eChaser: November 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 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 November 2004 Newsman nonpareil ... JACK TINSLEY, 1935-2004 Doug Clarke met Jack Tinsley 40 years to the day of Tinsley's funeral. It was Clarke's second night as Star-Telegram night police reporter, replacing Bob Schieffer. Tinsley was weekend night city editor. "Jack walked up, called me by name and explained what all I was supposed to do, despite the fact that Jon McConal was breaking me in on the beat," Clarke said. "I mentioned this to Jon. He said, 'Don't let it worry you, that's just Jack. Listen to him.' And Jon was right. ... " Mr. Tinsley died Oct. 12, and of the images that live on -- longtime Gridiron Show producer, a driving force behind creation of the Fort Worth SPJ scholarship endowment, "Fearless Forecaster," devoted grandfather -- there is especially the man who loved getting the big story. He pursued those stories, first as a young reporter and later as an editor, throughout a 47-year newspaper career spent predominantly at the Star-Telegram. He guided the paper to two Pulitzer Prizes as executive editor in the 1980s. Members of civic clubs fondly remember Mr. Tinsley's humorous and prescient predictions of developments from City Hall to Washington. His presentations had an agriculture component, and he'd seek input from Star-Telegram business writer Worth Wren, Jr. "He would come to me and ask about the overall forecasts for farm and ranch income or what the prevailing mood might be in farm politics, something to include in his annual outlook speech," Wren said. "He asked pertinent questions, basic questions ... just being that good, down-to-essentials reporter." Mr. Tinsley belonged to one of those civic organizations, the Rotary Club of Fort Worth, for 32 years. He established an endowed scholarship at the University of North Texas and in recent years spearheaded the Star-Telegram's Goodfellow Fund to aid needy children. When he retired in December 2000, he was the paper's vice president for community affairs. And also the male Perle Mesta of poker parties. The parties he threw were legendary, and it was at one of them that Clarke had "the best poker hand I'll probably ever get and never got to make a bet." It's a long story. Here's the ending: "When the showdown came there were two full houses, which had driven the pot up, but I won. Jack looked at the hand and with piercing understatement said, 'Douglas, I believe you win.' Jack was the only person other than my mother who consistently called me Douglas, and I always appreciated it. Always courteous, always polite, always fun to be around, always dedicated to the job and excellence. "The memory will more than linger, it will endure." ================================================== MEETINGS Next at IABC/Fort Worth ... "Measurement: Key to Effective Communication" Consultant and trainer Lou Williams, ABC, APR, will present a half-day workshop Nov. 2 on the principles and techniques of communication measurement and how to prove the value of a communication program. Williams is chairman and chief executive officer of L.C. Williams and Associates, a Chicago-based public relations and research consulting firm, and author of "Communication Research, Measurement and Evaluation: A Practical Guide for Communicators." Time & date: 8:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2; a continental breakfast will be served at 8 Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets Cost: members $75, lunch only $17; nonmembers $85, lunch only $25 RSVP: Julie Trowbridge at trowbridgeja@c-b.com ----- Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ... It's Just a Crisis, Don't Panic If you think doing PR from the comfort of your Tarrant County office can be challenging, imagine what it's like to do crisis communication on a natural disaster several states away. With no notice, of course. Anita Foster, chief communication officer for the Chisholm Trail chapter of the American Red Cross, and volunteer and chapter board vice chairman John Hoffmann (who's also VP of public relations and communication for AmeriCredit Corp.) will have the floor at the November meeting to discuss how to handle media relations for a catastrophe. Notes program organizer Holly Ellman: "In the Red Cross, which truly is volunteer driven, there's no distinction between volunteer and staff communications experts. The spokesperson might be Anita (staff), John (volunteer) or any of the other staff or volunteers. A volunteer might be in charge of a particular operation -- it just depends on who's available with the most expertise. Anita and John make quite a team here locally." Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10 Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets Cost: $20 members, $23 nonmembers, $18 students RSVP by noon Nov. 5: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org ----- Next at Fort Worth SPJ ... Layoffs: What to Say, What to Do, How to Be The call comes at 8 a.m. three days before the biggest story of your career. You've been researching the story, interviewing for the story, writing lead-in stories about the story for weeks. Now your services are no longer needed. A layoff can't happen to you, a nationally respected niche journalist? Yeah, it can. Time to cope. Time to hear that you still have worth, that it's not your fault. Time to plan. Past time to plan, actually. A financial "layoff expert" and other relevant observers at the November SPJ meeting will explore the prudent course, financially and professionally, for the foot soldiers in the uncertain army that big-business journalism has become. Time & date: 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17; socializing and eats first, then the program around 7 Place: East Regional Library, 6301 Bridge St. (on top of the hill) Cost: $10 members, $15 nonmembers, $5 students; just to hear the program -- free Menu: continuing the deli theme from last month -- think croissants, bean sprouts, turkey, avocados, ham, roast beef, pastrami, chips, fruit and multitudinous cheeses, plus a cookie RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com ================================================== STRAIGHT STUFF Carole Rylander, CFRE, Rylander & Associates, will present a grant writing workshop, "Tried and True Keys to Fundraising Success," Wednesday, Nov. 10, at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, 10707 Preston Road. More at awcdallas.org. ... The RSVP deadline has passed for the 3rd Annual Dallas Press Club Reunion on Thursday, Nov. 4, but don't you figure they'll let you sit in the hall? Info here. PRSA local update: Fort Worth now boasts three jolly good Fellows with the induction of Mary Dulle, APR, Fellow PRSA, into the national PRSA College of Fellows, a group of only 430 practitioners and educators. Sensing the excuse for a party, the chapter will toast Mary; Carolyn Bobo, APR, Fellow PRSA; and Doug Newsom, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA, on Thursday, Nov. 11, in the lounge at Café Aspen, 6103 Camp Bowie Blvd. Enjoy savory hors d'oeuvres and scintillating conversation -- and your first drink is on the chapter. The soirée begins at 5:30 p.m., with a brief ceremony at 6:30. RSVP by Nov. 5 to rsvp@fortworthprsa.org. Info from Kim Speairs, APR, at kspeairs@witherspoon.com. SPJ national update: Terror in the boardroom; separate realities; and out of touch, out of mind. The Bush administration has consistently ignored or opposed measures to prevent terror attacks, reflecting an aversion to regulating private industry and allegiance to key campaign contributors, a new Public Citizen report shows. More here. ... Analyzing national polls, a report from the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland finds that a majority of Bush supporters believe things about the world that are objectively untrue, while Kerry supporters tend to dwell in the reality-based community. More here. ... The founder of the U.S. Christian Coalition says he told President Bush before the invasion of Iraq that he should prepare Americans for the likelihood of heavy casualties but the president replied, "Oh no, we're not going to have any casualties." Pat Robertson, an ardent Bush supporter, said the conversation occurred in Nashville in March 2003; he described Bush in the meeting as "the most self-assured man I've ever met in my life." More here. SPJ national update II: Layoffs hit home; redistricting revisited; and our game, our rules. Of the Dallas Morning News' 60-70 newsroom layoffs Oct. 27, at least 10 were people of color, including Ira Hadnot, president of the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Black Communicators. "I was the only African American laid off on the religion desk," where she had begun to cover black megachurches, an overlooked area, she said. "If this is the climate of the times, that we don't care about diversity, then there's no point in my going back into the newsroom." More here and here. ... The Supreme Court on Oct. 18 ordered a lower court to reconsider a Texas redistricting plan designed to give Republicans six more seats in the House of Representatives. The decision won't affect this month's elections, though any GOP gains could be wiped out if the plan ultimately is deemed unconstitutional. More here and here. ... President Bush rebuffed a plan in September for a Muslim peacekeeping force that would have helped the United Nations organize elections in Iraq, Saudi and Iraqi officials say. As a result, the U.N. presence in Iraq remains skeletal, only four staff members working to prepare for elections set for the end of January. Bush objected because the special force would have been controlled by the U.N. and not the U.S. military. More here. SPJ national update III: Are we safer now?; a journalist of conscience; we're all to blame; and anchors away. The Iraqi interim government warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of conventional explosives -- used to demolish buildings, produce missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons -- are missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations. The huge facility was supposed to be under American military control but is now a no-man's land. More here, here, here, here and here. ... Publisher Leon Smith says he lost about 18 advertisers and a few subscriptions when the Lone Star Iconoclast, the small Clifton weekly that bills itself as President Bush's hometown paper, endorsed John Kerry for president. "But we have had a few people who have offered to buy some ads to make up for the ones lost, and a few people who have offered to subscribe to make up for the subscriptions that were lost," Smith said. "They appreciate that we did what our conscience told us to do." More here. ... In its 10,000-word indictment of the Bush administration's inaccurate assessment of Iraq's nuclear capabilities, The New York Times did not spare itself in apportioning blame. More here. ... When The New Yorker magazine, planning months ago for its annual festival weekend, booked Dan Rather, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw for a panel discussion on the presidential campaign, the topic seemed innocuous enough. But as the network news anchors convened Oct. 2, a subject closer to home had intruded: Rather's admission that he had erred, first in broadcasting and later in defending a flawed report about the president's National Guard service. More here. SPJ national update IV: The enemy within; a crime on campus; and it seemed funny at the time. Conditions in Iraq appear to be deteriorating so badly that CIA officials are increasingly leaking information, signaling a new dynamic in press coverage. Robert Novak noted this in a column Sept. 27, "Is CIA at War With Bush?" Another example: a lengthy article Sept. 30 by veteran Washington Post war-at-home watchers Dana Priest and Thomas E. Ricks, based mainly on anonymous insiders. More here. ... The University of Kentucky has quietly adopted a policy that lets campus crime victims keep their names off police reports and allows UK to block disclosure of the reports as preliminary. Critics say the policy is contrary to longstanding practice at UK and elsewhere, and threatens open government by preventing the media from monitoring criminal investigations and reporting on public-safety issues. More here and here. ... The Texas Supreme Court ruled, 8-0, on Sept. 3 in favor of the Dallas Observer and against two Denton County public officials who sued the alternative newspaper over a 1999 satire it published. The story on the fictional arrest of a 6-year-old girl parodied the actual arrest of a 13-year-old Ponder student for reading a graphic Halloween story to the class. ----- Bias In, Bias Out: One Man's Ochs is Another Man's Gore The discourse was civil at SPJ's September program on bias in the media, but the opinions ranged as wide as the gap between Rush Limbaugh and Al Franken. Without doubt, Star-Telegram reader advocate David House said, journalists are biased. Reporters and editors have biases of all kinds -- but generally not the perceived liberal or conservative bent that raises such reader ire. Rather, he said, it is a bias born of curiosity about the unending collision between the forces of change and the status quo. "We are by and large professionals. We 'empty our heads' when we go cover something." And when newsapapers write something that readers consider biased, often "it's because they want us to publish their bias" rather than looking for objective information. So why all the outcry about bias in the media? Because, House said, readers "have been told and told and told" about it by talk radio, the almost exclusive province of the right wing. Star-Telegram reader and frequent critic Bill Low probably wouldn't agree with that. It's not true, he said, that all the claims of bias are simply the result of readers' own skew. Still, he said, reporting in the 21st century is much less biased than in the early days of this country, when few journalists were politically independent. Low frequently takes journalists to task for using what he calls loaded languagae when talking about the right, while letting the left off too lightly. He said, for instance, that reporters should always identify Jim Wright not only as a former U.S. House speaker, but as one who resigned in disgrace. He praised the Star-Telegram, though, for doing "an incredible leadership job in addressing these issues head-on." TCU political scientist Adam Schiffer disagreed strongly with the idea that liberal bias pervades the media. Studies "have failed to find any consistent left lean" in the press, he said. "For every example of liberal bias you can throw at me, I can throw back a conservative one. ... Liberals do complain [about right-wing bias] but you just don't hear about it. Think about it: Who has the power to put such perception" into the national consciousness? Answer: "4,000 AM talk show hosts." Name a liberal commentator, he challenged the audience. "The blank stare you just gave me said all you need to know about the conservative domination of the commentator landscape." Schiffer also made the point that, in the past, journalism was about truth-seeking, not absolute objectivity. That brought Low back into the fray. "I think we have to be careful about journalists setting up as the ultimate source of truth," Low said. He talked about Fox News, which he said admitted its bias. "Maybe that's what we need -- journalists who let it all hang out ... who say, 'Here's my bias' and [admit] that it's all opinion." ================================================== PEOPLE & PLACES IABC/Dallas honored Texas Wesleyan U. with a Bronze Quill Award of Excellence for an underwater scuba graduation story crafted by communications director Lisa Fellers ("we received national coverage for a PR event planned within seven days with zero budget ... woo-hoo!"). As part of pre-commencement festivities this spring, Wesleyan's first scuba graduate was "finned" underwater, then swam through a cordon of fellow classmates and transfered his tassel, attached to his scuba mask, from right to left. Fellers hired a videographer to film the event, and all four local networks arrived early and stayed an hour after it was over for a copy of the raw footage. Knight Ridder and the AP picked up the story, as did TV stations from Austin to Oklahoma City to Fresno, Calif., to Honolulu. ... MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival has chosen Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations to promote the 2005 edition April 7-10. Scheduled one week earlier than previous years, it will feature more than 100 live performances and work by 200 artists. An average of 430,000 people annually attend what is billed as the largest free, four-day visual arts and entertainment festival in the Southwest. ... Star-Telegram photo globetrotter and UTA Shorthorn ex Tom Pennington won first place in the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association's Photo of the Year Contest. His photo of a soldier approaching a sleeping boy during an Iraqi raid was selected from 344 entries. ... Diane Norwood has joined the public relations department at Medical Center of Arlington. ... Annette Kearns won a copy of Seth Godin's book, "Permission Marketing," for her participation in IABC/Fort Worth's October newsletter survey. ... UTA Shorthorn ex and former Star-Telegram intern Caren Penland is a runner-up in the prestigious Roy W. Howard National Reporting Competition and Seminar, sponsored by the Scripps Howard Foundation. She was recognized at an awards dinner last month in Bloomington, Ind. ... San Antonio was radioland Oct. 30 as the Texas Radio Hall of Fame celebrated 2004 inductees Chuck Blore, John Borders, Clint Formby, Skipper Lee Frazier, Steve Hicks, Norm Hitzges, Suzie Humphreys, Tom Joyner, Ben Laurie, Ron McAlister, Laura Morris, Gary Owens, Charles Payne, Jay Randolph, Ron Rogers, Michael Spears, John Tyler, Ricci Ware, Carl Wiglesworth, the "Charlie and Harrigan" team of Jack Woods, Ron Chapman, Paul Menard, Jack (Murray) Auldridge, Dan McCurdy and Brice Armstrong, and deceased honorees Herb Humphries, Frank Fallon and Dave Morris. ================================================== GET A JOB Immotion Studios seeks a production artist ($12-$14/hour) and a mid-level designer ($15-$17/hour). Requirements: bachelor's degree or five years experience in a Mac environment and advanced Photoshop/Illustrator ability. Photo and illustration skills preferred. Must be a team player. Contact marketing director Lindsey Hurr, (817) 731-4176. ... Bob Hill at Hill & Company in Bedford seeks an entry-level PR person and another with 2-3 years experience. E- bob@HillandCompany.com. ... Ketchum Dallas seeks a "hotshot AE, SAE or newly minted account supervisor to work on the FedEx Kinko's business. ... at least five years of agency experience, a tough hide, the ability to multi-task, willingness to be on-site at FEK's Galleria offices a couple of times a week, strong writing skills, very solid organizational skills -- in short, we're looking for the perfect agency person (and aren't we all?)." E- the person talking at teresa.henderson@ketchum.com. ... The architectural and engineering firm Freese and Nichols needs a proposal writer in its Dallas office. A degree in journalism, PR or related field is required, with experience developing A/E proposals preferred. Graphic design experience a plus. Send résumé to Human Resources, Freese and Nichols, 4055 International Plaza, Suite 200, Fort Worth 76109-4895, fax (817) 735-7491, hr@freese.com. ... The Kansas City Star seeks an entry-level city government reporter. Good job for recent college grads; previous internships or leadership at campus paper preferred. Send clips to Michael Nelson, AME/Kansas, 8455 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kan. 66210. ...AvreaFoster, a downtown Dallas ad agency, seeks an account executive with at least five years agency experience and a college education in a field related to advertising or marketing; master's degree strongly preferred. More at avreafoster.com/careers.html. ... The Knight Foundation is funding a chair in broadcast journalism at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Résumé deadline is Dec. 1. E- Abe Peck, search committee chair, a-peck@northwestern.edu, or Donna Kwiatkowsi, committee staff, d-kwiatkowski@northwestern.edu. ... Nov. 8 is the postmark deadline for applications to the Boston Globe summer program for interns in general assignments, sports, living/arts, business, the Washington bureau, photo, graphics and copy desk. More at bostonglobe.com/newsintern. ... They're hiring at Tarleton State U. (public information specialist; more from Nancy Pricer, public information director, pricer@tarleton.edu) and at UNT (News and Information associate director, a senior marketing specialist, a senior writer and a public information officer; send résumé and cover letter to UNT Human Resources Office, attn: Employment, P.O. Box 311010, Denton 76203-1010). ... Cedar Park is hiring a public information officer. Minimum qualifications include a bachelor's degree in communication, journalism, PR, public administration or related field, plus at least three years experience in public relations, with municipal government experience preferred. Monthly salary starts at $3,750 or higher, depending on qualifications. Submit a résumé and salary requirements by Nov. 8 to City of Cedar Park Human Resources, 600 N. Bell Blvd., Cedar Park 78613 or hr@ci.cedar-park.tx.us. ... Rhumb Designs in Dallas has an immediate opening for a production artist, 1-3 years experience, proficient in QuarkXPress 6.0 for Mac. Position will work primarily on the Neiman Marcus account. Salary $27,000-$35,000 plus benefits. E-mail résumé and PDF samples to Robyn Rutledge, principal and senior designer, at robyn@rhumbdesigns.com. ... The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health Plan seeks an executive director for marketing and communications. A minimum of five years experience in the health insurance or managed care industries is required, as is a bachelor's degree in business administration or related field, with an M.B.A. preferred. Contact David Reusser, The Ransom Group, 8803 Brecksville Road, Suite 7-101, Cleveland, Ohio 44141, (216) 901- 0265, reusser@theransomgroup.com. ================================================== RESOURCES Stay informed about journalism training opportunities in a specific area of interest at JournalismTraining.org, an invaluable resource and the anchor site in a list of resources that debuts this issue in the right-hand rail on this page. Sites will be added. Have a favorite? Send it in. ================================================== PRESIDENT'S CORNER Pamela Smith, Greater Fort Worth PRSA It's hard to believe that 2004 is almost over and a new board of directors will be taking charge. I have enjoyed getting to know many of you. We have a membership rich in personality and talent. I hope everyone has enjoyed the fabulous programming and services that our chapter leadership made possible this year. Thanks to your support, a new board will take the helm in January -- president Heather Senter, APR, president-elect/membership Holly Ellman, VP/programs Marc Flake, secretary Krista Brown, treasurer Glenda Thompson, treasurer-elect Laura Van Hoosier and past president Pamela Smith; directors Gary Morey (term ending 2005), John Hoffmann ('06) and Theresa Davis ('07) and National Assembly delegates Kristie Aylett, APR (term ending 2005), and Mary Dulle, APR, Fellow PRSA ('07). I have no doubt that good things are in store for the chapter under Heather's direction. If you are interested in becoming an active volunteer for 2005, please let her know as soon as possible. Committee chairs will be selected later this year. ----- PRESIDENT'S COLUMN Tim Tune, IABC/Fort Worth How important is straightforward communication to success? It was crucial for the builders of the Tower of Babel. Everyone spoke the same language then (Genesis, Chapter 11) and had adopted the common goal to build a tower "so that we may make a name for ourselves." (Isn't that what public relations is all about?) Looking down on this "aligned" group of people working toward a single goal, the Lord observes: "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." Ever since, we've known that when there is good communication, the potential for common goals to be met goes up. So it follows that accomplished goals prove the value of communication ... right? We all know it's not that easy. That's why IABC/Fort Worth's workshop and luncheon Tuesday, Nov. 2, represents a great opportunity to learn how to demonstrate the value of what you do for your company or organization. Lou Williams, an expert on a wide range of measurement techniques, will lead the discussion. You can find out all about the workshop and luncheon at iabcfortworth.com. Hope to see you there! ----- OVER & OUT John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ I was too young to work with Jack Tinsley the reporter and not paying attention in the Gridiron Show's heyday featuring Tinsley the producer. But he always spoke when we passed in the Star-T hall, always took time to hear me out on those occasions when some rogue notion led me to his wood-paneled office. He was a good listener. Jerry Cabluck praised Jack at his funeral as "a true friend ... the kind of friend who advises you, and you value his advice." CBS's Dan Rather called Jack "the best Texas newsman of his generation." Bob Ray Sanders has a nice remembrance here. The Fort Worth SPJ board will make a donation in Jack's name to the endowment that he helped bring about, and anyone wishing to join in can do so with a check to P.O. Box 3212, Fort Worth 76113. Everyone has a favorite memory. For me, it was feeling in the presence of royalty during those few times in Jack's office. Maybe it was also the ghost of Amon Carter, but Jack made me feel welcome. Cradled in all that "Where the West Begins" history two floors above Seventh Street, I thought I had arrived, even if I was only passing through. ... The holiday party and JPS book benefit -- back in a free-beer place where it belongs -- will be 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, at the Coors hospitality room, 2550 McMillan Parkway, and surely you're coming. Same great cause, same robust raffle (with celebrity auctioneer!), same low cost -- $15 or the equivalent in children's books -- plus brand new barbecue catered by the next Cowtown barbecue hot spot, Wilson's Barbecue on Lovell off Camp Bowie. RSVP to Kay Pirtle, mkpirtle@yahoo.com. ... Don't know anything about horse racing? Don't want to know? Read Gary West anyway, for moments like "Ghostzapper sprang away in the stretch like a bar of soap in a shower" and " ... flush with pride, a smile took possession of his demeanor." Deemed expendable in the Dallas Morning News' Cue Cat and ad penance empty-purse purge, he landed almost immediately at the Star-Telegram. Welcome, Gary. Good job, DMN. Fort Worth-Arlington already has the trifecta of Large D coveted attractions -- Texas Motor Speedway, the Rangers and Galloway -- and if Gary stays, that's the quadrophena. Land the Cowboys, and it's the, uh, quintanilla? Closing words: "My job is to beguile the time." -- mystery writer J.A. Jance (with gratitude to Charles Dickens) at the October Fort Worth SPJ meeting ... "Karen Hughes accused me of lying. And so I called Karen and asked her why she was saying this, and she had this almost Orwellian rap that she laid on me about how things she'd heard -- that I watched her hear -- she in fact had never heard, and she'd never heard Bush use profanity ever. It was insane. I've obviously been lied to a lot by campaign operatives, but the striking thing about the way she lied was she knew I knew she was lying, and she did it anyway. There is no word in English that captures that. It almost crosses over from bravado into mental illness." -- conservative TV talker Tucker Carlson

Doug Clarke met Jack Tinsley 40 years to the day of Tinsley's funeral. It was Clarke's second night as Star-Telegram night police reporter, replacing Bob Schieffer. Tinsley was weekend night city editor. "Jack walked up, called me by name and explained what all I was supposed to do, despite the fact that Jon McConal was breaking me in on the beat," Clarke said. "I mentioned this to Jon. He said, 'Don't let it worry you, that's just Jack. Listen to him.' And Jon was right. ... "

Mr. Tinsley died Oct. 12, and of the images that live on -- longtime Gridiron Show producer, a driving force behind creation of the Fort Worth SPJ scholarship endowment, "Fearless Forecaster," devoted grandfather -- there is especially the man who loved getting the big story. He pursued those stories, first as a young reporter and later as an editor, throughout a 47-year newspaper career spent predominantly at the Star-Telegram. He guided the paper to two Pulitzer Prizes as executive editor in the 1980s.

Members of civic clubs fondly remember Mr. Tinsley's humorous and prescient predictions of developments from City Hall to Washington. His presentations had an agriculture component, and he'd seek input from Star-Telegram business writer Worth Wren, Jr. "He would come to me and ask about the overall forecasts for farm and ranch income or what the prevailing mood might be in farm politics, something to include in his annual outlook speech," Wren said. "He asked pertinent questions, basic questions ... just being that good, down-to-essentials reporter."

Mr. Tinsley belonged to one of those civic organizations, the Rotary Club of Fort Worth, for 32 years. He established an endowed scholarship at the University of North Texas and in recent years spearheaded the Star-Telegram's Goodfellow Fund to aid needy children. When he retired in December 2000, he was the paper's vice president for community affairs.

"When the showdown came there were two full houses, which had driven the pot up, but I won. Jack looked at the hand and with piercing understatement said, 'Douglas, I believe you win.' Jack was the only person other than my mother who consistently called me Douglas, and I always appreciated it. Always courteous, always polite, always fun to be around, always dedicated to the job and excellence.

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Next at IABC/Fort Worth ...

"Measurement: Key to Effective Communication"

Time & date: 8:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2; a continental breakfast will be served at 8

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

Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets

Cost: members $75, lunch only $17; nonmembers $85, lunch only $25

RSVP: Julie Trowbridge at trowbridgeja@c-b.com

Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ...

It's Just a Crisis, Don't Panic

If you think doing PR from the comfort of your Tarrant County office can be challenging, imagine what it's like to do crisis communication on a natural disaster several states away. With no notice, of course. Anita Foster, chief communication officer for the Chisholm Trail chapter of the American Red Cross, and volunteer and chapter board vice chairman John Hoffmann (who's also VP of public relations and communication for AmeriCredit Corp.) will have the floor at the November meeting to discuss how to handle media relations for a catastrophe.

Notes program organizer Holly Ellman: "In the Red Cross, which truly is volunteer driven, there's no distinction between volunteer and staff communications experts. The spokesperson might be Anita (staff), John (volunteer) or any of the other staff or volunteers. A volunteer might be in charge of a particular operation -- it just depends on who's available with the most expertise. Anita and John make quite a team here locally."

Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10

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

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

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

RSVP by noon Nov. 5: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org

Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...

Layoffs: What to Say, What to Do, How to Be

Time to cope. Time to hear that you still have worth, that it's not your fault. Time to plan. Past time to plan, actually. A financial "layoff expert" and other relevant observers at the November SPJ meeting will explore the prudent course, financially and professionally, for the foot soldiers in the uncertain army that big-business journalism has become.

Time & date: 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17; socializing and eats first, then the program around 7

Place: East Regional Library, 6301 Bridge St. (on top of the hill)

Cost: $10 members, $15 nonmembers, $5 students; just to hear the program -- free

Menu: continuing the deli theme from last month -- think croissants, bean sprouts, turkey, avocados, ham, roast beef, pastrami, chips, fruit and multitudinous cheeses, plus a cookie

RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com

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Carole Rylander, CFRE, Rylander & Associates, will present a grant writing workshop, "Tried and True Keys to Fundraising Success," Wednesday, Nov. 10, at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, 10707 Preston Road. More at awcdallas.org. ... The RSVP deadline has passed for the 3rd Annual Dallas Press Club Reunion on Thursday, Nov. 4, but don't you figure they'll let you sit in the hall? Info here.

PRSA local update: Fort Worth now boasts three jolly good Fellows with the induction of Mary Dulle, APR, Fellow PRSA, into the national PRSA College of Fellows, a group of only 430 practitioners and educators. Sensing the excuse for a party, the chapter will toast Mary; Carolyn Bobo, APR, Fellow PRSA; and Doug Newsom, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA, on Thursday, Nov. 11, in the lounge at Café Aspen, 6103 Camp Bowie Blvd. Enjoy savory hors d'oeuvres and scintillating conversation -- and your first drink is on the chapter. The soirée begins at 5:30 p.m., with a brief ceremony at 6:30. RSVP by Nov. 5 to rsvp@fortworthprsa.org. Info from Kim Speairs, APR, at kspeairs@witherspoon.com.

SPJ national update: Terror in the boardroom; separate realities; and out of touch, out of mind. The Bush administration has consistently ignored or opposed measures to prevent terror attacks, reflecting an aversion to regulating private industry and allegiance to key campaign contributors, a new Public Citizen report shows. More here. ... Analyzing national polls, a report from the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland finds that a majority of Bush supporters believe things about the world that are objectively untrue, while Kerry supporters tend to dwell in the reality-based community. More here. ... The founder of the U.S. Christian Coalition says he told President Bush before the invasion of Iraq that he should prepare Americans for the likelihood of heavy casualties but the president replied, "Oh no, we're not going to have any casualties." Pat Robertson, an ardent Bush supporter, said the conversation occurred in Nashville in March 2003; he described Bush in the meeting as "the most self-assured man I've ever met in my life." More here.

SPJ national update II: Layoffs hit home; redistricting revisited; and our game, our rules. Of the Dallas Morning News' 60-70 newsroom layoffs Oct. 27, at least 10 were people of color, including Ira Hadnot, president of the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Black Communicators. "I was the only African American laid off on the religion desk," where she had begun to cover black megachurches, an overlooked area, she said. "If this is the climate of the times, that we don't care about diversity, then there's no point in my going back into the newsroom." More here and here. ... The Supreme Court on Oct. 18 ordered a lower court to reconsider a Texas redistricting plan designed to give Republicans six more seats in the House of Representatives. The decision won't affect this month's elections, though any GOP gains could be wiped out if the plan ultimately is deemed unconstitutional. More here and here. ... President Bush rebuffed a plan in September for a Muslim peacekeeping force that would have helped the United Nations organize elections in Iraq, Saudi and Iraqi officials say. As a result, the U.N. presence in Iraq remains skeletal, only four staff members working to prepare for elections set for the end of January. Bush objected because the special force would have been controlled by the U.N. and not the U.S. military. More here.

SPJ national update III: Are we safer now?; a journalist of conscience; we're all to blame; and anchors away. The Iraqi interim government warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of conventional explosives -- used to demolish buildings, produce missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons -- are missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations. The huge facility was supposed to be under American military control but is now a no-man's land. More here, here, here, here and here. ... Publisher Leon Smith says he lost about 18 advertisers and a few subscriptions when the Lone Star Iconoclast, the small Clifton weekly that bills itself as President Bush's hometown paper, endorsed John Kerry for president. "But we have had a few people who have offered to buy some ads to make up for the ones lost, and a few people who have offered to subscribe to make up for the subscriptions that were lost," Smith said. "They appreciate that we did what our conscience told us to do." More here. ... In its 10,000-word indictment of the Bush administration's inaccurate assessment of Iraq's nuclear capabilities, The New York Times did not spare itself in apportioning blame. More here. ... When The New Yorker magazine, planning months ago for its annual festival weekend, booked Dan Rather, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw for a panel discussion on the presidential campaign, the topic seemed innocuous enough. But as the network news anchors convened Oct. 2, a subject closer to home had intruded: Rather's admission that he had erred, first in broadcasting and later in defending a flawed report about the president's National Guard service. More here.

SPJ national update IV: The enemy within; a crime on campus; and it seemed funny at the time. Conditions in Iraq appear to be deteriorating so badly that CIA officials are increasingly leaking information, signaling a new dynamic in press coverage. Robert Novak noted this in a column Sept. 27, "Is CIA at War With Bush?" Another example: a lengthy article Sept. 30 by veteran Washington Post war-at-home watchers Dana Priest and Thomas E. Ricks, based mainly on anonymous insiders. More here. ... The University of Kentucky has quietly adopted a policy that lets campus crime victims keep their names off police reports and allows UK to block disclosure of the reports as preliminary. Critics say the policy is contrary to longstanding practice at UK and elsewhere, and threatens open government by preventing the media from monitoring criminal investigations and reporting on public-safety issues. More here and here. ... The Texas Supreme Court ruled, 8-0, on Sept. 3 in favor of the Dallas Observer and against two Denton County public officials who sued the alternative newspaper over a 1999 satire it published. The story on the fictional arrest of a 6-year-old girl parodied the actual arrest of a 13-year-old Ponder student for reading a graphic Halloween story to the class.

Bias In, Bias Out: One Man's Ochs is Another Man's Gore

Without doubt, Star-Telegram reader advocate David House said, journalists are biased. Reporters and editors have biases of all kinds -- but generally not the perceived liberal or conservative bent that raises such reader ire. Rather, he said, it is a bias born of curiosity about the unending collision between the forces of change and the status quo. "We are by and large professionals. We 'empty our heads' when we go cover something." And when newsapapers write something that readers consider biased, often "it's because they want us to publish their bias" rather than looking for objective information.

Low frequently takes journalists to task for using what he calls loaded languagae when talking about the right, while letting the left off too lightly. He said, for instance, that reporters should always identify Jim Wright not only as a former U.S. House speaker, but as one who resigned in disgrace. He praised the Star-Telegram, though, for doing "an incredible leadership job in addressing these issues head-on."

TCU political scientist Adam Schiffer disagreed strongly with the idea that liberal bias pervades the media. Studies "have failed to find any consistent left lean" in the press, he said. "For every example of liberal bias you can throw at me, I can throw back a conservative one. ... Liberals do complain [about right-wing bias] but you just don't hear about it. Think about it: Who has the power to put such perception" into the national consciousness? Answer: "4,000 AM talk show hosts." Name a liberal commentator, he challenged the audience. "The blank stare you just gave me said all you need to know about the conservative domination of the commentator landscape."

Schiffer also made the point that, in the past, journalism was about truth-seeking, not absolute objectivity. That brought Low back into the fray. "I think we have to be careful about journalists setting up as the ultimate source of truth," Low said. He talked about Fox News, which he said admitted its bias. "Maybe that's what we need -- journalists who let it all hang out ... who say, 'Here's my bias' and [admit] that it's all opinion."

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IABC/Dallas honored Texas Wesleyan U. with a Bronze Quill Award of Excellence for an underwater scuba graduation story crafted by communications director Lisa Fellers ("we received national coverage for a PR event planned within seven days with zero budget ... woo-hoo!"). As part of pre-commencement festivities this spring, Wesleyan's first scuba graduate was "finned" underwater, then swam through a cordon of fellow classmates and transfered his tassel, attached to his scuba mask, from right to left. Fellers hired a videographer to film the event, and all four local networks arrived early and stayed an hour after it was over for a copy of the raw footage. Knight Ridder and the AP picked up the story, as did TV stations from Austin to Oklahoma City to Fresno, Calif., to Honolulu. ...

MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival has chosen Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations to promote the 2005 edition April 7-10. Scheduled one week earlier than previous years, it will feature more than 100 live performances and work by 200 artists. An average of 430,000 people annually attend what is billed as the largest free, four-day visual arts and entertainment festival in the Southwest. ...

Star-Telegram photo globetrotter and UTA Shorthorn ex Tom Pennington won first place in the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association's Photo of the Year Contest. His photo of a soldier approaching a sleeping boy during an Iraqi raid was selected from 344 entries. ... Diane Norwood has joined the public relations department at Medical Center of Arlington. ... Annette Kearns won a copy of Seth Godin's book, "Permission Marketing," for her participation in IABC/Fort Worth's October newsletter survey. ... UTA Shorthorn ex and former Star-Telegram intern Caren Penland is a runner-up in the prestigious Roy W. Howard National Reporting Competition and Seminar, sponsored by the Scripps Howard Foundation. She was recognized at an awards dinner last month in Bloomington, Ind. ...

San Antonio was radioland Oct. 30 as the Texas Radio Hall of Fame celebrated 2004 inductees Chuck Blore, John Borders, Clint Formby, Skipper Lee Frazier, Steve Hicks, Norm Hitzges, Suzie Humphreys, Tom Joyner, Ben Laurie, Ron McAlister, Laura Morris, Gary Owens, Charles Payne, Jay Randolph, Ron Rogers, Michael Spears, John Tyler, Ricci Ware, Carl Wiglesworth, the "Charlie and Harrigan" team of Jack Woods, Ron Chapman, Paul Menard, Jack (Murray) Auldridge, Dan McCurdy and Brice Armstrong, and deceased honorees Herb Humphries, Frank Fallon and Dave Morris.

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Immotion Studios seeks a production artist ($12-$14/hour) and a mid-level designer ($15-$17/hour). Requirements: bachelor's degree or five years experience in a Mac environment and advanced Photoshop/Illustrator ability. Photo and illustration skills preferred. Must be a team player. Contact marketing director Lindsey Hurr, (817) 731-4176. ... Bob Hill at Hill & Company in Bedford seeks an entry-level PR person and another with 2-3 years experience. E- bob@HillandCompany.com. ... Ketchum Dallas seeks a "hotshot AE, SAE or newly minted account supervisor to work on the FedEx Kinko's business. ... at least five years of agency experience, a tough hide, the ability to multi-task, willingness to be on-site at FEK's Galleria offices a couple of times a week, strong writing skills, very solid organizational skills -- in short, we're looking for the perfect agency person (and aren't we all?)." E- the person talking at teresa.henderson@ketchum.com. ...

The architectural and engineering firm Freese and Nichols needs a proposal writer in its Dallas office. A degree in journalism, PR or related field is required, with experience developing A/E proposals preferred. Graphic design experience a plus. Send résumé to Human Resources, Freese and Nichols, 4055 International Plaza, Suite 200, Fort Worth 76109-4895, fax (817) 735-7491, hr@freese.com. ... The Kansas City Star seeks an entry-level city government reporter. Good job for recent college grads; previous internships or leadership at campus paper preferred. Send clips to Michael Nelson, AME/Kansas, 8455 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kan. 66210. ...AvreaFoster, a downtown Dallas ad agency, seeks an account executive with at least five years agency experience and a college education in a field related to advertising or marketing; master's degree strongly preferred. More at avreafoster.com/careers.html. ... The Knight Foundation is funding a chair in broadcast journalism at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Résumé deadline is Dec. 1. E- Abe Peck, search committee chair, a-peck@northwestern.edu, or Donna Kwiatkowsi, committee staff, d-kwiatkowski@northwestern.edu. ... Nov. 8 is the postmark deadline for applications to the Boston Globe summer program for interns in general assignments, sports, living/arts, business, the Washington bureau, photo, graphics and copy desk. More at bostonglobe.com/newsintern. ...

They're hiring at Tarleton State U. (public information specialist; more from Nancy Pricer, public information director, pricer@tarleton.edu) and at UNT (News and Information associate director, a senior marketing specialist, a senior writer and a public information officer; send résumé and cover letter to UNT Human Resources Office, attn: Employment, P.O. Box 311010, Denton 76203-1010). ... Cedar Park is hiring a public information officer. Minimum qualifications include a bachelor's degree in communication, journalism, PR, public administration or related field, plus at least three years experience in public relations, with municipal government experience preferred. Monthly salary starts at $3,750 or higher, depending on qualifications. Submit a résumé and salary requirements by Nov. 8 to City of Cedar Park Human Resources, 600 N. Bell Blvd., Cedar Park 78613 or hr@ci.cedar-park.tx.us. ...

Rhumb Designs in Dallas has an immediate opening for a production artist, 1-3 years experience, proficient in QuarkXPress 6.0 for Mac. Position will work primarily on the Neiman Marcus account. Salary $27,000-$35,000 plus benefits. E-mail résumé and PDF samples to Robyn Rutledge, principal and senior designer, at robyn@rhumbdesigns.com. ... The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health Plan seeks an executive director for marketing and communications. A minimum of five years experience in the health insurance or managed care industries is required, as is a bachelor's degree in business administration or related field, with an M.B.A. preferred. Contact David Reusser, The Ransom Group, 8803 Brecksville Road, Suite 7-101, Cleveland, Ohio 44141, (216) 901- 0265, reusser@theransomgroup.com.

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Stay informed about journalism training opportunities in a specific area of interest at JournalismTraining.org, an invaluable resource and the anchor site in a list of resources that debuts this issue in the right-hand rail on this page. Sites will be added. Have a favorite? Send it in.

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Pamela Smith, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

Thanks to your support, a new board will take the helm in January -- president Heather Senter, APR, president-elect/membership Holly Ellman, VP/programs Marc Flake, secretary Krista Brown, treasurer Glenda Thompson, treasurer-elect Laura Van Hoosier and past president Pamela Smith; directors Gary Morey (term ending 2005), John Hoffmann ('06) and Theresa Davis ('07) and National Assembly delegates Kristie Aylett, APR (term ending 2005), and Mary Dulle, APR, Fellow PRSA ('07).

Tim Tune, IABC/Fort Worth

Looking down on this "aligned" group of people working toward a single goal, the Lord observes: "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." Ever since, we've known that when there is good communication, the potential for common goals to be met goes up. So it follows that accomplished goals prove the value of communication ... right? We all know it's not that easy.

That's why IABC/Fort Worth's workshop and luncheon Tuesday, Nov. 2, represents a great opportunity to learn how to demonstrate the value of what you do for your company or organization. Lou Williams, an expert on a wide range of measurement techniques, will lead the discussion. You can find out all about the workshop and luncheon at iabcfortworth.com. Hope to see you there!

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

I was too young to work with Jack Tinsley the reporter and not paying attention in the Gridiron Show's heyday featuring Tinsley the producer. But he always spoke when we passed in the Star-T hall, always took time to hear me out on those occasions when some rogue notion led me to his wood-paneled office. He was a good listener. Jerry Cabluck praised Jack at his funeral as "a true friend ... the kind of friend who advises you, and you value his advice." CBS's Dan Rather called Jack "the best Texas newsman of his generation." Bob Ray Sanders has a nice remembrance here. The Fort Worth SPJ board will make a donation in Jack's name to the endowment that he helped bring about, and anyone wishing to join in can do so with a check to P.O. Box 3212, Fort Worth 76113. Everyone has a favorite memory. For me, it was feeling in the presence of royalty during those few times in Jack's office. Maybe it was also the ghost of Amon Carter, but Jack made me feel welcome. Cradled in all that "Where the West Begins" history two floors above Seventh Street, I thought I had arrived, even if I was only passing through. ...

The holiday party and JPS book benefit -- back in a free-beer place where it belongs -- will be 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, at the Coors hospitality room, 2550 McMillan Parkway, and surely you're coming. Same great cause, same robust raffle (with celebrity auctioneer!), same low cost -- $15 or the equivalent in children's books -- plus brand new barbecue catered by the next Cowtown barbecue hot spot, Wilson's Barbecue on Lovell off Camp Bowie. RSVP to Kay Pirtle, mkpirtle@yahoo.com. ...

Don't know anything about horse racing? Don't want to know? Read Gary West anyway, for moments like "Ghostzapper sprang away in the stretch like a bar of soap in a shower" and " ... flush with pride, a smile took possession of his demeanor." Deemed expendable in the Dallas Morning News' Cue Cat and ad penance empty-purse purge, he landed almost immediately at the Star-Telegram. Welcome, Gary. Good job, DMN. Fort Worth-Arlington already has the trifecta of Large D coveted attractions -- Texas Motor Speedway, the Rangers and Galloway -- and if Gary stays, that's the quadrophena. Land the Cowboys, and it's the, uh, quintanilla?

Closing words: "My job is to beguile the time." -- mystery writer J.A. Jance (with gratitude to Charles Dickens) at the October Fort Worth SPJ meeting ... "Karen Hughes accused me of lying. And so I called Karen and asked her why she was saying this, and she had this almost Orwellian rap that she laid on me about how things she'd heard -- that I watched her hear -- she in fact had never heard, and she'd never heard Bush use profanity ever. It was insane. I've obviously been lied to a lot by campaign operatives, but the striking thing about the way she lied was she knew I knew she was lying, and she did it anyway. There is no word in English that captures that. It almost crosses over from bravado into mental illness." -- conservative TV talker Tucker Carlson