eChaser: October 2004


	Welcome to our newsletter ... 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] We appreciate our advertisers! Bass Performance Hall Blue Marble Media Business Wire DFW Printing Co. Esperanza's Bakery Fort Worth Business Press Fort Worth Rail Market Friends of the Fort Worth Public Library Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center Immotion Studios InterStar Marketing and Public Relations Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Food Restaurant North Texas Daily Optimist, Abilene Christian University Pancho's Mexican Buffet PR Newswire PRSA Consultants Group The Shorthorn, UTA Star-Telegram TCU Daily Skiff Texas Wesleyan University Tony Roma's The University of Texas at Arlington Weber Shandwick Worldwide Wise County Messenger Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations October 2004 MEETINGS Next at IABC/Fort Worth ... Event-planning Tips from a Master Event Planner Patrick Grady. He's knowledgeable. He's funny. He plans events at RadioShack. Big events. Bigger events. He's the program this month. You'll laugh. You'll learn. Patrick Grady. He can really plan. Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5 Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets Cost: $17 members, $25 nonmembers, $12 students RSVP: Julie Trowbridge at trowbridgeja@c-b.com ----- Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ... Are Your True Colors Showing? Find Out at Fall Seminar Kent Dean's interactive presentation "True Colors" -- morning seminar Oct. 13 at the Petroleum Club -- will help define your communication style and the style of those around you, including external audiences, co-workers, potential clients and reporters. Stick around for lunch and learn how to speak to your client's client. Dean, an advertising/marketing expert with nearly 20 years consulting experience, is a certified trainer for True Colors, a widely recognized, entertaining approach to gauging personality types based on the studies of Myers-Briggs and David Keirsey. Dean serves on the board of directors for the Fort Worth Advertising Club and the Day Resource Center for the Homeless. He is president of the Reveille Toastmasters Club and immediate vice president of Fort Worth's Convention District Association. Time & date: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13; lunch at noon Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor Parking: free parking in garage C at Seventh and Commerce streets Cost: members/nonmembers/students -- seminar and lunch $35/$45/$25; seminar only $20/$30/$15; lunch only $20/$23/$18; RSVP no-shows will be billed, and RSVPs after deadline will be charged the nonmember rate RSVP by Oct. 8: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org ----- Next at Fort Worth SPJ ... A Day of Mystery in Two Parts Let the budding writer inside you burst forth Oct. 16 as a quartet of noted authors -- Tim Madigan, Doug Swanson, Parnell Hall and J.A. Jance -- discuss their craft at FW SPJ's build-your-own-meeting. Also, Irwin Gratz will be on hand to reinstate the tradition of Cowtown being the SPJ national president's first chapter visit following the coronation. Hall and Jance will be at a book signing that morning at the North Texas Booksellers Association Book and Paper Show at Roundup Inn, to which SPJ members are invited. Star-Telegram scribe Madigan's latest book is "The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921." He also wrote "See No Evil: Blind Devotion and Bloodshed in David Koresh's Holy War." The Dallas Morning News' Swanson is the warped persona behind the Jack Flippo detective series ("Big Town," "Dreamboat," "96 Tears," "Umbrella Man" and "House of Corrections"). Jance has written 26 books; the most recent, "Partners in Crime," brings together her two characters, Joanna Brady and J.P. Beaumont, each of whom is featured in a series of mysteries. Hall has produced three series of novels running simultaneously -- "The Puzzle Lady," "Stanley Hastings" and "Steve Winslow" -- which have accounted for 25 books since 1987. Time & date: 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16 Place: Saloui's Stage Deli & Bar, 517 University Drive Cost: you order it, you pay for it Menu: everything you'd want in a deli, and then some RSVP: not necessary ================================================== STRAIGHT STUFF Dr. Pat Gleason-Winn from the Baylor School of Social Work will discuss "Spirituality and Aging" to open a free, daylong conference Saturday, Oct. 16, at First Christian Church downtown on issues about aging and the questions most families ask. The event, organized by SPJ member Carmen Goldthwaite and sponsored by TCU, the First Christian Churches of Fort Worth and Arlington and the University and South Hills Christian Churches of Fort Worth, is billed as a "conversation for all ages, old and young." Forty-five-minute workshops will look at Social Security, managing assets and how to live at home independently. For children of seniors, information will be available on caregivers. For those ages 12-25, the workshop "What's Happening to Grandpa or Grandma?" will explore changes associated with aging. To register, call TCU at (817) 257-7132. ... The D/FW Network of Hispanic Communicators will meet Wednesday, Oct. 13, at The Dallas Morning News, 508 Young St. The organization's Media Fair will be Oct. 20 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Community Arts Center in Fort Worth. Three days after that, the 2004 Journalism Workshop, co-sponsored with the UTA communication department, plays out in the Fine Arts Building on campus. Students register for $20, which includes lunch and a t-shirt. More on everything at dfwhispanic.org. Mystery writer Parnell Hall will repeat as master of ceremonies at Fall Murder, Mystery and Mayhem, Part IV at Ridglea Country Club on Friday, Oct. 15. Authors Rick Riordan, Stephanie Kane, J.A. Jance and Claire Matturo are scheduled to appear. The North Texas Booksellers Association Book and Paper Show the next two days at Roundup Inn at Will Rogers Memorial Center (10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday) will feature author panels, book sales and signings. More here. ... PRSA local update: Election of 2005 officers and directors will be held at the luncheon/annual meeting Wednesday, Oct. 13. The slate of officers: president, Heather Senter, APR; president-elect/membership, Holly Ellman; VP/programs, Marc Flake; secretary, Krista Brown; treasurer, Glenda Thompson; treasurer-elect, Laura Van Hoosier. Directors: term ending 2005, Gary Morey; '06, John Hoffmann; '07, Theresa Davis. Assembly delegates: term ending 2005, Kristie Aylett, APR; '07, Mary Dulle, APR, Fellow PRSA. ... Krista Brown, Carol Murray, Cathy Mueller, Lauren Olson and Julie O'Neil with the Greater Fort Worth PRSA community service committee recently presented PR strategy recommendations, including new brochure design and media training, to Cancer Care Services, an agency that provides direct post-diagnosis assistance to cancer patients and their families. CCS was selected from among 16 local nonprofit organizations to receive pro bono assistance. ... Dora Tovar of Tovar PR in Arlington, who recently presented to the PR Consultants SIG on Hispanic PR, is quoted in a Sept. 27 PR Week article on the topic. PRSA local update II: Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and her husband, state Rep. Steve Wolens, will keynote Media Day 2004 on Friday, Oct. 15 at Las Colinas Country Club. Either side of lunch, panels and seminars will explore a range of topics, including ethics in the media, business and politics. Register online at prsadallas.org. Questions? Contact Allison Allison at allison_allison@richards.com or Sophia Stoller at sophiastoller@excite.com. ... Deadline to apply to be a speaker at the 2005 PRSA Southwest District Conference is Oct. 8. Speakers are needed in media relations, fund-raising, internal communications, web management, special events planning, community relations, government relations and investor relations. Send a 180-word (or less) biography, contact info, presentation abstract (180-word limit) and what knowledge or skills participants will take away (50-word limit) to Don Brown at dbrown@pnm.com. Call (505) 241-0837 with questions. Speakers will be notified by Nov. 1. The conference is Feb. 10-11 in Albuquerque, N.M. PRSA local update III: Members and guests will showcase their talents, discuss upcoming projects and develop partnership opportunities at the PR Consultants SIG meeting Friday, Oct. 22, at Central Market, I-30 and Hulen Street. Bring business cards and marketing materials and grab lunch downstairs, then meet in the upstairs Community Room. Networking begins at 11:15 a.m., mini-presentations at 11:45. RSVP: Sandra Brodnicki, sandra@brodnickipr.com, (817) 572-1556. ... This month's Nu Pros lunch will be at noon Wednesday, Oct. 20, at Cafe Express, 1540 S. University Drive. A week before that, Nu Pros members will escort teens from the TEAM Fort Worth mentoring program at the monthly luncheon. Reach Adrienne Gaviglio at gaviglioa@aol.com. TEAM Fort Worth consists of students from 14 targeted FWISD schools who hope to benefit from one-to-one and group mentoring with supportive adults. E-mail Andra Bennett at abennett@fortworthchamber.com to volunteer to meet a North Side High School student at the Petroleum Club elevators and introduce him around the Oct. 13 luncheon. PRSA local update IV: "About PR issues, for PR people and by PR people." That's the way QuickSilver's Steve Lee, APR, describes the blog Rants and Raves, which launched last month with a bit of an international item -- an article on the state of public relations in the United States written by Dr. Doug Newsom, APR, Fellow PRSA and appearing originally in VOICE, a PR publication in India. Newsom, Lee, Jim Haynes, APR, Fellow PRSA and other practitioners will regularly contribute. More from Lee at slee@qsigroup.com. SPJ national update: Guilty as charged; Patriot pruned; and tragic toll. There were no folksy Texan phrases in Dan Rather's report Sept. 20. He said the "60 Minutes" report Sept. 8 -- an "unimpeachable source" for explosive documents about President Bush's National Guard service turned out to be a former Guard officer with a deep hatred of Bush and a history of mental problems -- had been a mistake. More here and here and here and here and here and here. ... Powers granted the FBI under the USA Patriot Act were ruled unconstitutional Sept. 29 by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero. The ACLU had challenged what it called the FBI's "unchecked power" to demand confidential customer records from internet service providers or telephone companies. More here. And the 64,000-member American Library Association will survey thousands of libraries this fall to determine how often federal agents have used the act to try to secretly get readership info. The act "jeopardizes library patrons' privacy in a way that has never been done before," sais Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the ALA's Washington office. ... U.S. casualties in Iraq in August rose to a record high for any month since the March 2003 invasion. The Washington Post's Karl Vick said the number wounded, about 1,100, was "by far" the highest monthly injury count. More here. And a Knight Ridder exclusive holds that U.S. and multinational forces and Iraqi police are killing twice as many Iraqis, most of them civilians, as attacks by insurgents. More here. SPJ national update II: Movie time; when a casualty isn't a casualty; Bush "indifference" to FOI; and polls apart. Inside dusty, barricaded camps in Iraq, American troops between missions are gathering around screens to view Michael Moore's documentary attacking the commander in chief. "Everyone's watching it," says a Marine corporal at an outpost in Ramadi that is mortared by insurgents daily. More here. ... Nearly 17,000 service members medically evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan are absent from Pentagon casualty reports commonly cited by newspapers, according to military data reviewed by UPI. Most don't fit the definition of casualties, according to the Pentagon, but a veterans' advocate says they should all be counted. More here. ... A federal judge in New York, complaining that the administration "shows an indifference" to FOI laws, ordered the Pentagon and other agencies to produce a list of all of their documents on Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq by Oct. 15. The ACLU on July 2 sued after the government failed to provide any relevant documents in a year. More here. ... Two in 10 respondents in a national Chicago Tribune poll say that editorials critical of a war the U.S. is fighting should not be allowed. Twenty percent said negative reporting on a war should not be allowed. About half said limitations should have curtailed coverage of the prison abuse scandal in Iraq. Overall, says the Tribune's Charles M. Madigan, five or six out of every 10 people "would embrace government controls of some kind on free speech, particularly when it has sexual content or is heard as unpatriotic." More here. On the other hand, Americans' support for their First Amendment freedoms is back at pre-Sept. 11, 2001 levels, according to the State of the First Amendment survey, conducted by the First Amendment Center. More here. SPJ national update III: If you needed to know, we'd tell you; if we do it again, will we be wrong then, too?; and insurance costs are enough to make you sick. New rules that aim to keep transportation security information away from terrorists could as easily keep the public in the dark about environmental or safety hazards, The Miami Herald says in urging the Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration to narrowly define the ''sensitive security information'' to be kept secret. More here. ... The government concedes that the U.S. Marshals Service broke the law when a marshal ordered reporters with the AP and the Hattiesburg American to erase their recordings of a speech by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The Department of Justice also said the reporters and their employers are each entitled to $1,000 in damages and attorneys' fees but not to an injunction that would bar the Marshals Service from a repeat of the incident. More here. ... Health insurance premiums rose five times faster than U.S. workers' salaries this year, according to a survey released Sept. 9; it also showed slippage in the percentage of workers covered by employer health plans. More here. SPJ national update IV: Once lost, lost forever?; numbers too big to count; and documents? what documents? Under the Bush administration, instead of becoming more available, information critical to public health and safety is disappearing. The Homeland Security Act, passed in 2002, makes material that companies label "critical infrastructure information" and voluntarily submit to the Department of Homeland Security off-limits, even under the Freedom of Information Act. More here. ... The U.S. budget deficit will balloon to $2.29 trillion over the next decade, congressional analysts said Sept. 7, a worse outlook than the $2.01 trillion deficit for 2005-14 that it provided in March. ... U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. ordered the Pentagon to make public any unreleased files about President Bush's Vietnam-era Air National Guard service to resolve an FOI lawsuit filed by the AP. The suit already has led to the disclosure of previously unreleased flight logs from Bush's days piloting F-102A fighters and other jets. More here. SPJ national update V: Connecting the dots; droning on; and banned in Baghdad. Two of the 2001 hijackers had a support network in the United States that included agents of the Saudi government, and the Bush administration and FBI blocked an investigation into that relationship, Sen. Bob Graham writes in his new book, "Intelligence Matters." Graham, a Florida Democrat, chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee from June 2001 through the buildup to the Iraq war. More here. ... U.N. inspectors said they had no evidence that Iraq developed drones capable of delivering chemical or biological weapons, as Bush contended in making his case for war. ... The International Federation of Journalists condemned the Iraqi interim government's decision to impose an indefinite ban on the Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera after a raid on its offices Sept. 4. "Journalists inside and outside Iraq will be dismayed at this significant blow to hopes for democracy and free expression," said Aidan White, IFJ general secretary. More here. ----- Listening: the Other Side of Communication by Kenneth Roberts Why is being an alert listener important? "Because 80 percent of your salary can be traced back to listening," Weslynn Martin told the September IABC meeting. Put another way, "80 percent of what you earn is earned by listening." Martin, professor emeritus at Kansas City's Rockhurst University and holder of the world's first endowed academic chair in listening, said people communicate in four ways: speaking, writing, reading and listening. Only with listening is no formal training provided, she noted, despite how vital it is to effective communications. "Listening is not a natural ability. It's a skill you can learn to do better," she said. "Be a good listener yourself and see what helps you listen. This will help others be able to listen to you." Martin drew a distinction between hearing and listening. The latter requires conscious involvement in receiving both verbal and nonverbal messages. When communicating vocally, up to 90 percent of the meaning is received via secondary messages -- facial and hand expressions, voice inflections, even the speaker's clothes. Also at the meeting, IABC/Fort Worth hosted students from South Hills High School who are participating in the TEAM Fort Worth mentoring program. ================================================== PEOPLE & PLACES Donna Darovich has announced her retirement as UTA Public Affairs director, effective Oct. 31. As a UTA alumna and university leader, she made a number of lasting contributions in 23 years at the school, including development of the e-mail update UTA Today and the university's community cable television show. An avid fan of UTA athletics and a member of the Maverick Club, she earned her B.A. in English from UTA in 1971 and was editor of The Shorthorn. The Wise County Messenger topped all Texas newspapers in the National Newspaper Association's better newspaper contest (more than 3,000 non-dailies competing) with 13 awards representing the work of production manager Todd Griffith, ad sales manager Lisa Davis, special projects manager Denny Deady, photographer Joe Duty and reporter Brian Knox. Publisher Roy Eaton received the Gen. James O. Amos Award, the NNA's highest honor given men. Eaton was NNA president in 1997. He and wife Jeannine have owned the Messenger since 1973, during which time it has won more than 150 awards for journalism excellence. ... The Star-Telegram and Diario La Estrella captured 13 Katies in the annual Press Club of Dallas competition, including one for best major market newspaper and the Legacy Award, for an organization whose work has contributed to the public good. Individual winners included Jennifer Autrey, Barry Shlachter, Wayne Lee Gay, Christopher Kelly, David Casstevens, Khampha Bouaphanh and UTA Shorthorn exes Linda P. Campbell and Tom Pennington. Fort Worth SPJ member Penny Cockerell also won a Katie, as did UTA Shorthorn ex Reese Dunklin. ... The Star-T's Mary Rogers and Andrew Marton were finalists in the 2004 Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards. Dan Cooper received the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association's 2003 Daily Media Award. Matt Pinkney is a finalist in the NABJ Salute to Excellence awards contest; winners will be announced Oct. 9. ... UTA's Renegade needed only one issue to take SPJ's top student magazine honor. The premiere issue, published in April 2003, swept 3,200 other publications to win the Mark of Excellence Award at the national convention last month in New York. And when Pacemakers are announced at the National College Media Convention in Nashville in November, both of UTA's student publications will be up for university journalism's top award. The editors involved were Caren Penland and Amber Tafoya (The Shorthorn) and Steven Morris (Renegade). This is the second time in three years that The Shorthorn has been a Pacemaker finalist. ... Former Dallas Morning News reporter Tracy Everbach has joined UNT as North Texas Daily faculty adviser. ... Blue Marble Media has been approved by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification to give environmental workshops. Participating science teachers will receive lesson plans, training materials, assessment questions and enrichment activities and come away with hands-on composting/vermicomposting and recycling lessons for their students. To schedule a workshop, contact Lori De La Cruz at (817) 233-4093 or info@bluemarblemedia.net. ================================================== GET A JOB Sabre Holdings seeks a media relations manager. Must have at least five years experience in a marketing or corporate communications department or agency, plus a bachelor's degree in PR, communications, journalism or related field. Contact Andrea Scott at andrea.scott@sabre-holdings.com. ... The Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, Fort Worth chapter, seeks a membership coordinator. Requirements include bachelor's degree and computer competence, including Microsoft Office applications. Experience with writing, editing or managing publications desired; web design and network administration capabilities a plus. E-mail résumé to Kathy R. Kelly, chapter executive director, at krkelly@fwtscpa.org. ... From Lauren M. Olson: "Considering a career in law? Consider the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, law.txwes.edu." ... Two positions are open at the USC Annenberg School for Communication: an assistant professor specializing in race/ethnicity with an emphasis on social change issues, and a full-time tenure-track associate professor. File review begins Oct. 15. Send a CV, three letters of recommendation and work samples to Dr. Abigail Kaun, Associate Director, School of Communication, Annenberg School for Communication, 3502 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0281, kaun@usc.edu, (213) 740-0934. ... A San Antonio-based PR firm seeks a freelancer for a variety of projects, including web copy, marketing materials, bylined articles, client testimonials and business development proposals. Must have experience developing materials for a law firm or legal department of a corporation. E-mail synopsis of relevant experience and fees to melindah@kgbtexas.com. ... The "Today" show has a one-year entry-level assistant position available. Mostly clerical work and some research; no media experience necessary, just a deep interest in the news. E-mail résumé to melanie.altarescu@nbc.com. ... Can you greet? Can you memorize the inventory in home furnishings? Can you focus the troops who do? Wal-Mart has openings for a senior reputation manager, senior communications manager/diversity, internal communications manager, PR manager/merchandising, PR manager/government communication, government relations manager and several community affairs managers. Contact Ryan Loken at ryan.loken@wal-mart.com or (479) 204-3059. ================================================== COMINGS & GOINGS Exits ... at the S-T: Blab! editor Doug Perry, to The Oregonian in Portland as assistant team leader for the Living section ================================================== PRESIDENT'S CORNER Pamela Smith, Greater Fort Worth PRSA Since ethics seem in short supply these days, maybe I should not have been surprised at the modest turnout at last month's luncheon on the topic (PRSA national proclaimed September Ethics Month). Those of us who attended had an excellent time. Maybe those who didn't attend were busy cleaning up the unethical practices of others. At the luncheon, each table was handed a potentially unethical scenario. We pondered how to escape our dilemma, which wasn't always easy. I learned a lot from my peers that day. After the group discussions, I felt empowered. I was reminded that ethics is one of those things you carry with you. It affects the decisions you make every day, both at work and at home. So if you get discouraged when you watch the news or read the paper, remember that you can make a difference by choosing to be ethical in all that you do. For more information about ethics in public relations, visit that section of the national PRSA web site, prsa.org/_about/ethics/. ----- PRESIDENT'S COLUMN Tim Tune, IABC/Fort Worth Sooner or later, you'll want to hold a special event, and it won't succeed without having someone at the top who can juggle copious details. Patrick Grady, RadioShack senior director of events and recognition, is just such a leader. He will share his event-planning secrets this month at IABC/Fort Worth. Patrick is responsible for the planning and execution of all of the company's events, including Peak of Performance, a weeklong celebration and training extravaganza that includes an Emmy-style awards show, numerous plenary sessions and receptions, dozens of breakouts and Answers Expo, a private trade show presented by vendors for about 2,000 RadioShack top performers, their guests and executives. Patrick's tips can be applied to events as complicated as Peak of Performance or simpler affairs, such as your next team-building retreat. So join us Oct. 5 and learn from the master event planner. ----- OVER & OUT John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ Retiring (vs. shy and retiring) UTA Public Affairs director and Gridiron scripter emeritus Donna Darovich was my first editor, which means she has been correcting my work -- making me smile -- for almost 40 years. She gets all glassy-eyed and starts to hyperventilate over whatever it is she's doing next (which she won't detail), so if she's happy, I'm happy. Still, Davis Hall at UTA will not feel the same without her. Elaine Marsilio at Donna's favorite university newspaper has a fitting tribute, full of appropriately warm and warmly appropriate quotes. Feel free to supply your own. Rocky Deutscher reports that her beloved, Jack Raskopf, responded "fabulously" to quintuple-bypass surgery ("two more than Clinton had!") Sept. 29. An apparent poster guy for geriatric good health, when Jack went in for a routine stress test, the doctors found 90 percent blockage in at least one artery and immediately scheduled the operation. No fooling, no symptoms. As for Jack's managing the surgery so well, an upbeat Rocky says, "We had a lot of people praying for him." Send those cards to 2533 Walsh Court, Fort Worth 76109-1057. And if you're one of the prayers, no sense stopping now. Everywhere the must-reads. Bill Moyers brought the house down last month in New York. His speech is here. And: Visiting Iraq's interim prime minister, Dr. Iyad Allawi, "is a short course in just how bad the situation has become for anybody associated with the American purpose in Iraq. To reach the house is to navigate a fantastical obstacle course of checkpoints, with Iraqi police cars and Humvees parked athwart a zigzag course through relays of concrete barriers. ... " Full story here. And: In arguing that the runaway trend in media mergers must stop, Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen makes a case that "democracy is in crisis -- not in far parts of the world but right here in the United States." More here. Closing words, Bush family division: "Had we gone into Baghdad -- we could have done it, you guys could have done it, you could have been there in 48 hours -- and then what? Which sergeant, which private, whose life would be at stake in perhaps a fruitless hunt in an urban guerrilla war to find the most-secure dictator in the world? Whose life would be on my hands as the commander in chief because I, unilaterally, went beyond the international law, went beyond the stated mission, and said we're going to show our macho? We're going into Baghdad. We're going to be an occupying power -- America in an Arab land -- with no allies at our side. It would have been disastrous." -- George H.W. Bush, in a 1998 speech to Gulf War veterans ... "There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again." -- George W. Bush, Nashville, Sept. 17, 2002

Dean, an advertising/marketing expert with nearly 20 years consulting experience, is a certified trainer for True Colors, a widely recognized, entertaining approach to gauging personality types based on the studies of Myers-Briggs and David Keirsey. Dean serves on the board of directors for the Fort Worth Advertising Club and the Day Resource Center for the Homeless. He is president of the Reveille Toastmasters Club and immediate vice president of Fort Worth's Convention District Association.

Time & date: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13; lunch at noon

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

Parking: free parking in garage C at Seventh and Commerce streets

Cost: members/nonmembers/students -- seminar and lunch $35/$45/$25; seminar only $20/$30/$15; lunch only $20/$23/$18; RSVP no-shows will be billed, and RSVPs after deadline will be charged the nonmember rate

RSVP by Oct. 8: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org

Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...

A Day of Mystery in Two Parts

Let the budding writer inside you burst forth Oct. 16 as a quartet of noted authors -- Tim Madigan, Doug Swanson, Parnell Hall and J.A. Jance -- discuss their craft at FW SPJ's build-your-own-meeting. Also, Irwin Gratz will be on hand to reinstate the tradition of Cowtown being the SPJ national president's first chapter visit following the coronation. Hall and Jance will be at a book signing that morning at the North Texas Booksellers Association Book and Paper Show at Roundup Inn, to which SPJ members are invited.

Star-Telegram scribe Madigan's latest book is "The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921." He also wrote "See No Evil: Blind Devotion and Bloodshed in David Koresh's Holy War." The Dallas Morning News' Swanson is the warped persona behind the Jack Flippo detective series ("Big Town," "Dreamboat," "96 Tears," "Umbrella Man" and "House of Corrections").

Time & date: 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16

Place: Saloui's Stage Deli & Bar, 517 University Drive

Cost: you order it, you pay for it

Menu: everything you'd want in a deli, and then some

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

Dr. Pat Gleason-Winn from the Baylor School of Social Work will discuss "Spirituality and Aging" to open a free, daylong conference Saturday, Oct. 16, at First Christian Church downtown on issues about aging and the questions most families ask. The event, organized by SPJ member Carmen Goldthwaite and sponsored by TCU, the First Christian Churches of Fort Worth and Arlington and the University and South Hills Christian Churches of Fort Worth, is billed as a "conversation for all ages, old and young." Forty-five-minute workshops will look at Social Security, managing assets and how to live at home independently. For children of seniors, information will be available on caregivers. For those ages 12-25, the workshop "What's Happening to Grandpa or Grandma?" will explore changes associated with aging. To register, call TCU at (817) 257-7132. ...

The D/FW Network of Hispanic Communicators will meet Wednesday, Oct. 13, at The Dallas Morning News, 508 Young St. The organization's Media Fair will be Oct. 20 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Community Arts Center in Fort Worth. Three days after that, the 2004 Journalism Workshop, co-sponsored with the UTA communication department, plays out in the Fine Arts Building on campus. Students register for $20, which includes lunch and a t-shirt. More on everything at dfwhispanic.org.

Mystery writer Parnell Hall will repeat as master of ceremonies at Fall Murder, Mystery and Mayhem, Part IV at Ridglea Country Club on Friday, Oct. 15. Authors Rick Riordan, Stephanie Kane, J.A. Jance and Claire Matturo are scheduled to appear. The North Texas Booksellers Association Book and Paper Show the next two days at Roundup Inn at Will Rogers Memorial Center (10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday) will feature author panels, book sales and signings. More here. ...

PRSA local update: Election of 2005 officers and directors will be held at the luncheon/annual meeting Wednesday, Oct. 13. The slate of officers: president, Heather Senter, APR; president-elect/membership, Holly Ellman; VP/programs, Marc Flake; secretary, Krista Brown; treasurer, Glenda Thompson; treasurer-elect, Laura Van Hoosier. Directors: term ending 2005, Gary Morey; '06, John Hoffmann; '07, Theresa Davis. Assembly delegates: term ending 2005, Kristie Aylett, APR; '07, Mary Dulle, APR, Fellow PRSA. ... Krista Brown, Carol Murray, Cathy Mueller, Lauren Olson and Julie O'Neil with the Greater Fort Worth PRSA community service committee recently presented PR strategy recommendations, including new brochure design and media training, to Cancer Care Services, an agency that provides direct post-diagnosis assistance to cancer patients and their families. CCS was selected from among 16 local nonprofit organizations to receive pro bono assistance. ... Dora Tovar of Tovar PR in Arlington, who recently presented to the PR Consultants SIG on Hispanic PR, is quoted in a Sept. 27 PR Week article on the topic.

PRSA local update II: Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and her husband, state Rep. Steve Wolens, will keynote Media Day 2004 on Friday, Oct. 15 at Las Colinas Country Club. Either side of lunch, panels and seminars will explore a range of topics, including ethics in the media, business and politics. Register online at prsadallas.org. Questions? Contact Allison Allison at allison_allison@richards.com or Sophia Stoller at sophiastoller@excite.com. ... Deadline to apply to be a speaker at the 2005 PRSA Southwest District Conference is Oct. 8. Speakers are needed in media relations, fund-raising, internal communications, web management, special events planning, community relations, government relations and investor relations. Send a 180-word (or less) biography, contact info, presentation abstract (180-word limit) and what knowledge or skills participants will take away (50-word limit) to Don Brown at dbrown@pnm.com. Call (505) 241-0837 with questions. Speakers will be notified by Nov. 1. The conference is Feb. 10-11 in Albuquerque, N.M.

PRSA local update III: Members and guests will showcase their talents, discuss upcoming projects and develop partnership opportunities at the PR Consultants SIG meeting Friday, Oct. 22, at Central Market, I-30 and Hulen Street. Bring business cards and marketing materials and grab lunch downstairs, then meet in the upstairs Community Room. Networking begins at 11:15 a.m., mini-presentations at 11:45. RSVP: Sandra Brodnicki, sandra@brodnickipr.com, (817) 572-1556. ... This month's Nu Pros lunch will be at noon Wednesday, Oct. 20, at Cafe Express, 1540 S. University Drive. A week before that, Nu Pros members will escort teens from the TEAM Fort Worth mentoring program at the monthly luncheon. Reach Adrienne Gaviglio at gaviglioa@aol.com. TEAM Fort Worth consists of students from 14 targeted FWISD schools who hope to benefit from one-to-one and group mentoring with supportive adults. E-mail Andra Bennett at abennett@fortworthchamber.com to volunteer to meet a North Side High School student at the Petroleum Club elevators and introduce him around the Oct. 13 luncheon.

PRSA local update IV: "About PR issues, for PR people and by PR people." That's the way QuickSilver's Steve Lee, APR, describes the blog Rants and Raves, which launched last month with a bit of an international item -- an article on the state of public relations in the United States written by Dr. Doug Newsom, APR, Fellow PRSA and appearing originally in VOICE, a PR publication in India. Newsom, Lee, Jim Haynes, APR, Fellow PRSA and other practitioners will regularly contribute. More from Lee at slee@qsigroup.com.

SPJ national update: Guilty as charged; Patriot pruned; and tragic toll. There were no folksy Texan phrases in Dan Rather's report Sept. 20. He said the "60 Minutes" report Sept. 8 -- an "unimpeachable source" for explosive documents about President Bush's National Guard service turned out to be a former Guard officer with a deep hatred of Bush and a history of mental problems -- had been a mistake. More here and here and here and here and here and here. ... Powers granted the FBI under the USA Patriot Act were ruled unconstitutional Sept. 29 by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero. The ACLU had challenged what it called the FBI's "unchecked power" to demand confidential customer records from internet service providers or telephone companies. More here. And the 64,000-member American Library Association will survey thousands of libraries this fall to determine how often federal agents have used the act to try to secretly get readership info. The act "jeopardizes library patrons' privacy in a way that has never been done before," sais Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the ALA's Washington office. ... U.S. casualties in Iraq in August rose to a record high for any month since the March 2003 invasion. The Washington Post's Karl Vick said the number wounded, about 1,100, was "by far" the highest monthly injury count. More here. And a Knight Ridder exclusive holds that U.S. and multinational forces and Iraqi police are killing twice as many Iraqis, most of them civilians, as attacks by insurgents. More here.

SPJ national update II: Movie time; when a casualty isn't a casualty; Bush "indifference" to FOI; and polls apart. Inside dusty, barricaded camps in Iraq, American troops between missions are gathering around screens to view Michael Moore's documentary attacking the commander in chief. "Everyone's watching it," says a Marine corporal at an outpost in Ramadi that is mortared by insurgents daily. More here. ... Nearly 17,000 service members medically evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan are absent from Pentagon casualty reports commonly cited by newspapers, according to military data reviewed by UPI. Most don't fit the definition of casualties, according to the Pentagon, but a veterans' advocate says they should all be counted. More here. ... A federal judge in New York, complaining that the administration "shows an indifference" to FOI laws, ordered the Pentagon and other agencies to produce a list of all of their documents on Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq by Oct. 15. The ACLU on July 2 sued after the government failed to provide any relevant documents in a year. More here. ... Two in 10 respondents in a national Chicago Tribune poll say that editorials critical of a war the U.S. is fighting should not be allowed. Twenty percent said negative reporting on a war should not be allowed. About half said limitations should have curtailed coverage of the prison abuse scandal in Iraq. Overall, says the Tribune's Charles M. Madigan, five or six out of every 10 people "would embrace government controls of some kind on free speech, particularly when it has sexual content or is heard as unpatriotic." More here. On the other hand, Americans' support for their First Amendment freedoms is back at pre-Sept. 11, 2001 levels, according to the State of the First Amendment survey, conducted by the First Amendment Center. More here.

SPJ national update III: If you needed to know, we'd tell you; if we do it again, will we be wrong then, too?; and insurance costs are enough to make you sick. New rules that aim to keep transportation security information away from terrorists could as easily keep the public in the dark about environmental or safety hazards, The Miami Herald says in urging the Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration to narrowly define the ''sensitive security information'' to be kept secret. More here. ... The government concedes that the U.S. Marshals Service broke the law when a marshal ordered reporters with the AP and the Hattiesburg American to erase their recordings of a speech by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The Department of Justice also said the reporters and their employers are each entitled to $1,000 in damages and attorneys' fees but not to an injunction that would bar the Marshals Service from a repeat of the incident. More here. ... Health insurance premiums rose five times faster than U.S. workers' salaries this year, according to a survey released Sept. 9; it also showed slippage in the percentage of workers covered by employer health plans. More here.

SPJ national update IV: Once lost, lost forever?; numbers too big to count; and documents? what documents? Under the Bush administration, instead of becoming more available, information critical to public health and safety is disappearing. The Homeland Security Act, passed in 2002, makes material that companies label "critical infrastructure information" and voluntarily submit to the Department of Homeland Security off-limits, even under the Freedom of Information Act. More here. ... The U.S. budget deficit will balloon to $2.29 trillion over the next decade, congressional analysts said Sept. 7, a worse outlook than the $2.01 trillion deficit for 2005-14 that it provided in March. ... U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. ordered the Pentagon to make public any unreleased files about President Bush's Vietnam-era Air National Guard service to resolve an FOI lawsuit filed by the AP. The suit already has led to the disclosure of previously unreleased flight logs from Bush's days piloting F-102A fighters and other jets. More here.

SPJ national update V: Connecting the dots; droning on; and banned in Baghdad. Two of the 2001 hijackers had a support network in the United States that included agents of the Saudi government, and the Bush administration and FBI blocked an investigation into that relationship, Sen. Bob Graham writes in his new book, "Intelligence Matters." Graham, a Florida Democrat, chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee from June 2001 through the buildup to the Iraq war. More here. ... U.N. inspectors said they had no evidence that Iraq developed drones capable of delivering chemical or biological weapons, as Bush contended in making his case for war. ... The International Federation of Journalists condemned the Iraqi interim government's decision to impose an indefinite ban on the Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera after a raid on its offices Sept. 4. "Journalists inside and outside Iraq will be dismayed at this significant blow to hopes for democracy and free expression," said Aidan White, IFJ general secretary. More here.

Listening: the Other Side of Communication

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Donna Darovich has announced her retirement as UTA Public Affairs director, effective Oct. 31. As a UTA alumna and university leader, she made a number of lasting contributions in 23 years at the school, including development of the e-mail update UTA Today and the university's community cable television show. An avid fan of UTA athletics and a member of the Maverick Club, she earned her B.A. in English from UTA in 1971 and was editor of The Shorthorn.

The Wise County Messenger topped all Texas newspapers in the National Newspaper Association's better newspaper contest (more than 3,000 non-dailies competing) with 13 awards representing the work of production manager Todd Griffith, ad sales manager Lisa Davis, special projects manager Denny Deady, photographer Joe Duty and reporter Brian Knox. Publisher Roy Eaton received the Gen. James O. Amos Award, the NNA's highest honor given men. Eaton was NNA president in 1997. He and wife Jeannine have owned the Messenger since 1973, during which time it has won more than 150 awards for journalism excellence. ...

The Star-Telegram and Diario La Estrella captured 13 Katies in the annual Press Club of Dallas competition, including one for best major market newspaper and the Legacy Award, for an organization whose work has contributed to the public good. Individual winners included Jennifer Autrey, Barry Shlachter, Wayne Lee Gay, Christopher Kelly, David Casstevens, Khampha Bouaphanh and UTA Shorthorn exes Linda P. Campbell and Tom Pennington. Fort Worth SPJ member Penny Cockerell also won a Katie, as did UTA Shorthorn ex Reese Dunklin. ... The Star-T's Mary Rogers and Andrew Marton were finalists in the 2004 Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards. Dan Cooper received the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association's 2003 Daily Media Award. Matt Pinkney is a finalist in the NABJ Salute to Excellence awards contest; winners will be announced Oct. 9. ...

UTA's Renegade needed only one issue to take SPJ's top student magazine honor. The premiere issue, published in April 2003, swept 3,200 other publications to win the Mark of Excellence Award at the national convention last month in New York. And when Pacemakers are announced at the National College Media Convention in Nashville in November, both of UTA's student publications will be up for university journalism's top award. The editors involved were Caren Penland and Amber Tafoya (The Shorthorn) and Steven Morris (Renegade). This is the second time in three years that The Shorthorn has been a Pacemaker finalist. ...

Former Dallas Morning News reporter Tracy Everbach has joined UNT as North Texas Daily faculty adviser. ... Blue Marble Media has been approved by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification to give environmental workshops. Participating science teachers will receive lesson plans, training materials, assessment questions and enrichment activities and come away with hands-on composting/vermicomposting and recycling lessons for their students. To schedule a workshop, contact Lori De La Cruz at (817) 233-4093 or info@bluemarblemedia.net.

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Sabre Holdings seeks a media relations manager. Must have at least five years experience in a marketing or corporate communications department or agency, plus a bachelor's degree in PR, communications, journalism or related field. Contact Andrea Scott at andrea.scott@sabre-holdings.com. ... The Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, Fort Worth chapter, seeks a membership coordinator. Requirements include bachelor's degree and computer competence, including Microsoft Office applications. Experience with writing, editing or managing publications desired; web design and network administration capabilities a plus. E-mail résumé to Kathy R. Kelly, chapter executive director, at krkelly@fwtscpa.org. ... From Lauren M. Olson: "Considering a career in law? Consider the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, law.txwes.edu." ...

Two positions are open at the USC Annenberg School for Communication: an assistant professor specializing in race/ethnicity with an emphasis on social change issues, and a full-time tenure-track associate professor. File review begins Oct. 15. Send a CV, three letters of recommendation and work samples to Dr. Abigail Kaun, Associate Director, School of Communication, Annenberg School for Communication, 3502 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0281, kaun@usc.edu, (213) 740-0934. ... A San Antonio-based PR firm seeks a freelancer for a variety of projects, including web copy, marketing materials, bylined articles, client testimonials and business development proposals. Must have experience developing materials for a law firm or legal department of a corporation. E-mail synopsis of relevant experience and fees to melindah@kgbtexas.com. ...

The "Today" show has a one-year entry-level assistant position available. Mostly clerical work and some research; no media experience necessary, just a deep interest in the news. E-mail résumé to melanie.altarescu@nbc.com. ... Can you greet? Can you memorize the inventory in home furnishings? Can you focus the troops who do? Wal-Mart has openings for a senior reputation manager, senior communications manager/diversity, internal communications manager, PR manager/merchandising, PR manager/government communication, government relations manager and several community affairs managers. Contact Ryan Loken at ryan.loken@wal-mart.com or (479) 204-3059.

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Exits ... at the S-T: Blab! editor Doug Perry, to The Oregonian in Portland as assistant team leader for the Living section

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Pamela Smith, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

Tim Tune, IABC/Fort Worth

Patrick is responsible for the planning and execution of all of the company's events, including Peak of Performance, a weeklong celebration and training extravaganza that includes an Emmy-style awards show, numerous plenary sessions and receptions, dozens of breakouts and Answers Expo, a private trade show presented by vendors for about 2,000 RadioShack top performers, their guests and executives.

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

Retiring (vs. shy and retiring) UTA Public Affairs director and Gridiron scripter emeritus Donna Darovich was my first editor, which means she has been correcting my work -- making me smile -- for almost 40 years. She gets all glassy-eyed and starts to hyperventilate over whatever it is she's doing next (which she won't detail), so if she's happy, I'm happy. Still, Davis Hall at UTA will not feel the same without her. Elaine Marsilio at Donna's favorite university newspaper has a fitting tribute, full of appropriately warm and warmly appropriate quotes. Feel free to supply your own.

Rocky Deutscher reports that her beloved, Jack Raskopf, responded "fabulously" to quintuple-bypass surgery ("two more than Clinton had!") Sept. 29. An apparent poster guy for geriatric good health, when Jack went in for a routine stress test, the doctors found 90 percent blockage in at least one artery and immediately scheduled the operation. No fooling, no symptoms. As for Jack's managing the surgery so well, an upbeat Rocky says, "We had a lot of people praying for him." Send those cards to 2533 Walsh Court, Fort Worth 76109-1057. And if you're one of the prayers, no sense stopping now.

Everywhere the must-reads. Bill Moyers brought the house down last month in New York. His speech is here. And: Visiting Iraq's interim prime minister, Dr. Iyad Allawi, "is a short course in just how bad the situation has become for anybody associated with the American purpose in Iraq. To reach the house is to navigate a fantastical obstacle course of checkpoints, with Iraqi police cars and Humvees parked athwart a zigzag course through relays of concrete barriers. ... " Full story here. And: In arguing that the runaway trend in media mergers must stop, Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen makes a case that "democracy is in crisis -- not in far parts of the world but right here in the United States." More here.

Closing words, Bush family division: "Had we gone into Baghdad -- we could have done it, you guys could have done it, you could have been there in 48 hours -- and then what? Which sergeant, which private, whose life would be at stake in perhaps a fruitless hunt in an urban guerrilla war to find the most-secure dictator in the world? Whose life would be on my hands as the commander in chief because I, unilaterally, went beyond the international law, went beyond the stated mission, and said we're going to show our macho? We're going into Baghdad. We're going to be an occupying power -- America in an Arab land -- with no allies at our side. It would have been disastrous." -- George H.W. Bush, in a 1998 speech to Gulf War veterans ... "There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again." -- George W. Bush, Nashville, Sept. 17, 2002