outstanding results. Greater Fort Worth PRSA has a new logo. If you haven't seen it, visit our Web site or, better yet, come to the June luncheon/ program and see for yourself. You'll find it on our new name tags. Thanks to Pamela Smith for researching and coordinating the project. Don't forget to make plans to attend the PRSA International Conference in New Orleans, Oct. 25-28. Look for speaker information in next month's newsletter. ----- PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Patrick Grady, IABC/Fort Worth It's time for a change, and it'll be good for you. It'll be good for all of us. That phrase ranks up there with, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help," but this change -- of the board at IABC/Fort Worth -- will yield an even more robust organization. If you liked the strides we took this year, just wait until you see what's coming. Program pieces were added, to enthusiastic feedback. Each meeting now features a member profile and a book report, and who can forget (least of all me) the joke-of-the-month segment. You like these moves. How do we know? Attendance is up, at a time when participation in organizations like ours is declining. You have no idea the confidence this builds in your chapter leaders. I have great confidence, too, in the board members who have offered their services for 2003-04. Without them, the success of this and previous years wouldn't have happened. And I have great confidence in our members. Every day, it seems, more than one renewal confirmation from IABC international reaches my desk. What a feeling. This month, we honor the best of the best with our Bronze Quill luncheon. This is always our best-attended meeting, and that's because the Bronze Quill is a prestigious award that carries high praise. This year will be a bit different for me, as I turn over the keys (there aren't any keys) to the kingdom (there's no kingdom, either, but a great organization of incredible people) to Lori De La Cruz. She will lead us, in a profoundly positive way, through a year that we will never forget. If it happened in the last year and it was good, Lori was there. For that matter, the entire outgoing board deserves great thanks for its dedication and ongoing commitment. Cecilia Jacobs, Julie Trowbridge, Lauren Reis, Pam Fry, Arden Dufilho and Pam Huff -- all uplift IABC/Fort Worth in so many ways. Then there's the new board, and it's an outstanding group. Tim Tune of RadioShack is your VP/programming/professional development and president-elect. Ken Roberts of the Automotive Services Association joins us as secretary. Cecilia and Arden will co-chair Bronze Quill 2004, while Pam Fry moves to VP/membership and Julie continues as VP/treasurer and Lauren as VP/marketing communications. This is my last column as your chapter president. I've had a ball. Maybe you can tell. See you June 10, and every month. When? IABC Tuesday, of course! ----- OVER & OUT John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ Anticipation is part of the fun, you know. Project out to Saturday, July 26, and the SPJ Summertime Beer Bust, Grape Gala and Burnt & Barbecued Ribfest Overlooking the Nude Beach II, featuring no nudity and no beach but just a splendid time in Max and Helena Faulkner's tree-shaded backyard. Reserve the date. Food by grilling guru Ron Holcomb, entertainment by the typing tunesmith, J.T. Rushing. ... Nor do you have an excuse to miss the June meeting. Don't like to drive at night? Don't like to get out in the evening after laboring all day? Can't make these programs because you go to work at 4? Tired of hearing only people with Texas accents? One of our most ambitious outings, featuring BBC reporter David Willis on June 28 at Joe T. Garcia's, covers all the bases. Thanks, Penny Cockerell, for delivering this package, and thanks, Tom Williams and Haynes and Boone, for helping with expenses. I'm thinking you can't beat a Saturday afternoon at the most comfortable restaurant on the North Side listening to world-traveled reporters debate whether anyone got it right in Iraq. Margaritas optional, but encouraged. ... Speaking of meetings, those are stout sessions offered by PRSA and IABC this month -- a real newsmaker and real reporters, presumably discussing real issues. Other flacks take flowers to people at the airport. Tarrant County's polish their information gathering and dissemination skills. Is the most vigorous SPJ/PRSA/IABC triumvirate in America, or what? ... SPJ national prez Robert Leger's latest report is another packed list of accomplishments, challenges, improving reality and flat-out good news. I'll send it to anyone who asks. Even with those flying carriage returns that pepper forwarded Internet messages, it's worth a read. ... And best wishes to David Porter, who resigned from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and this month moves to Idaho to be with wife Robyn and her four daughters. He writes: "I do realize how blessed I am. Nervous about finding a job to feed six people come September, but excited nonetheless!" ... Those who assert that the people running the country are morally bankrupt elitist hypocrite brigands must simultaneously concede that the loyal opposition lacks a voice, a face, a message and, as we say at Pfizer, potency. An indelible sidebar at the May SPJ meeting was UTA prof Mark Cichock's reminder that numerous Democrats, who never fully read the bill (not that the Republicans likely did, either), queueed up to cheer the Patriot Act as it zipped through Congress, lest they appear unpatriotic. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., was especially supportive, Cichock said, and pushed the bill through the Senate. Have you noticed how Daschle, when he's not scowling in an attempt to appear concerned and sincere, has developed a smirk similar to the president's? Bipartisan miscreance, that's what it is, and I can't fix it in one sitting. Shoot, Mike Moncrief for president or governor or Texas House speaker, and roll that iced-down tub of raspberry soda a little closer to the pool. Closing words: "Those who give up liberty for the sake of security deserve neither liberty nor security." -- Benjamin Franklin ... "O for leaders whose salvation binds them to the Golden Rule, and not leaders whose salvation frees them from it." -- anonynous

Gabrielle Cosgriff, a correspondent with People magazine; Karen Blumenthal, Dallas bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal; Loren Steffy, Dallas bureau chief of Bloomberg News; and New York Times correspondent Kathryn Jones, who's also a corresponding editor at Texas Monthly, will give a glimpse into their role as reporters of national news and their own personal lists of do's and don'ts for PR practitioners.

* Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, June 11

* Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor

* Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets (get ticket validated)

* Cost: $20 members, $23 nonmembers, $18 students

* RSVP by noon June 9: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org

Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...
Philosophies at War: How Public Opinion,

Politics Influenced Iraq Reporting

David Willis and other BBC correspondents cringed when the U.S. media used words like "enemy" and "our forces" in describing the latest Iraq war. Clearly, he says, the British and U.S. press portrayed the war differently, despite the countries being allies. Those differences came in everything from video choices and word usage to visuals, such as a flag on an anchor's desk.

Willis, who's based in Los Angeles, and Fort Worth-Dallas embedded war correspondents will share the stage Saturday, June 28, at Joe T. Garcia's in a frank analysis of how both sides of the Atlantic saw the conflict, how the reporting influenced viewers and how viewer opinions influenced coverage. Partially underwritten by the Haynes and Boone law firm, the meeting promises a forthright examination of war writing and the way it divides countries and can sometimes lead to the same misunderstandings that begin battles in the first place.

* Date: Saturday, June 28

* Time: mingling 1 p.m., eats 1:30, program 2

* Place: ballroom cantina at Joe T. Garcia's Mexican food restaurant, 2201 N. Commerce St.

* Cost: $12 members, $17 nonmembers, $5 students; cash bar; free just to hear the program

* Menu: Joe T.'s famous enchilada dinner

* RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com

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

The Jayson Blair case at The New York Times gets an airing at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, at The Dallas Morning News with Larry Lutz (representing SPJ), Bob Ray Sanders (Star-Telegram), Lorraine Branham (UT Austin journalism), Tom Huang (Asian American Journalists Association), Ernest Perry (TCU journalism) and Stu Wilk (Associated Press Managing Editors) speaking on a panel sponsored by the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Communicators. Park in the newspaper's lot and enter at the loading dock. ...

René Syler of "The Early Show" on CBS will keynote the DFW/ABC awards breakfast at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 7, at Skyline Ranch, 1801 E. Wheatland Road in Dallas. Thousands of dollars in scholarships will be awarded, and Robert Ashley, KHVN-AM; John Jenkins, NBC 5; Mollie Belt, the Dallas Examiner; and Syler will be honored as 2003 Trailblazer Award recipients. Info at (214) 333-4513. ... The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is raffling a Chevrolet Trailblazer LS, proceeds to benefit NAHJ educational programs. Tickets are $25; contact Gary Piña at gpina@star-telegram.com or (817) 390-7807. The winner will be announced June 28 at the NAHJ convention in New York City. The holder of the lucky ticket does not need to be present to win. ...

Special Olympics Texas needs area practitioners on its North Texas PR committee. The committee meets four times a year to provide counsel for the organization's PR staff and to offer support for local initiatives. Info from Dena Buford, dena@victorypr.com or (972) 462-7525. ... Texas Instruments communications VP Terri West will discuss "To be First, Put First Things First" at the annual joint communicators luncheon at noon (mingling starts at 11:15) Wednesday, June 18, at the Renaissance Dallas North Hotel, LBJ Freeway at Midway Road. More at 123signup.com/calendar?org=dallas-iabc. ...

SPJ national update: Battles lost in the ER, sort of, and likely at the FCC. Concerning the new rules required as part of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, unless a patient objects to being listed in its directory, a care facility may still release his or her condition and location (e.g., ICU, CCU) -- but only if the requester asks for the patient by name and not simply the person "just shown on the 6 o'clock news." No name, no information. SPJ and other news organizations contend that the rules, which went into effect April 14, make it harder for journalists to follow up on accident victims or disease outbreaks. ... SPJ called on the Federal Communications Commission to hold additional public hearings on the proposed easing of media ownership restrictions and asked the media to devote more attention to the issue. A poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press showed three-fourths of respondents being unaware of the proposals that Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, writing in The New York Times, said "could reduce the independence of the news media and the ability of Americans to take part in public debate." FCC commissioners -- two Democrats, three Republicans -- on June 2 plan to vote on whether to loosen the ownership rules.

SPJ national update II: Battles won on campus. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit said in April that public colleges and universities may not ask to review content in student publications before it is published, thus rejecting an attempt to impose a high school censorship standard on college media. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled similarly two years ago. Student journalists at Governors State University brought the case after an administrator ordered a publishing company in 2000 to not print The Innovator student paper without obtaining her approval. The Innovator has not published an issue since. ... Student government at the University of Missouri at St. Louis will fund the campus paper, after all. The Current will receive about $38,000 after staff members clarified concerns over the publication's use of activity fees. Jason Granger, next year's editor, said he's worried about a precedent being set that funding can be denied to show disfavor with editorial content. ... Citing "an extreme error in judgment," Murray State University administrators in Kentucky apologized for "inappropriate action" taken by those who swiped 300 copies of the April 25 edition from high-traffic areas -- it was orientation weekend for prospective students -- because it carried front-page stories om campus thefts and a reported sexual assault. Two professional staff members in the Division of Student Affairs instructed student leaders to confiscate the copies.

SPJ national update III: Bad guv, good guv. In a money-saving move, California Gov. Gray Davis wants to free city councils, county boards of supervisors and school districts from posting meeting notices. A small provision on page 82 of his revised budget proposal states that the requirement "result[s] in additional general fund costs without producing a significant benefit to the state." First Amendment advocates say the change would gut the 50-year-old Ralph M. Brown Act, a cornerstone of open government that compels legislative bodies to meet publicly and with adequate notice. ... Maine Gov. John Baldacci signed legislation May 16 to boost the state's Freedom of Access Law. A statewide public records audit found that police departments were inconsistent in FOA compliance. Chief administrators from each municipality, county and state law enforcement agency now must certify that they have a written policy on how to deal with open records requests and that annual certification must be provided by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

'What Rights are You Willing to Give Up?'

The controversial Patriot Act and the even more restrictive but not yet passed Patriot Act II made Fort Worth SPJ's May meeting both thrilling and chilling as Star-Telegram city editor Lee Williams and Dr. Mark Cichock of the UTA political science faculty sounded warning bells about the erosion of Americans' rights in the name of national security.

Although sometimes drowned out by a Blue Mesa throng celebrating opening day at Bank One Colonial, the message came through: Attorney General John Ashcroft appears determined to expand the secret surveillance approved by the Patriot Act, as well as weaken the Freedom of Information Act and other safeguards. "Ashcroft seems to feel that the less you know, the better," Cichock said, adding that follow-up legislation is even more dangerous because it would allow the government to revoke citizenship.

"Today, the only way an American citizen can lose his or her citizenship is to formally renounce it," he said, "but if Patriot II becomes law, the government could say that a person can't criticize it or the president without putting his or her citizenship at risk."

There was no rebuttal from the government at the meeting, as representatives of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney General's Office declined to attend. Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger cited prior commitments.

Both Williams and Cichock expressed concern that Patriot II provisions would clamp a lid of secrecy on trials by military tribunals. Records have already become more difficult to obtain, such as when the Star-Telegram asked Denton County for the names of government detainees held in its jail after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Williams: "We sent in an FOI request and got back a long list, but names on it were whited out. When our reporter pressed Denton County officials for the names, they told him that under the Patriot Act, they were allowed to ignore demands for the names." (On May 27 the Supreme Court said it will not review government policies that allowed secret deportation hearings for hundreds of foreigners swept up after the Sept. 11 attacks. The court declined to hear an appeal from New Jersey newspapers that sought information about detainees.)

The Star-Telegram also faced resistance while doing a profile on a Fort Worth woman who was believed to be the next head of the Federal Aviation Administration. "The FAA squelched an interview with the woman," Williams said. "They told us they wouldn't give us any information about her and didn't want us to do the story because of 'national security concerns.' "

Williams, a member of the Dallas-based First Amendment Institute, a facet of the FOI Foundation of Texas, drew approving nods when he added: "It is ironic that we can't get the names of the detainees, but our government holds that the same action, if taken by another government, is not acceptable."

For background on the 650-page Patriot Act, Cichock said that it originated not in Congress but through the Justice Department and became law a mere 46 days after the terror attacks -- too short a time, he suggested, for such a massive work to be created from scratch, much less suitably debated. "That's just not the way Congress works." Besides, he said, "Congress makes laws, not the Department of Justice."

Questions at the meeting prompted a lively exchange, with some participants saying that relinquishing a few rights to protect national security might be worth it. Cichock answered with a question of his own: "I guess it comes down to what rights are you willing to give up?"

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He never took an advertising or PR course, but he holds the Fort Worth Ad Club's Silver Medal, its highest honor. He earned degrees at Villanova, the University of Iowa and the University of Dallas but never planned to teach. He was department chairman for a while. He didn't like it. Now after 5,000 students and 30 years and with the title of TCU professor emeritus, Jack Raskopf is out of a full-time job. The last World War II veteran on the TCU faculty and a former Naval Reserve captain, he has retired but will teach two classes this summer and continue to head an internship program he started several years ago. ...

Star-Telegram editorialist Alan Cochrum won first prize in the 2002 Amy Writing Awards for his column "Praying for Terrorists? A Scandalous Side to Mercy'' in the paper's Sept. 22, 2002, Weekly Review. He received the award May 13 in a ceremony at Michigan State University. In the 1980s, Paul Buckley won two Amys, which recognize writing that presents the biblical position on world issues. Cochrum and Buckley, now a Dallas Morning News copy editor, are both graduates of UTA and the university's hands-on newspaper program. ...

Drenda Witt, director of public relations and marketing for JPS Health Network, has been chosen to join the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems fellows program. With JPS for more than 19 years and a nationally known speaker on crisis relations, she also is a member of PRSA, a board member of Fort Worth SPJ and in 2000 was named the IABC/Fort Worth Communicator of the Year. ...

Star-Telegram writer Carolyn Poirot won the Michael DeBakey Journalism Award for her story on the Southwest National Primate Research Center in San Antonio. An April winner of the Texas Public Health Associaton award for media excellence, she received the DeBakey honor from the pioneering heart surgeon in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. ... The Star-T's Tim Madigan, Rodger Mallison and Jeffery Washington won the 2002 Headliners award given by the Headliners Club of Austin for "The Color of Hate," a weeklong series of stories and photos about Fort Worth in the Jim Crow era.

Kudos & Contracts ... The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication this year named the Fort Worth Journalism Project among the country's top programs supporting high school journalism. The April 26 workshop for nearly 40 students and their advisers, crafted by SPJ and TCU journalism faculty, featured give-and-take with local pros, a writing exercise, an address by veteran newsman Tracy Rowlett and a critique. A session for advisers recognized the challenges they face and offered a range of assistance, from curriculum help to contact numbers for willing mentors.

Kudos & Contracts II ... Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations took first place in the International Newspaper Marketing Association's 68th Annual Marketing Awards competition for its ad campaign to promote a new online service offered by the Austin American-Statesman. ... Also at Witherspoon, Larry's Shoes, the country's largest specialty retailer of men's shoes and accessories, has selected the PR firm as its agency of record. Witherspoon developed a strategy to build on Larry's success at making footwear shopping enjoyable and recently put the final touches on a new retail campaign. From its first outlet in downtown Fort Worth more than 50 years ago, Larry's Shoes today has 14 stores in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

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PR writer/publicist sought, minimum five years experience. Details from Jane Schlansker, InterStar Marketing & Public Relations, js@interstargroup.com. ...

A Dallas-based marketing and PR agency specializing in imported luxury consumer goods seeks a specialist to pitch stories, manage interviews and organize promotional tours, including pre-planning, timelines/budgets and on-site setup. Some travel required. Must be bilingual (English-Spanish). Ideal candidate has a bachelor's degree, at least two years experience with a record of press placement, strong communication skills and team orientation. Knowledge of Spain a plus. Wine, food and beauty industry experience preferred. Must work well in fast-paced environment. Salary commensurate with experience. Fax resume and cover letter to (214) 373-1325, or e-mail jennifer@janetkafka.com.

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PRSA ... Julie Lopez, Baylor Medical Center in Irving

IABC ... Jeff Bond, RadioShack ... Brian Badillo, Johnson Printing Services

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Exits ... at the S-T: Gwin Grogan, after several years with the paper, leaving to accept a fellowship at TCU

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"The Teammates: A Portrait of Friendship" and "Firehouse" /

David Halberstam / Hyperion Books

This man can tell a story, wheher of ballplayers whose skill made them legends or of firefighters bestowed legendary status by fate. Both books sensitively portray man at his noblest, battling age and sickness, trauma and loss with the inherent courage that never ceases to amaze. "The Teammates" is two stories, actually, of a final trip that Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky take to see a dying Ted Williams and of a flight back in time as they and Bobby Doerr recall their years on the powerhouse Boston Red Sox teams of the 1940s and early '50s and reminisce about a magical era. Halberstam's baseball book is even more about friendship. Likewise, "Firehouse" extends beyond the trucks and neighborhood lore to detail with lingo, humor and danger the men of Engine 40 Ladder 35 who died Sept. 11, 2001. Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, lives in Manhattan only blocks from Engine 40 Ladder 35 and donated a portion of the book profits to the victims' families.

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The U.S. Geological Survey's "Tapestry of Time and Terrain" site presents comprehensive geological and topographical maps of the United States. Reached at tapestry.usgs.gov, the site rolls out what those poets at the USGS call a "digital tapestry (that) outlines the geologic story of continental collision and break-up, mountain-building, river erosion and deposition, ice-cap glaciation, volcanism and other events and processes that have shaped the region over the last 2.6 billion years." ...

Scientists have created an ultra-thin screen that can be bent, twisted and even rolled up and still show crisp text. The material, only as thick as three human hairs, displays black text on a whitish-gray background with a resolution similar to that of a laptop computer. The screen is so flexible it can be rolled into a cylinder about a half-inch wide without losing image quality. E Ink and other companies are working to develop electronic "paper" for e-newspapers and e-books and other applications, even clothing with computer screens sewn into it.

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Roger Partridge, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

We have terrific members in this PRSA chapter! When Fox 4 News reporter Jeff Crilley followed the runaway Democrats to Oklahoma, Heather Senter, APR, was left scrambling for a program on the morning of the May luncheon. She hit the program topics file, invited a few local PR people to share on-the-job mistakes that they have encountered but not caused, and emerged with a great program, entertaining and educational. Many thanks to the pros who contributed: Bill Lawrence, APR; George Hedrick; John Hoffmann; and, of course, our favorite stand-up comic, Kelli Horst, APR. Thank you, Heather, for your quick action and outstanding results.

Greater Fort Worth PRSA has a new logo. If you haven't seen it, visit our Web site or, better yet, come to the June luncheon/ program and see for yourself. You'll find it on our new name tags. Thanks to Pamela Smith for researching and coordinating the project.

Don't forget to make plans to attend the PRSA International Conference in New Orleans, Oct. 25-28. Look for speaker information in next month's newsletter.

Patrick Grady, IABC/Fort Worth

It's time for a change, and it'll be good for you. It'll be good for all of us. That phrase ranks up there with, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help," but this change -- of the board at IABC/Fort Worth -- will yield an even more robust organization. If you liked the strides we took this year, just wait until you see what's coming.

Program pieces were added, to enthusiastic feedback. Each meeting now features a member profile and a book report, and who can forget (least of all me) the joke-of-the-month segment. You like these moves. How do we know? Attendance is up, at a time when participation in organizations like ours is declining. You have no idea the confidence this builds in your chapter leaders.

I have great confidence, too, in the board members who have offered their services for 2003-04. Without them, the success of this and previous years wouldn't have happened. And I have great confidence in our members. Every day, it seems, more than one renewal confirmation from IABC international reaches my desk. What a feeling.

This month, we honor the best of the best with our Bronze Quill luncheon. This is always our best-attended meeting, and that's because the Bronze Quill is a prestigious award that carries high praise. This year will be a bit different for me, as I turn over the keys (there aren't any keys) to the kingdom (there's no kingdom, either, but a great organization of incredible people) to Lori De La Cruz. She will lead us, in a profoundly positive way, through a year that we will never forget.

If it happened in the last year and it was good, Lori was there. For that matter, the entire outgoing board deserves great thanks for its dedication and ongoing commitment. Cecilia Jacobs, Julie Trowbridge, Lauren Reis, Pam Fry, Arden Dufilho and Pam Huff -- all uplift IABC/Fort Worth in so many ways.

Then there's the new board, and it's an outstanding group. Tim Tune of RadioShack is your VP/programming/professional development and president-elect. Ken Roberts of the Automotive Services Association joins us as secretary. Cecilia and Arden will co-chair Bronze Quill 2004, while Pam Fry moves to VP/membership and Julie continues as VP/treasurer and Lauren as VP/marketing communications.

This is my last column as your chapter president. I've had a ball. Maybe you can tell. See you June 10, and every month. When? IABC Tuesday, of course!

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

Anticipation is part of the fun, you know. Project out to Saturday, July 26, and the SPJ Summertime Beer Bust, Grape Gala and Burnt & Barbecued Ribfest Overlooking the Nude Beach II, featuring no nudity and no beach but just a splendid time in Max and Helena Faulkner's tree-shaded backyard. Reserve the date. Food by grilling guru Ron Holcomb, entertainment by the typing tunesmith, J.T. Rushing. ... Nor do you have an excuse to miss the June meeting. Don't like to drive at night? Don't like to get out in the evening after laboring all day? Can't make these programs because you go to work at 4? Tired of hearing only people with Texas accents? One of our most ambitious outings, featuring BBC reporter David Willis on June 28 at Joe T. Garcia's, covers all the bases. Thanks, Penny Cockerell, for delivering this package, and thanks, Tom Williams and Haynes and Boone, for helping with expenses. I'm thinking you can't beat a Saturday afternoon at the most comfortable restaurant on the North Side listening to world-traveled reporters debate whether anyone got it right in Iraq. Margaritas optional, but encouraged. ... Speaking of meetings, those are stout sessions offered by PRSA and IABC this month -- a real newsmaker and real reporters, presumably discussing real issues. Other flacks take flowers to people at the airport. Tarrant County's polish their information gathering and dissemination skills. Is the most vigorous SPJ/PRSA/IABC triumvirate in America, or what? ...

SPJ national prez Robert Leger's latest report is another packed list of accomplishments, challenges, improving reality and flat-out good news. I'll send it to anyone who asks. Even with those flying carriage returns that pepper forwarded Internet messages, it's worth a read. ... And best wishes to David Porter, who resigned from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and this month moves to Idaho to be with wife Robyn and her four daughters. He writes: "I do realize how blessed I am. Nervous about finding a job to feed six people come September, but excited nonetheless!" ...

Those who assert that the people running the country are morally bankrupt elitist hypocrite brigands must simultaneously concede that the loyal opposition lacks a voice, a face, a message and, as we say at Pfizer, potency. An indelible sidebar at the May SPJ meeting was UTA prof Mark Cichock's reminder that numerous Democrats, who never fully read the bill (not that the Republicans likely did, either), queueed up to cheer the Patriot Act as it zipped through Congress, lest they appear unpatriotic. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., was especially supportive, Cichock said, and pushed the bill through the Senate. Have you noticed how Daschle, when he's not scowling in an attempt to appear concerned and sincere, has developed a smirk similar to the president's? Bipartisan miscreance, that's what it is, and I can't fix it in one sitting. Shoot, Mike Moncrief for president or governor or Texas House speaker, and roll that iced-down tub of raspberry soda a little closer to the pool.