February 2004
MEETINGS
Next at IABC/Fort Worth ...
Put a Little Fun in the Fundamentals of Writing
If you're an elected official in Northeast Tarrant County, you maybe can't stand Dave Lieber, but for everyone else on the planet the Star-Telegram's bulldog investigative columnist has a reputation as a fired-up newspaper writer and funny guy. He will share tips on how to use humor in communications at the February IABC meeting.
For 10 years Lieber has produced a thrice-weekly column for the Star-Telegram, and last fall the Press Club of Dallas recognized his efforts with a Katie Award (Best Columnist for a Major Newspaper). In 2002, he received the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the Will Rogers Memorial Commission of Oklahoma for his work with Summer Santa, a children's charity he co-founded in 1997. His third book, "The Dog of My Nightmares: Stories by Texas Columnist Dave Lieber," was published in 2003.
* Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3
* Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza
* Parking: $2.50 in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets (get ticket validated)
* Cost: $17 members, $22 nonmembers, $12 students
* RSVP: Julie Trowbridge at trowbridgeja@c-b.com
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Next at Greater Fort Worth PRSA ...
Just Say No to 'No Comment'
You're sitting comfortably at your desk at 4:45 p.m. on a Friday, reflecting on the stellar week your company has had, when the intercom buzzes and the receptionist says, "Mike Wallace is here to see you!" Your response? Fox 4 News' Emmy Award-winning reporter Jeff Crilley will tell the February PRSA meeting why "no comment" is never an option.
Mishandling a negative story can cripple your company and ruin your reputation. Just ask Martha Stewart. Crilley, the author of "Free Publicity: A TV Reporter Shares the Secrets of Getting Covered on the News," will reveal what to tell the media during a crisis that won't unhinge the company's lawyers. And he'll detail how President Clinton could have made the two-year Monica Lewinsky scandal disappear with a few simple words.
* Time & date: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11
* Place: Petroleum Club, Carter-Burgess Plaza
* Parking: free valet in parking garage at Seventh and Commerce streets (get ticket validated)
* Cost: $20 members, $23 nonmembers, $18 students
* RSVP by noon Feb. 9: rsvp@fortworthprsa.org
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Next at Fort Worth SPJ ...
Scary as a Landing Gear that Won't Go Down
Assistant District Attorney Joe Shannon has a can't-turn-away program on identity theft -- the ways it can be done (or done to you), how easy it is to do, and safeguards against it -- and it's next up for Fort Worth SPJ at the Rail Market downtown. For anecdotal heft, an SPJ member had three(!) fraudulent attacks on checking and savings accounts within 10 days last month and will tell how that feels. You can guess.
Unlike previous meetings, there will be no group menu and thus no set meal cost. Food purchases from Rail Market vendors are encouraged. Shannon's presentation begins at 1 p.m. RSVPs are still requested so the Rail Market will know how many tables to set up.
* Time & date: 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21
* Place: Fort Worth Rail Market, 1401 Jones St. (north end of the building; ample free parking on the east side)
* Cost: WYEIWYP (what you eat is what you pay)
* Food choices: tamales, designer pizza, sweets, salads, vegetarian, venison, Blue Bell and the rogue hot dog
* RSVP: Kay Pirtle at mkpirtle@yahoo.com
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STRAIGHT STUFF
Nominations for the Advertising Club of Fort Worth's prestigious Silver Medal Award -- since 1959 the highest honor given by the American Advertising Federation at the local level -- are being accepted through Feb. 16. Judging will be based on creative ability, original thinking and contributions to the nominee's company (agency, advertiser, media or ad service), to the advancement of advertising and to the community. Winners will be honored at a luncheon Wednesday, March 17. Julie Wilson, president and CEO of Reasons Group, chairs the judging committee; other judges are Joe Dulle; Jane Schlansker, InterStar Marketing and Public Relations; Jerry Scott, Star-Telegram; Jim Stuart and John M. Thompson III, TCU; and Scott Turner, GCG Advertising. Dulle, Schlansker, Stuart, Turner and Wilson are past recipients. For more details or for an application, e-mail jwilson@reasonsinc.com or visit adclubfw.org. ...
A team of SPJers and local pros including Pat Svacina from U.S. Rep. Kay Granger's office; Scott Gordon, NBC 5; and John Gutierrez-Mier and Bud Kennedy, Star-Telegram, will spend Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, not in romantic pursuits but teaching Paschal, Arlington Heights, Trimble Tech, Eastern Hills, Southwest, South Hills and North Side students in the Fort Worth Journalism Project on the TCU campus. Awards will be given for the students' best work, and panelists will offer insights on journalism careers, interviewing and generating story ideas. Haltom High School adviser Ann Hale will conduct an advisers session. Everything, including the box lunches, happens in the Moudy Building from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There's a place for volunteers in the mix, especially at lunch when the students will write up a mock press conference. E-mail Mark Horvit, mhhorvit@yahoo.com, to help. ...
Organizers are enthusiastic about "a big Texas sky full of professional development opportunities" at the 2004 PRSA Southwest District Conference, March 25-26 in Irving. Sponsored by the Dallas and Greater Fort Worth chapters of PRSA, the conference will feature top PR pros expounding on crisis communications and media training; community relations; integrated marketing; branding; special event planning; and how to set up an independent practice, among other topics. Deadlines: registration, March 18; $89-per-night rooms, March 4. Download a registration form at fortworthprsa.org/sw_district_conference.htm. Questions? Contact Krista Brown at krista@maverickad.com or Ann Heidger at ann.heidger@businesswire.com. ... Communications consultant Ann Wylie will show how to use "microcontent" -- headlines, decks, links, buttons -- to best effect in a PRSA-sponsored phone seminar at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 18. More from wyliecomm.com/ press_ room/release-micro-teleseminar.shtml. Register at prsa.org/_Advance/seminars/031804flyer.pdf. ...
IABC/Fort Worth launches a membership drive March 2, offering the winner a prize that has not been announced yet but is said to be "fabulous." At stake are "drive points": one when a person attends a luncheon meeting, one when he brings a guest, five when the guest becomes a member and five when the player himself becomes a member. Urges chapter VP Lauren Cleveland: "May the best driver win!" The competition ends April 30. ...
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists Region 5 conference Feb. 27-28 at the Embassy Suites in Dallas will open with a town hall session Friday night, followed by daylong workshops Saturday featuring four Spanish-language panels. The closing reception will highlight release of the NAHJ stylebook for Spanish-language media as well as a scholarships raffle benefiting the Network of Hispanic Communicators, the local NAHJ affiliate. Info at dfwhispanic.org/ nahjregion5. ... Alberto Gomez Font will conduct a seminar for Spanish-language journalists from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at The Ballpark in Arlington. Cost is $20 for NAHJ members, $30 nonmembers. Register at nahj.org. ...
Diane Weklar, founder of Hire DFW First and a member of the Dallas City/County Jobs Task Force Advisory Committee, and Lyssa Jenkens, VP for information and research, Greater Dallas Chamber, promise a candid discussion about the local economy and where it's headed at Dallas PRSA's February meeting Thursday, Feb. 12. Info at prsadallas.com/calendar.html.
SPJ national update: Democracy inaction. Remember the $87 billion investment in Iraq made after a secret pact in the Senate resulted in a voice vote attended by precisely six senators? Fifteen SPJ volunteers called every member of the Senate and asked for a stand on the appropriation bill. Eleven Republicans and eight Democrats, among them Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; John McCain, who once ran for president; Hillary Clinton, who may run for president someday; and John Edwards, who wants the job right now, refused to state a position, according to poll results posted at spj.org/foia_senvote.asp. Ten Democrats -- Robert Byrd, Barbara Boxer, Tom Harkin, Ernest Hollings, Edward Kennedy, presidential candidate John Kerry, Mary Landrieu, Frank Lautenberg, Patrick Leahy and Paul Sarbanes -- and Independent Jim Jeffords told SPJ that they opposed the bill, but from this group only Byrd was present for the voice vote. He shouted a loud "No!" The remaining senators went on the record for the package. "The mere act of taking a voice vote on such a crucial matter of public policy diminishes the stature of the U.S. Senate," SPJ president Mac McKerral said. "And then to have senators refuse to state their positions -- after the fact, mind you -- should make their constituents wonder who those senators really serve."
SPJ national update II: A voting process with "experiment" in the title, and when spooks cry foul. The U.S. government should abandon a Pentagon-favored Internet-voting system because hackers could easily alter election results, according to four researchers who serve on an advisory panel for the program. Aviel Rubin of Johns Hopkins U., David Wagner at UC Berkeley, David Jefferson of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and consultant Barbara Simons say that hackers could knock vote-tallying computers offline with a flood of data in "denial of service" attacks, set up phony Web pages to intercept votes, gather information about users, or spread a virus to participants' computers to monitor or change their votes. A Defense Department spokesman said that "security is enhanced, procedures are in place" to ensure an accurate count and that six other people who served on the panel did not share these concerns. Rather than voting absentee by mail, military personnel and other U.S. citizens overseas will cast ballots online in some primary and general elections this year under the Defense Department's Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment. The system could get its first test Feb. 3 in South Carolina's primary. ... Ten former intelligence officers, among them two former C.I.A. station chiefs overseas, are pressing congressional leaders to open an inquiry into the disclosure of the name of undercover C.I.A. officer Valerie Plame. Their request, outlined in a letter to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and others, reflects discontent within the intelligence services, along with concern that a four-month-old Justice Department investigation may never identify who disclosed the name. Syndicated columnist Robert Novak, who outed Plame in a column in July, has identified his sources only as Bush administration officials, and the Justice Department inquiry has not produced any public findings. More at nytimes.com/2004/01/22/politics/22INTE.html.
SPJ national update III: No time for truth, and homeland cooking. The independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks wants an extension of its May 27 deadline until at least July. The White House and GOP congressional leaders have said they see no need. Commission officials cite administration delays in turning over evidence as one reason for the extension. "We are telling the Congress and the president what we need to do the best possible job," said the panel's chairman, Thomas H. Kean, a Republican who was formerly governor of New Jersey. "Much work remains." The administration initially opposed creation of the 10-member commission over concerns that it will assert that the White House failed to act on intelligence that a catastrophic attack might be imminent. The White House confirmed news reports last year that an Oval Office intelligence summary shortly before the attacks suggested that terrorists might be planning to strike using passenger planes. More at nytimes.com/2004/01/28/national/28TERR.html. ... In the wake of the latest revelations from weapons inspector David Kay, many large U.S. papers are belatedly pressing the Bush administration for an explanation of how it could got the question of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq so wrong in the march to war last year. A growing number are raising the possibility that Bush and his team "cooked" the intelligence to support their case for war. An E&P survey of the top 20 newspapers by circulation found that as of Jan. 28, 13 had run editorials on Kay's resignation as chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq and his statement that no WMDs exist there, and likely did not exist, during the U.S. run-up to war. More at editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2077477.
SPJ national update IV: Network news, the P Act takes a hit, and what a pane in the glass ceiling. The Senate on Jan. 22 granted final congressional passage for a massive spending bill that includes a provision to relax limits on the size of TV networks. After the 65-28 vote, some Democrats promised fresh attempts to curtail network size. The spending bill would let networks own stations reaching 39 percent of the national audience -- up from the current 35 percent, but down from the 45 percent set by the FCC last year. More at washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40143-2004Jan22.html. ... A federal judge in Los Angeles on Jan. 23 declared unconstitutional a provision of the USA Patriot Act that bans providing expert advice to groups that the U.S. government has deemed terrorist organizations. It is the first time that a court has struck down a portion of the controversial law approved by Congress six weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins ruled that the prohibition is so vague it could bar even innocent contacts -- "unequivocally pure speech and advocacy protected by the First Amendment" -- with the foreign groups in question. The case involved two U.S. citizens seeking to further lawful, nonviolent activities on behalf of Kurdish refugees in Turkey. The Humanitarian Law Project says the plaintiffs were threatened with 15 years in prison if they advised groups on how to peacefully resolve the Kurds' campaign for self-determination. More at washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50517-2004Jan26. html. ... Women lawyers, salespeople, accountants and print journalists make far less than their male counterparts and have a wider wage gender gap than U.S. women overall, a survey by the National Association for Female Executives indicates. This echoes findings by the General Accounting Office that women in the United States earn 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, but the latest survey said that some fields have an even bigger wage gap.
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Your Diary on Steroids -- and Sent Around the Globe
by Brenda Davis
So just how pervasive are Web logs -- blogs -- on the evolving journalism landscape? Let UNT j-professor Jackie Lambiase count the ways. In a recent survey of eight blog-hosting sites, 4.1 million blogs were found there. Eighty percent of Web logs are linked to outside sources, the survey continues, and almost 10 percent link to news sources. Females are more likely to create blogs than men. Need another stat? Bet there's a blog for it.
Lambiase and Mike Martinez from Knight Ridder Online ranged far afield on the Internet phenomenon at the January SPJ meeting, from favorite sites and why, to how to start and maintain a blog. Lambiase said that while many consider the blogs a legitimate source of news, she fears the temptation to plagiarize. "It is so easy to cut and paste from someone's story," she said, "and have it look like it's your own information."
She noted the "enclave mentality" that blogging nurtures. Whereas "people have a hard time getting along in public forums online," bloggers of like mind can feel safe to exchange ideas. Even media companies are getting in on the act. "The Dallas Morning News is a prime example. Its site looks into the way editorials are conceived and lists the editors' input. Editors have to contribute."
To learn how to start a blog, Martinez recommended blogger.com, m-blog.com and fotolog.net. He listed four current "flavors" that are popular -- single writer, one topic; multiple writers; organization host on behalf of individuals; photo/cartoon -- but said they all share a problem: no editor. For blogs guaranteed to intrigue, he and others at the meeting suggested dangillmore.com, thismodernworld.com, ontheroad.com, siliconvalley.com, blogsisters.com, brooklynkid.com and abcthenote.com.
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PEOPLE & PLACES
Holly Ellman has joined Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations as a senior account executive. Her duties will include media relations, strategic planning, editorial writing and financial management of many of the agency's PR accounts. She formerly was PR director at the LaChapelle Agency in Bedford and has served as media relations manager at Texas Wesleyan University and director of public relations for Casa Mañana Theatre.
Baby daze! Past PRSA presidents produce precocious progeny. Stephen Nash Park was born Nov. 6, preceding by a month Phillip Andrew Speairs' debut Dec. 8. Mothers Beth Park (who wrote the headline above) and Kim Speairs, dads Doug Park and Scott Speairs, and siblings Thomas Park and Kaitlyn Speairs are all resting comfortably. "Grandmother (a.k.a. Mary Guenzel) came to town to assist with child care and man the kitchen," Beth writes. "When Doug mentioned that his mother-in-law would be staying with us for a couple of months, many of his co-workers made the usual derogatory remarks. 'You don't know my mother-in-law,' Doug responded. 'She arrived with two ice chests full of Omaha steaks.' " ... Amie and Scott Streater on Jan. 23 welcomed identical twin boys -- Kendall Scott and Addison McCulloch, born one minute apart. Big brother Cole hoped everyone would be home for his birthday three days later.
Kudos & Contracts: The Fort Worth Housing Authority has chosen InterStar Marketing and Public Relations to provide media, communications and PR services. InterStar is working to develop education opportunities and increase awareness of the options that the authority provides. The authority has a stated goal of creating mixed-income communities and expanding affordable, safe and quality housing. It provides resident services and family self-sufficiency programs through collaborations with more than 60 local social service agencies. ... USMD Hospital at Arlington, formerly Arlington Memorial South Medical Center, has hired Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations as its agency of record. Witherspoon's services will include brand development and public relations. The four-year-old medical facility was acquired in October by a partnership of more than 60 local physicians and is now one of the nation's largest physician-owned hospitals.
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GET A JOB
Dallas-based Black Eye Digital needs a project manager/ customer service rep and a designer/production artist. The former must know the advertising/promotions industry; design skills and a working knowledge of Illustrator and Photoshop are a plus. The latter needs the skills to lay out the final design across multiple platforms, proficiency in Illustrator and Photoshop, and a keen eye for type, as projects are often type heavy. Contact Christopher Stewart, chris@blackeyedigital.com, (214) 369-4558. ... The Dallas Arboretum has for-credit (no pay) PR internships for the spring, summer and fall/winter semesters. E-mail a résumé and two writing samples to Karen Vassar at khinds@dallasarboretum.org. ...
The Fort Worth-based Texas Ballet Theater seeks a subscriber services manager. Minimum two years ticketing experience required, plus proficiency in Excel and Word. Minimum $30K (plus commission) with health and disability benefits, paid vacation and matching 403b. Send cover letter and résumé to Marketing Director, Texas Ballet Theater, 6845 Green Oaks Road, Fort Worth 76116, or e-mail lpomarantz@texasballettheater.org. ...
The Salesmanship Club of Dallas has an entry-level opening for a communications coordinator to assist in marketing the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Candidates should have a bachelor's degree in communications, marketing or a related field and proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with Illustrator, Photoshop or QuarkXPress is preferred. Send a résumé and salary history to communications manager Cynthia Brown at cbrown@scdallas.org.
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NEW MEMBERS
PRSA ... Kelly Leigh Keenum, PR coordinator at Pier 1 Imports ... Lori Lisi
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COMINGS & GOINGS
Additions ... at the S-T: Tara Ransom, an assistant business editor, formerly an assistant business editor at the Detroit Free Press; after getting adjusted in the Fort Worth office for a month, she will shift to Arlington and supervise the four business reporters in eastern Tarrant County ... Ball State grad Amanda Kingsbury, travel editor, formerly features editor of the East Valley/ Scottsdale Tribune in Mesa, Ariz.
Promotions ... at the S-T: Sarah Yoest Pederson to Weekly Review/OpEd editor ... seven-year Star-T veteran and multi-threat performer Maricar Estrella, formerly a p. 1 designer, Sunday news editor and Stock Show editor, to city editor in Arlington
Exits ... at the S-T: features copy editor Amber Nimocks, to the Wilmington (N.C.) Star-News as features editor, while husband Josh Shaffer, a writer in the features department, seeks fame as a freelancer ... Paula Caballero, to the Dallas Theater Center as PR director (easy commute -- her office will be across the street from her and husband Darrin Scheid's house) ... 10-year photo lab veteran Larry Parrish, moving to Atlanta
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RESOURCES
BaseballLibrary.com is handy for facts, figures and biographies, with sections on players, teams, baseball chronology, history and more.
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PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Pamela Smith, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
In 2004 PRSA will continue its mission of advancing the profession and the professional. The Greater Fort Worth board is working diligently to fulfill this goal with a number of initiatives, and this month I would like to highlight two.
The first, advocacy -- actively getting involved in issues that affect our profession -- is a new focus for the chapter. You may have seen the Jan. 12 PR Week op-ed piece by PRSA member John Paluszek, senior counselor at Ketchum and PRSA liaison to the United Nations, where he examines the role of public relations in foreign policy. While PRSA's 20,000 national members will never agree on every issue before us, I think we all do agree that it is time to ensure that those outside our profession have a better understanding of the value public relations has on shaping the global society.
Secondly, you may not get the chance to hobnob with world leaders, but you may witness local political or legal issues that if not addressed could deflate the value of our profession. Please contact chapter director John Hoffmann, john.hoffmann@americredit.com, with any concerns, which he will forward to the national office.
On a lighter note, March 25-26 will bring PR practitioners from throughout the Southwest together for the PRSA District Conference in Irving. This affordable venue allows professionals the chance to learn best practices, network with peers and gain new perspectives. Chapter director Krista Brown has worked closely with the Dallas chapter to schedule a great set of speakers. Keep checking our Web site, fortworthprsa.org/sw_district_ conference.htm, as details develop and for registration information. Contact Krista at krista@maverickad.com for volunteer and sponsorship opportunities.
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
Borrowing from a Star-Telegram piece on the death Jan. 10 of Marty Haag: He left an indelible mark on local TV news, molding it with professionalism and setting a standard that others would try to emulate. He joined the lowly rated WFAA/Channel 8 in 1973 and made it one of the most respected news broadcasts in the United States. At a time when TV wouldn't tackle subjects that required explanation or that defied visual storytelling, Haag was bringing investigative reporting to the nightly news. The station's reputation grew to where ABC and CNN had no problem depending on Haag's reporters, photographers and producers to feed stories live. He was the consummate journalist, possessing a nose for news and a heart for humanity. "Do something, even if it's wrong," he told the June 2001 SPJ meeting. "Roll the satellite truck -- you can always call it back! Don't be afraid to listen to your instincts." ... And from Washington Post writer Adam Bernstein on the death Jan. 27 of Jack Paar. "Wry, spontaneous and brainy," Bernstein wrote in description of the late-night-TV pioneer, alternatively cerebral and emotional, who turned "The Tonight Show" and "The Jack Paar Program" in the 1950s and early '60s into exercises in tension and delight. John and Robert Kennedy, entertainers Jonathan Winters and Judy Garland, Nobel laureate Albert Schweitzer -- they all made appearances. Richard M. Nixon, having lost the 1960 presidential race and the 1962 California governorship, played a self-composed piano composition. Paar took camera crews to Cuba to interview Fidel Castro, to Berlin just after the Berlin Wall was erected and to Africa to visit with Schweitzer. The trips courted controversy but came to be seen as efforts that distinguished his shows for their scope and curiosity. ... I shook Mr. Haag's hand once, and I stayed up late and thought I was getting away with something to watch Mr. Paar. Glad I did both. ...
Say you're filling out a Mensa application under the name of, oh, George W. Bush and need his Social Security number. Joe Shannon, chief of the economic crimes unit in the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office, likely can get it for you. That and Colin Powell's home address and Donald Trump's driver's license and Tony Blair's cellphone. They're all on the Internet, it seems, some well-hidden, others just below the surface, easy pickings for cyberthieves who would be you if it pays, and it does. Joe's upcoming program for Fort Worth SPJ is a must-attend for anyone with a bank account. Hang out with us Saturday afternoon, Feb. 21, for a couple of hours. What you learn might spare you grief down the road. ...
Hats off to Star-T newsroom assistant Nancy Waldie, who refuses to feel sorry for herself in the Cleburne Rehabilitation and Health Care Center as she recovers from a stroke. The other day she met a fellow there who cannot read. Nancy, a former teacher, is teaching him to read. Do we attribute this to the selfless, reach-out nature of newsroom types everywhere? Nah, I think that's just Nancy.
Closing words: "In the consensus view, the U.S. economy is breaking out of its anemic growth pattern. ... We strongly disagree with this assessment. The growth spurt in the third quarter was exceptional, due to a one-off splurge in tax rebates and a burst in the mortgage refinancing wave. As to investment spending, what essentially matters is the change in total nonresidential investment, and that continues to show virtual stagnation. ... All the economic growth of the past two years, anemic as it was, is traceable to a seemingly endless array of asset and borrowing bubbles ... first the stock market bubble; then the bond bubble; then the housing bubble and the associated mortgage refinancing bubble." -- economist Dr. Kurt Richebächer ... "Non-defense discretionary spending under Clinton was going up at about 2.5 percent. Under Bush it's been going up roughly twice that. I think that the Republicans, unless they want to lose the definition of their party and what they mean to the base out there that supports them in election after election, have to come to grips with the fact that they are letting that definition be eroded." -- David Keene, American Conservative Union