eChaser: December 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 December 2004 MEETINGS Next at IABC/Fort Worth and Fort Worth SPJ ... It's a Party! The JPS Book Benefit beckons. RSVPs requested. Professional development meetings will resume in January. ----- Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ... Not One, but Two Opportunities to Shine First, there's the JPS Book Benefit whoop-de-do, long a PRSA tradition, with chapter luminaries Mary Dulle, APR, Fellow PRSA, and Holly Ellman prominent on the organizer team, raffle items division. See four-color promo above. Then it's deck the halls with seasonal tunes by Trey and the Tritones at the December networking holiday luncheon. Last year's inaugural event made for great visiting and just getting to know each other better -- the perfect time to bring a friend or colleague. Proceeds benefit the Chisholm Trail chapter of the American Red Cross. Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8 Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St., 39th floor Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets (get ticket validated when you check in) Cost: $20 members, $23 nonmembers, $18 students RSVP by noon Dec. 3: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org ================================================== STRAIGHT STUFF Mark the calendar -- Tuesday morning, Feb. 15, Fort Worth Club (12th floor), 306 W. 7th St. -- for Anita Vanetti's back-by-popular-demand media seminar sponsored by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. Topics will include how to pitch to the media (and how to catch), how to be in control and get your point across, how to be prepared in a news crisis, and how to dress, look natural on camera. Willing attendees will participate in mock TV interviews and receive an instant-playback review. Cost is $65 chamber gold members, $75 chamber members and $115 nonmembers. Vanetti has 20 years of news experience and is the author of "How to Handle the Media Before the Media Handles You." She got rave reviews with the presentation two years ago. Details will be posted at fortworthchamber.com/. ... Dr. Jon Burgess and the TCU Brass Quintet will perform at the TCU Guild's holiday luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Fort Worth Woman's Club (Anna Shelton Hall), 1316 Pennsylvania Ave. Proceeds benefit TCU journalism scholarships. More from Lois Powers, lfp@spowers.net. ... Deadline is Jan. 31 to design a winning logo for the Freelance Alliance, which celebrated its four-year anniversary last month. Crank up the Adobe Illustrator -- there's $250 on the line. More from Susan Eckert at saeckert@swbell.net, (214) 528-9347. ... IABC/Dallas' next new-member happy two hours will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2. RSVPs are requested, but "walkups are always welcome." Also at IABC/Dallas, its annual "Season of Giving" luncheon with area nonprofits will be at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, at Maggiano's, 6001 W. Park Blvd., Plano. More at dallasiabc.com/. PRSA local update: Wendy Krizmanic with PR Newswire; Gal Perlmutter, Bacon's Media Source; and Jackie Whitley, U.S. Newswire, will present an overview of the top 10 ways their company can benefit PR professionals, and Dallas Morning News Tarrant County reporter Jeff Mosier will be the luncheon keynote speaker at the PRSA Health Care SIG winter meeting Wednesday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Joe T. Garcia's La Puertita, 2201 N. Commerce St. RSVP to Sherry Miller, (817) 882-2550, or Laura Van Hoosier, lauravanhoosier@texashealth.org. PRSA local update II: About 30 former and current members of Greater Fort Worth PRSA toasted the chapter's three Fellows -- Doug Newsom, Carolyn Bobo and Mary Dulle -- at a reception Nov. 11 at Café Aspen. Each honoree received an engraved crystal cube to mark the occasion. ... PRSA revised the requirements for the universal accreditation exam at the recent National Assembly, and now PR pros who want to add the APR after their name no longer need to have five years of full-time paid experience before they can take the test. Deleting the requirement brings PRSA in line with other members of the Universal Accreditation Board. For more on becoming an APR, contact 2005 accreditation committee co-chairs Dulle or Bobo. PRSA local update III: Entry deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, for the Texas Public Relations Association's 2005 Silver Spur/Best of Texas Awards. Winners will be recognized at a banquet Saturday, March 5, at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Dallas. More at tpra.com. ... Dallas PRSA's NuPros crowd will gather at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8, at Spike Restaurant & Lounge, 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane, for a holiday happy hour. Twenty-four hours later and still festive, the chapter's holiday party happens at Blue Mesa Grill on Northwest Highway across from NorthPark Center. Admission is free with an unwrapped toy for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Medical Center Dallas. See prsadallas.com/. SPJ national update: Decisions in the harsh light of war; decisions in the dark, where no one can see; and one wrong decision and you're dead. The NBC cameraman who filmed a U.S. Marine appearing to shoot a wounded and unarmed Iraqi prisoner says he felt a moral obligation to transmit the tape. "Making sure you know the basis for my choices after the incident is as important to me as knowing how the incident went down," Kevin Sites wrote in an open letter to the "Devil Dogs of the 3.1," or the Third Battalion, First Marines. "I did not in any way feel like I had captured some kind of 'prize video.' In fact, I was heartsick." More here and here. ... A Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press study of White House counsel Alberto Gonzales -- George W. Bush's choice to replace Attorney General John Ashcroft -- shows someone who has worked tirelessly to keep information from the public if he believes it could hurt the president. "I don't think concerns about the media enter into his thinking," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee. More here and here. ... More than 100 journalists have been killed since January, making 2004 the deadliest year for newsgatherers in a decade. Recent killings in Ivory Coast, Nicaragua and the Philippines pushed this year's total to 101, the International Federation of Journalists said. More here. And a survey of deaths in Iraqi households estimates that as many as 100,000 more people may have died throughout the country in the 18 months after the U.S. invasion than would be expected based on the death rate before the war. Nongovernmental estimates of Iraqis killed range from 10,000 to 30,000. More here. As of Nov. 27, 1,235 U.S. servicemen have been killed, according to the U.S. Defense Department. SPJ national update II: Better to carry the shield than be on it; the definition of independence in Baghdad; it worked for the Pentagon; and hello, government temps r us? send some spooks -- knowledge or experience not required, but must be loyal. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., on Nov. 19 introduced a federal shield law that would provide an "absolute protection" for informants. The legislation is in response to a slew of recent court actions demanding that reporters reveal confidential sources. More here and here and here and here and here and here. ... Iraq's media regulator warned news organizations Nov. 11 to stick to the government line on the U.S.-led offensive in Fallujah or face legal action. The Media High Commission, set up by the former U.S. governor of Iraq, was intended to be independent of the government and to deter state meddling after decades under Saddam Hussein. More here. ... Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah invited journalists to "embed" with them to report their side of the war. "All media will be allowed into Fallujah to witness the crusade against Islam and see the real face of America," said a statement by the Fallujah Mujahideen Shura, a group of insurgent leaders, tribal chiefs and Sunni Muslim clerics. "We will protect and transport them to the location of the events. There will be a special building for the journalists." More here. ... The White House ordered new CIA director Porter Goss to purge the agency of officers believed to have been disloyal to President Bush or of leaking information about the conduct of the Iraq war and the hunt for Osama bin Laden. More here. SPJ national update III: Yo, Arnold, where ya been?; and FOI wins in Arkansas and Connecticut, loses in California. Days after California voters approved a constitutional amendment to make government records more accessible, a media-backed group asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to release all his schedules and meeting logs since taking office a year ago. More here. ... The Arkansas Supreme Court unanimously ruled Nov. 4 that Fort Smith violated the state's FOI Act in 2002 when its city administrator and board of directors agreed in private that the city would try to purchase property. Attorney Mike Hodson of Fayetteville, who filed the lawsuit, hailed the ruling as one of the most important FOI decisions in the last 20 years. "It basically says, 'If you're doing the government's business, do it in the open.' " More here. Information on hospital infection rates, recalled meat and prison lockdowns in California will stay hidden from public view after the governor vetoed bills encouraging access. More here. Preventing state police employees from speaking on matters of public concern is unconstitutional, a Connecticut federal judge ruled Oct. 8. Trooper Mark Lauretano filed suit after his superior officers ordered him not to talk to the press while at the same time state administrators were giving interviews critical of him. More here. SPJ national update IV: Blogging the night away; eavesdropping precedent; background checks and balances; and the "price of war." Writes C.W. Nevius in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Today (Nov. 2) is the first day of a major change in American politics. Naw, not the election. We've been holding those for 208 years. No, these are the first elected officials who will spend their entire terms in the sights of the Blogger Nation, the Wi-Fi world of wonks who aggressively target politicians. Bloggers closely covered the campaigns and even attended the two parties' national conventions, and Markos Moulitsas, the Berkeley-based creator of the mega-blog Daily Kos, says they are just getting started." More here and here and here. ... Two Atlanta Journal-Constitution writers were the subject of unauthorized background checks performed at DeKalb County police computer terminals, the newspaper reported Sept. 9. Also subject to background checks were three officials the newspaper described as "political opponents" of DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones. More here. ... A University of Delaware j-prof sued the Defense Department and the Air Force on Oct. 4 to get the government to release images of flag-draped coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base. "They're public records," Ralph Begleiter's attorney said of the photos and videotapes of arrival and memorial ceremonies for the dead soldiers and other military personnel. "This is about the public's right to know the implications of U.S. foreign policy and to assess the price of war." More here. ----- Get a Plan; Work the Plan; Plan to Work Again Survival was the topic on a rainy November night at Fort Worth's East Regional Library -- surviving a layoff, with as little financial and professional damage as possible. Layoffs at The Dallas Morning News, WFAA/Channel 8 and KERA prompted the session, but nationally known financial planner Bill Carter and his Carter Financial Management team -- Bob Berg, Tara Scottino and Paul Bazell -- also had solid advice for those who still have jobs. For those laid off, though, the suggestions hit close to home: -- Keep some health insurance, if at all possible. Berg said medical expenses are the No. 1 cause of deep financial trouble. -- Trim discretionary spending, which in most situations means cut up the credit cards. Even if you're trying to survive by putting basic expenses on a card, it's a losing proposition. -- Don't panic. Sit down, weigh your options and make a plan. -- The name of the game is conserving cash and maintaining cash flow. Don't use lump-sum severance to pay off the car or credit card; instead, tap the amount monthly to keep those accounts current. Think about boosting your insurance deductible. And don't shy from interim employment, even part time, until you find a new job in your field. Scottino said that checking your credit rating is crucial during this period, since potential employers may be doing the same thing and it may sway their hiring decisions. The three major credit reporting companies each show different things; the best deal may be to get all three reports and scores from Transunion, for about $40. You can dispute any inaccuracies online. (Beginning in January, individuals may check their credit reports for free, once a year.) On health insurance, Bazell said COBRA is the first line of defense after a layoff, but it's expensive. As an option, get added to your spouse's group plan if you can or obtain health insurance through a professional association like SPJ. Another possibility is "gap" insurance, a temporary solution that covers catastrophic events but not pre-existing conditions. Those planning to stay self-employed for a while might consider individual policies. The last resort, for when you're very ill and have used up COBRA coverage, is the Texas high-risk pool. Berg said that for every $10,000 you were earning, it takes about a month to find a new job. There's time to plan. He recommended: make a list of assets that can be sold, determine fixed (vs. discretionary) spending, list what expenditures can be cut or postponed and how income can be generated -- then prioritize the crisis. Selling a second car might be an option in the second or third month of unemployment. Borrowing against a 401K or via a home equity loan is more severe -- hold out until the fourth or fifth month. Borrowing on a credit card? Bad idea. If you're supporting someone in college, Berg said, help him or her look for more financial aid -- or a part-time job -- immediately. Use public transportation. Think creatively about how to extend the time before you have to do something drastic, such as sell the house. And bankruptcy, he said, should be the last consideration. "Don't think of it as an option. It's not a short- or long-term answer." Carter offered a clear explanation of how to evaluate other investment possibilities in rolling over a 401K. And he said that energetic networking is a key to getting hired again quickly. Go out immediately and start renewing old acquaintances. Put together a résumé. Don't hide, he said. Be aggressive -- like, well, a good journalist. About 30 people attended the session, more than half of them unemployed. If you were laid off recently and couldn't attend, check the Jennifer LaFleur-run web site for a more complete report on the evening. For the list of job openings that was distributed then or the information folder from Carter Financial, contact Gayle Reaves at (817) 321-9787 or gayle.reaves@fwweekly.com. ================================================== PEOPLE & PLACES About 50 aspiring journalism students and recent graduates from throughout Texas attended the 12th annual journalism workshop hosted at UTA by the DFW Network of Hispanic Communicators and the university's Communication Department. The students participated in a mock news conference, wrote a breaking news story, discussed ethical situations and heard tips on print, broadcast, sports and public relations. ... The Network of Hispanic Communicators recently elected officers: Ana Barrera Waggoner, president; Derek Castillo, broadcast VP; John Gutierrez-Mier, print VP; Stella Chavez, secretary; and Sandra Zaragoza, treasurer. ... Print magazine published Star-Telegram senior design editor Mark Hoffer's annual Halloween maze illustration for 2003, "Igor's Laboratory," in its 2004 Annual. ================================================== GET A JOB The North Texas Commission in Irving seeks an assistant director of communications. Applicants should have a communications-related degree plus 3-5 years professional PR experience and Macintosh desktop publishing proficiency. Strong written and verbal skills, event planning and promotion, media relations and brand building are essential. E-mail cover letter and résumé to Lisa Fellers at lisa@ntc-dfw.org. ... The Texas Wesleyan U. Communications Department has openings for a director, a senior writer and a communications coordinator. More here. ... The city of Seguin seeks a public information officer. Must have a bachelor's degree in journalism, PR or related field, at least three years experience, technology proficiency and knowledge of photography, design, layout, and basic printing and composition. Ability to read, write and speak Spanish preferred. Starting salary $32,864-$38,064. Apply at City Hall, 205 N. River St. in Seguin; call (830) 401-2473. ... Feinstein Kean Healthcare, a subsidiary of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, has an opening for a media relations VP. Qualifications include 7-10 years experience, a proven network of contacts in national, regional, local and trade media and a B.S./B.A. or equivalent. Position can be based either in Cambridge, Mass., or Princeton, N.J. Contact Jo Anne Patrick at (609) 524-4033 or jpatrick@parkmadisongroup.com. ================================================== COMINGS & GOINGS Additions ... at the S-T: New Yorker and diehard Yankees fan John McAlley, an eight-year veteran of Entertainment Weekly -- he produced the first take on Norah Jones before she hit it big and orchestrated the controversial EW Dixie Chicks cover -- new arts editor, starting Jan. 3; he's looking forward to having a house, a dog and theater tickets that don't cost $150 apiece Exits ... at the S-T: senior news artist John T. Valles, to The Advertiser in Honolulu, Hawaii ================================================== READING MATTERS "We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People" / Dan Gillmor / O'Reilly Media / From the author: "Tomorrow's news reporting and production will be more of a conversation or a seminar. The lines will blur between producers and consumers, changing the role of both in ways we're only beginning to grasp. The communication network itself will be a medium for everyone's voice, not just the few who can afford to buy multimillion-dollar printing presses, launch satellites or win the government's permission to squat on the public airways." And from Simon Waldman, The Guardian: "This is a gripping snapshot of a period of profound change." =================================================== PRESIDENT'S CORNER Pamela Smith, Greater Fort Worth PRSA A version of the following was submitted to the Star-Telegram in response to an Oct. 28 article, "Consultant's racial terms stir outrage," about a public relations practitioner who used controversial language in a media training for school employees. On Aug. 2, 1985, the kind of abrupt changes in wind speed and direction that could not possibly happen, actually did happen and drove a Delta Air Lines L-1011 into the ground at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, killing 128 passengers, eight crew members and one motorist. After that day, pilots began spending more time in flight simulators being stressed to the max with all kinds of wind-shear factors. The theory: The more you can make pilots crash in simulations, the more they'll be prepared in real cockpits with hundreds of lives in the balance. Not long ago -- and not far from the scene of the 1985 airline disaster -- another crash-and-burn scenario occurred in simulation. A PR consultant attempted to teach Fort Worth public school officials how to maintain communications with an irate public. The consultant created a fictional petition from minority constituents demanding the ouster of two minority school board members and the appointment of an African-American superintendent because low ratings showed minority students being undereducated. The exercise targeted the entire staff, to get them to think how they'd respond if something like this really happened. The fake petition pushed the simulated wind-shear factor to extremes, calling a black man an "Uncle Tom" and a Latina a "coconut," a "brown on the outside, white on the inside" epithet describing someone who doesn't stay loyal to his or her ethnic heritage. The simulation, using derogatory, racially charged terms, did exactly what it was supposed to do. It exposed a sensitivity that the school officials didn't know they had. So they fired the consultant and canceled the rest of the training. Somebody leaked the training document to the public, thus exposing even more reasons to conclude that the training was effective and appropriate. Quotations in the Oct. 28 article indicate a fractiousness bubbling just below the surface. People in the community apparently still do not know that diversity doesn't mean people of all colors just going along and getting along. It means people from different backgrounds expressing their ideas, revealing their anger and sometimes openly disagreeing with one another on the road to mutual respect. Although many of those quoted seemed to suggest that the scenario was offensive because that's not the way we do business in Fort Worth, it's telling that some of the people who saw the scenario petition believed it was real. PR professionals often work with simulations, peppering politicians or corporate executives with hostile questions to help them learn to stay focused on what they're trying to communicate. A person's innocent mistakes in presenting information often result in more news coverage and public debate than the information itself. There are lessons to be learned here. First, PR practitioners should alert management that seminars on sensitive issues, if they are to be effective, will be challenging. Second, role playing or other devices can avoid singling out anyone, either directly or indirectly, by using alternative illustrations that make the same point. Ultimately, just like the flight simulator, it's the PR professional's job to candidly and forcefully confront clients with their worst nightmares, see how they react in stressful situations, and then calmly and dispassionately steer them toward better, more appropriate reactions. ----- OVER & OUT John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ Thank you, Kristin Sullivan, Mary Dulle, Holly Ellman, Gayle Reaves-King, Linda P. Campbell, Kay Pirtle, Larry Lutz, Paula LaRocque, Carolyn Poirot and anyone else who snagged items for our best-ever holiday raffle. Where else can you plop $1 in a basket and maybe pull out two Southwest Airlines tickets? Everything you need to know is at the top of p. 1. RSVP, please, so we can plant a toothpick flag with your name on it in a plate of larruping Wilson's barbecue. ... From the recent issue of "SPJ Leads," a new e-update for members, I learned that the Legal Defense Fund backed an amicus brief challenging the secrecy surrounding the energy policy task force formed by Vice President Dick Cheney and his repeated denials of FOI requests, and that SPJ is considering selling items either bearing the logo or of general appeal to journalists (what would you recommend?), and that the Greater Los Angeles chapter blasted California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for vetoing state legislation that would inform the public about conditions in the state's troubled prison system. Good work compiling this material, SPJ national secretary-treasurer Christine Tatum. While we're praising SPJ national, hope you didn't summarily toss that supplement packaged with the latest Quill. The Journalist is excellent, one of the best, most attractive reads SPJ ever produced, and with a thoughtful cover-page statement of purpose by Mac McKerral, past board president, and Irwin Gratz, current prez: "Relentlessly seek the truth and report it. Pry open closed doors. Give a voice to the underserved. Adhere to the ethics code." ... Deadlines for summer 2005 internships are approaching. Search for openings thanks to the American Society of Newspaper Editors at asne.org/internships. SPJ internships are at spj.org/internships_pk.asp. ... The Sigma Delta Chi Foundation has committed $100,000 to help fund the Minority Writers Workshop spearheaded by the National Conference of Editorial Writers. Mored on the foundation is at spj.org/sdx_main.asp. Closing words: "The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." -- Attorney General John Ashcroft in his handwritten letter of resignation ... "I don't think that women's participation is possible." -- Saudi interior minister Nayef bin Sultan, responding to a question about women getting the vote in the country's municipal elections starting in February ... "A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure, to provide stability." -- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, answering a question about absentee fathers ... "If class warfare is being waged in America, my class is clearly winning." -- Warren Buffett, a vocal critic of a number of Bush administration tax policies ... "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States Closing words II, elections division: "A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt. ... If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake." -- Thomas Jefferson, in a letter he sent in 1798 after passage of the Sedition Act ... "Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few." -- George Bernard Shaw ... "Half of the American people never read a newspaper. Half never vote for president. One hopes it is the same half." -- Gore Vidal Closing words III, goofball division: "You know, it's funny. ... I've only met Angie Dickinson once." -- Billy Bob Thornton on ex-wife Angelina Jolie's full-page ad in Variety ("Billy, I love your brilliant mind. Congratulations! With love and respect always, Angie.") celebrating his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... "I'm on top of the world right now, because everyone's going to know that I can shove more than three burgers in my mouth!" -- Ezra Nicholas, 19, after setting a world record by cramming 3 1/5 McDonald's hamburgers into his kisser without swallowing at Singapore's contest to be the world's wackiest

Mark the calendar -- Tuesday morning, Feb. 15, Fort Worth Club (12th floor), 306 W. 7th St. -- for Anita Vanetti's back-by-popular-demand media seminar sponsored by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. Topics will include how to pitch to the media (and how to catch), how to be in control and get your point across, how to be prepared in a news crisis, and how to dress, look natural on camera. Willing attendees will participate in mock TV interviews and receive an instant-playback review. Cost is $65 chamber gold members, $75 chamber members and $115 nonmembers. Vanetti has 20 years of news experience and is the author of "How to Handle the Media Before the Media Handles You." She got rave reviews with the presentation two years ago. Details will be posted at fortworthchamber.com/. ...

Dr. Jon Burgess and the TCU Brass Quintet will perform at the TCU Guild's holiday luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Fort Worth Woman's Club (Anna Shelton Hall), 1316 Pennsylvania Ave. Proceeds benefit TCU journalism scholarships. More from Lois Powers, lfp@spowers.net. ... Deadline is Jan. 31 to design a winning logo for the Freelance Alliance, which celebrated its four-year anniversary last month. Crank up the Adobe Illustrator -- there's $250 on the line. More from Susan Eckert at saeckert@swbell.net, (214) 528-9347. ...

IABC/Dallas' next new-member happy two hours will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2. RSVPs are requested, but "walkups are always welcome." Also at IABC/Dallas, its annual "Season of Giving" luncheon with area nonprofits will be at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, at Maggiano's, 6001 W. Park Blvd., Plano. More at dallasiabc.com/.

PRSA local update: Wendy Krizmanic with PR Newswire; Gal Perlmutter, Bacon's Media Source; and Jackie Whitley, U.S. Newswire, will present an overview of the top 10 ways their company can benefit PR professionals, and Dallas Morning News Tarrant County reporter Jeff Mosier will be the luncheon keynote speaker at the PRSA Health Care SIG winter meeting Wednesday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Joe T. Garcia's La Puertita, 2201 N. Commerce St. RSVP to Sherry Miller, (817) 882-2550, or Laura Van Hoosier, lauravanhoosier@texashealth.org.

PRSA local update II: About 30 former and current members of Greater Fort Worth PRSA toasted the chapter's three Fellows -- Doug Newsom, Carolyn Bobo and Mary Dulle -- at a reception Nov. 11 at Café Aspen. Each honoree received an engraved crystal cube to mark the occasion. ... PRSA revised the requirements for the universal accreditation exam at the recent National Assembly, and now PR pros who want to add the APR after their name no longer need to have five years of full-time paid experience before they can take the test. Deleting the requirement brings PRSA in line with other members of the Universal Accreditation Board. For more on becoming an APR, contact 2005 accreditation committee co-chairs Dulle or Bobo.

PRSA local update III: Entry deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, for the Texas Public Relations Association's 2005 Silver Spur/Best of Texas Awards. Winners will be recognized at a banquet Saturday, March 5, at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Dallas. More at tpra.com. ... Dallas PRSA's NuPros crowd will gather at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8, at Spike Restaurant & Lounge, 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane, for a holiday happy hour. Twenty-four hours later and still festive, the chapter's holiday party happens at Blue Mesa Grill on Northwest Highway across from NorthPark Center. Admission is free with an unwrapped toy for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Medical Center Dallas. See prsadallas.com/.

SPJ national update: Decisions in the harsh light of war; decisions in the dark, where no one can see; and one wrong decision and you're dead. The NBC cameraman who filmed a U.S. Marine appearing to shoot a wounded and unarmed Iraqi prisoner says he felt a moral obligation to transmit the tape. "Making sure you know the basis for my choices after the incident is as important to me as knowing how the incident went down," Kevin Sites wrote in an open letter to the "Devil Dogs of the 3.1," or the Third Battalion, First Marines. "I did not in any way feel like I had captured some kind of 'prize video.' In fact, I was heartsick." More here and here. ... A Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press study of White House counsel Alberto Gonzales -- George W. Bush's choice to replace Attorney General John Ashcroft -- shows someone who has worked tirelessly to keep information from the public if he believes it could hurt the president. "I don't think concerns about the media enter into his thinking," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee. More here and here. ... More than 100 journalists have been killed since January, making 2004 the deadliest year for newsgatherers in a decade. Recent killings in Ivory Coast, Nicaragua and the Philippines pushed this year's total to 101, the International Federation of Journalists said. More here. And a survey of deaths in Iraqi households estimates that as many as 100,000 more people may have died throughout the country in the 18 months after the U.S. invasion than would be expected based on the death rate before the war. Nongovernmental estimates of Iraqis killed range from 10,000 to 30,000. More here. As of Nov. 27, 1,235 U.S. servicemen have been killed, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

SPJ national update II: Better to carry the shield than be on it; the definition of independence in Baghdad; it worked for the Pentagon; and hello, government temps r us? send some spooks -- knowledge or experience not required, but must be loyal. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., on Nov. 19 introduced a federal shield law that would provide an "absolute protection" for informants. The legislation is in response to a slew of recent court actions demanding that reporters reveal confidential sources. More here and here and here and here and here and here. ... Iraq's media regulator warned news organizations Nov. 11 to stick to the government line on the U.S.-led offensive in Fallujah or face legal action. The Media High Commission, set up by the former U.S. governor of Iraq, was intended to be independent of the government and to deter state meddling after decades under Saddam Hussein. More here. ... Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah invited journalists to "embed" with them to report their side of the war. "All media will be allowed into Fallujah to witness the crusade against Islam and see the real face of America," said a statement by the Fallujah Mujahideen Shura, a group of insurgent leaders, tribal chiefs and Sunni Muslim clerics. "We will protect and transport them to the location of the events. There will be a special building for the journalists." More here. ... The White House ordered new CIA director Porter Goss to purge the agency of officers believed to have been disloyal to President Bush or of leaking information about the conduct of the Iraq war and the hunt for Osama bin Laden. More here.

SPJ national update III: Yo, Arnold, where ya been?; and FOI wins in Arkansas and Connecticut, loses in California. Days after California voters approved a constitutional amendment to make government records more accessible, a media-backed group asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to release all his schedules and meeting logs since taking office a year ago. More here. ... The Arkansas Supreme Court unanimously ruled Nov. 4 that Fort Smith violated the state's FOI Act in 2002 when its city administrator and board of directors agreed in private that the city would try to purchase property. Attorney Mike Hodson of Fayetteville, who filed the lawsuit, hailed the ruling as one of the most important FOI decisions in the last 20 years. "It basically says, 'If you're doing the government's business, do it in the open.' " More here. Information on hospital infection rates, recalled meat and prison lockdowns in California will stay hidden from public view after the governor vetoed bills encouraging access. More here. Preventing state police employees from speaking on matters of public concern is unconstitutional, a Connecticut federal judge ruled Oct. 8. Trooper Mark Lauretano filed suit after his superior officers ordered him not to talk to the press while at the same time state administrators were giving interviews critical of him. More here.

SPJ national update IV: Blogging the night away; eavesdropping precedent; background checks and balances; and the "price of war." Writes C.W. Nevius in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Today (Nov. 2) is the first day of a major change in American politics. Naw, not the election. We've been holding those for 208 years. No, these are the first elected officials who will spend their entire terms in the sights of the Blogger Nation, the Wi-Fi world of wonks who aggressively target politicians. Bloggers closely covered the campaigns and even attended the two parties' national conventions, and Markos Moulitsas, the Berkeley-based creator of the mega-blog Daily Kos, says they are just getting started." More here and here and here. ... Two Atlanta Journal-Constitution writers were the subject of unauthorized background checks performed at DeKalb County police computer terminals, the newspaper reported Sept. 9. Also subject to background checks were three officials the newspaper described as "political opponents" of DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones. More here. ... A University of Delaware j-prof sued the Defense Department and the Air Force on Oct. 4 to get the government to release images of flag-draped coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base. "They're public records," Ralph Begleiter's attorney said of the photos and videotapes of arrival and memorial ceremonies for the dead soldiers and other military personnel. "This is about the public's right to know the implications of U.S. foreign policy and to assess the price of war." More here.

Get a Plan; Work the Plan; Plan to Work Again

Scottino said that checking your credit rating is crucial during this period, since potential employers may be doing the same thing and it may sway their hiring decisions. The three major credit reporting companies each show different things; the best deal may be to get all three reports and scores from Transunion, for about $40. You can dispute any inaccuracies online. (Beginning in January, individuals may check their credit reports for free, once a year.)

On health insurance, Bazell said COBRA is the first line of defense after a layoff, but it's expensive. As an option, get added to your spouse's group plan if you can or obtain health insurance through a professional association like SPJ. Another possibility is "gap" insurance, a temporary solution that covers catastrophic events but not pre-existing conditions. Those planning to stay self-employed for a while might consider individual policies. The last resort, for when you're very ill and have used up COBRA coverage, is the Texas high-risk pool.

Berg said that for every $10,000 you were earning, it takes about a month to find a new job. There's time to plan. He recommended: make a list of assets that can be sold, determine fixed (vs. discretionary) spending, list what expenditures can be cut or postponed and how income can be generated -- then prioritize the crisis. Selling a second car might be an option in the second or third month of unemployment. Borrowing against a 401K or via a home equity loan is more severe -- hold out until the fourth or fifth month. Borrowing on a credit card? Bad idea.

If you're supporting someone in college, Berg said, help him or her look for more financial aid -- or a part-time job -- immediately. Use public transportation. Think creatively about how to extend the time before you have to do something drastic, such as sell the house. And bankruptcy, he said, should be the last consideration. "Don't think of it as an option. It's not a short- or long-term answer."

About 30 people attended the session, more than half of them unemployed. If you were laid off recently and couldn't attend, check the Jennifer LaFleur-run web site for a more complete report on the evening. For the list of job openings that was distributed then or the information folder from Carter Financial, contact Gayle Reaves at (817) 321-9787 or gayle.reaves@fwweekly.com.

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About 50 aspiring journalism students and recent graduates from throughout Texas attended the 12th annual journalism workshop hosted at UTA by the DFW Network of Hispanic Communicators and the university's Communication Department. The students participated in a mock news conference, wrote a breaking news story, discussed ethical situations and heard tips on print, broadcast, sports and public relations. ... The Network of Hispanic Communicators recently elected officers: Ana Barrera Waggoner, president; Derek Castillo, broadcast VP; John Gutierrez-Mier, print VP; Stella Chavez, secretary; and Sandra Zaragoza, treasurer. ...

Print magazine published Star-Telegram senior design editor Mark Hoffer's annual Halloween maze illustration for 2003, "Igor's Laboratory," in its 2004 Annual.

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The North Texas Commission in Irving seeks an assistant director of communications. Applicants should have a communications-related degree plus 3-5 years professional PR experience and Macintosh desktop publishing proficiency. Strong written and verbal skills, event planning and promotion, media relations and brand building are essential. E-mail cover letter and résumé to Lisa Fellers at lisa@ntc-dfw.org. ... The Texas Wesleyan U. Communications Department has openings for a director, a senior writer and a communications coordinator. More here. ...

The city of Seguin seeks a public information officer. Must have a bachelor's degree in journalism, PR or related field, at least three years experience, technology proficiency and knowledge of photography, design, layout, and basic printing and composition. Ability to read, write and speak Spanish preferred. Starting salary $32,864-$38,064. Apply at City Hall, 205 N. River St. in Seguin; call (830) 401-2473. ...

Feinstein Kean Healthcare, a subsidiary of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, has an opening for a media relations VP. Qualifications include 7-10 years experience, a proven network of contacts in national, regional, local and trade media and a B.S./B.A. or equivalent. Position can be based either in Cambridge, Mass., or Princeton, N.J. Contact Jo Anne Patrick at (609) 524-4033 or jpatrick@parkmadisongroup.com.

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Additions ... at the S-T: New Yorker and diehard Yankees fan John McAlley, an eight-year veteran of Entertainment Weekly -- he produced the first take on Norah Jones before she hit it big and orchestrated the controversial EW Dixie Chicks cover -- new arts editor, starting Jan. 3; he's looking forward to having a house, a dog and theater tickets that don't cost $150 apiece

Exits ... at the S-T: senior news artist John T. Valles, to The Advertiser in Honolulu, Hawaii

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"We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People" /

Dan Gillmor / O'Reilly Media /

From the author: "Tomorrow's news reporting and production will be more of a conversation or a seminar. The lines will blur between producers and consumers, changing the role of both in ways we're only beginning to grasp. The communication network itself will be a medium for everyone's voice, not just the few who can afford to buy multimillion-dollar printing presses, launch satellites or win the government's permission to squat on the public airways." And from Simon Waldman, The Guardian: "This is a gripping snapshot of a period of profound change."

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Pamela Smith, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

On Aug. 2, 1985, the kind of abrupt changes in wind speed and direction that could not possibly happen, actually did happen and drove a Delta Air Lines L-1011 into the ground at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, killing 128 passengers, eight crew members and one motorist. After that day, pilots began spending more time in flight simulators being stressed to the max with all kinds of wind-shear factors. The theory: The more you can make pilots crash in simulations, the more they'll be prepared in real cockpits with hundreds of lives in the balance.

Not long ago -- and not far from the scene of the 1985 airline disaster -- another crash-and-burn scenario occurred in simulation. A PR consultant attempted to teach Fort Worth public school officials how to maintain communications with an irate public. The consultant created a fictional petition from minority constituents demanding the ouster of two minority school board members and the appointment of an African-American superintendent because low ratings showed minority students being undereducated. The exercise targeted the entire staff, to get them to think how they'd respond if something like this really happened.

The fake petition pushed the simulated wind-shear factor to extremes, calling a black man an "Uncle Tom" and a Latina a "coconut," a "brown on the outside, white on the inside" epithet describing someone who doesn't stay loyal to his or her ethnic heritage. The simulation, using derogatory, racially charged terms, did exactly what it was supposed to do. It exposed a sensitivity that the school officials didn't know they had. So they fired the consultant and canceled the rest of the training.

Somebody leaked the training document to the public, thus exposing even more reasons to conclude that the training was effective and appropriate. Quotations in the Oct. 28 article indicate a fractiousness bubbling just below the surface. People in the community apparently still do not know that diversity doesn't mean people of all colors just going along and getting along. It means people from different backgrounds expressing their ideas, revealing their anger and sometimes openly disagreeing with one another on the road to mutual respect. Although many of those quoted seemed to suggest that the scenario was offensive because that's not the way we do business in Fort Worth, it's telling that some of the people who saw the scenario petition believed it was real.

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

Thank you, Kristin Sullivan, Mary Dulle, Holly Ellman, Gayle Reaves-King, Linda P. Campbell, Kay Pirtle, Larry Lutz, Paula LaRocque, Carolyn Poirot and anyone else who snagged items for our best-ever holiday raffle. Where else can you plop $1 in a basket and maybe pull out two Southwest Airlines tickets? Everything you need to know is at the top of p. 1. RSVP, please, so we can plant a toothpick flag with your name on it in a plate of larruping Wilson's barbecue. ...

From the recent issue of "SPJ Leads," a new e-update for members, I learned that the Legal Defense Fund backed an amicus brief challenging the secrecy surrounding the energy policy task force formed by Vice President Dick Cheney and his repeated denials of FOI requests, and that SPJ is considering selling items either bearing the logo or of general appeal to journalists (what would you recommend?), and that the Greater Los Angeles chapter blasted California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for vetoing state legislation that would inform the public about conditions in the state's troubled prison system. Good work compiling this material, SPJ national secretary-treasurer Christine Tatum. While we're praising SPJ national, hope you didn't summarily toss that supplement packaged with the latest Quill. The Journalist is excellent, one of the best, most attractive reads SPJ ever produced, and with a thoughtful cover-page statement of purpose by Mac McKerral, past board president, and Irwin Gratz, current prez: "Relentlessly seek the truth and report it. Pry open closed doors. Give a voice to the underserved. Adhere to the ethics code." ...

Deadlines for summer 2005 internships are approaching. Search for openings thanks to the American Society of Newspaper Editors at asne.org/internships. SPJ internships are at spj.org/internships_pk.asp. ... The Sigma Delta Chi Foundation has committed $100,000 to help fund the Minority Writers Workshop spearheaded by the National Conference of Editorial Writers. Mored on the foundation is at spj.org/sdx_main.asp.

Closing words: "The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." -- Attorney General John Ashcroft in his handwritten letter of resignation ... "I don't think that women's participation is possible." -- Saudi interior minister Nayef bin Sultan, responding to a question about women getting the vote in the country's municipal elections starting in February ... "A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure, to provide stability." -- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, answering a question about absentee fathers ... "If class warfare is being waged in America, my class is clearly winning." -- Warren Buffett, a vocal critic of a number of Bush administration tax policies ... "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States

Closing words II, elections division: "A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt. ... If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake." -- Thomas Jefferson, in a letter he sent in 1798 after passage of the Sedition Act ... "Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few." -- George Bernard Shaw ... "Half of the American people never read a newspaper. Half never vote for president. One hopes it is the same half." -- Gore Vidal

Closing words III, goofball division: "You know, it's funny. ... I've only met Angie Dickinson once." -- Billy Bob Thornton on ex-wife Angelina Jolie's full-page ad in Variety ("Billy, I love your brilliant mind. Congratulations! With love and respect always, Angie.") celebrating his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... "I'm on top of the world right now, because everyone's going to know that I can shove more than three burgers in my mouth!" -- Ezra Nicholas, 19, after setting a world record by cramming 3 1/5 McDonald's hamburgers into his kisser without swallowing at Singapore's contest to be the world's wackiest