SPJ national update II: The dam broke; behold the unlikely defender; and "a real emotional and physical toll." The Wall Street Journal on May 7 reported that the Red Cross discovered "serious violations" of the rights of Iraqi prisoners between March and November 2003. In a 24-page document, the International Committee of the Red Cross said treatment in some cases was "tantamount to torture." More here and here and here, with must-reads here and here and here and here. ... When Howard Stern railed against White House-appointed FCC chief Michael Powell over Stern's alleged culture crimes, he looked to be a man alone. Then former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani weighed in: "I think the FCC or regulatory agencies have better things to look at than that. And I think it does get very close to inhibiting free speech." And speaking of: Clear Channel executives, whom Stern says canned him for slamming President Bush, by mid-March had given $42,200 to Bush in the 2004 race, vs. $1,750 to Democrat John Kerry. The executives and Clear Channel's political action committee gave 77 percent of their $334,501 in federal contributions to Republicans -- a bigger share than any other entertainment company, says the Center for Responsive Politics. ... As the Chicago Tribune's Michael Martinez pursued his story on the National Guard staff sergeant who quit months of hiding to challenge U.S. conduct of the Iraq war, he opened a window on the feelings of many troops. Martinez interviewed officers and GIs on the day that Camilo Mejia's unit returned home to Ft. Stewart, Ga. "These year-long deployments, my gosh, they have taken a real toll on these guys, a real emotional and physical toll," Martinez says. More here.
SPJ national update III: Incomprehensible debt; unPatriotic Republicans; and dare we think of leaving? The cost of the war in Iraq could top $150 billion through the next fiscal year -- three times the White House's first estimate. And congressional researchers and outside budget experts say the continuing occupation could total $300 billion over the next decade. As a measure of the Bush administration's priorities, it has spent about $3 in Iraq for every $1 going to homeland security. More here. ... A group of libertarian-minded Republicans in Congress is blocking the president's effort to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act, which he has made one of his top domestic priorities this year. More here. ... E&P editor Greg Mitchell suggests that newspaper editorials strongly consider advocating a phased U.S. pullout from Iraq, or at the minimum begin a "healthy debate" on the subject. He cites a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll in which 47 percent of respondents said they favored withdrawing some or all troops; the figure was 37 percent a month before. More here.
SPJ national update IV: It's not all bad news; court-marshalled; when outsourcing's OK; and journalists are dying. Actor Gary Sinise and "Seabiscuit" author Laura Hillenbrand founded Operation Iraqi Children to give Americans a means to assist the Iraqi people. The Web site is well-developed, the smiling faces seem light years removed from Abu Ghraib, and goodness knows the need is real. More here. Meanwhile, a year after the bombs began to fall, Iraqis express ambivalence about the invasion of their country but not about its effect: Most say their lives are going well and have improved since before the war, and expectations are high. See here. ... In a lawsuit filed May 10, the AP, The Hattiesburg (Miss.) American and writers Antoinette Konz and Denise Grones accuse the U.S. Marshals Service of violating the journalists' constitutional rights by seizing their tape recorders during a speech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. More here. ... Until recently, the fund-raising and vote-seeking campaign for the Republican Party was done partly out of India. Between May 16, 2002, and July 22, 2003, HCL BPO Services -- the 100 per cent-owned subsidiary of Shiv Nadar-promoted HCL Technologies -- had 125 agents working in seven teams soliciting financial contributions. See here. ... The death toll for journalists working in Iraq hit 30 on May 7 after two reporters were targeted and killed by gunmen. More here.
SPJ national update V: It's indecent!; no, it's not!; you suppose it's politics?; and GAO says administration broke the law. Strip club owners are asking patrons to fill out a voter registration form -- and then vote against the president. "It's not to say our industry loves John Kerry or anything like that," said Dave Manack, associate publisher of E.D. Publications, which publishes Exotic Dancer magazine. "But George Bush, if he's re-elected, it could be very damaging to our industry." More here. ... Despite threats to crush perceived indecency on TV and radio, odds are better than 50/50 now that Congress won't do anything this year. There may not be enough working days left to remove hurdles stalling the legislation, which would hike indecency fines to $1 million. See here. ... Justice Department officials recently said that they're awarding $47 million to law enforcement agencies to hire police officers. Funny, President Bush just proposed cutting the budget for the program, known as Community Oriented Policing Services, by 87 percent. Then Health and Human Services says it's giving $11.7 million in grants to help 30 states provide coverage for people without health insurance. But Bush proposed ending the program in each of the last three years. More here. ... The General Accounting Office said May 20 that the administration violated federal law by producing and disseminating TV news segments that portray the new Medicare law as a boon to the elderly. The agency called the videos "covert propaganda" because the government was not identified as the source of the materials. More here.
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PEOPLE & PLACES
Lindsay Houghton of TCU and Rachael Campbell, Abilene Christian U., have received the Greater Fort Worth PRSA 2004-05 student scholarships. A junior from Fort Worth, Houghton completed an internship with Witherspoon and Associates last fall. She is president of the TCU PRSSA chapter. Campbell, a junior from The Colony, is a member of ACU's PRSSA chapter and interned last summer with EDS in Plano. The scholarships are funded by donations the chapter makes on behalf of the monthly luncheon speakers. ...
Jerrod Resweber has been promoted to account supervisor in the Dallas office of Weber Shandwick Worldwide, managing communications projects and staff on the American Airlines account. Since joining the agency in 2000, he has coordinated a 16-city sponsorship of the Komen Race for the Cure, launched a traveling museum exhibit on space exploration in Seattle, Wash., and generated national media attention for a statewide public awareness campaign on sexual assault in Texas. ...
UTA's Renegade (Vol. 1, No. 1) was named Best Magazine, theshorthorn.com was named Best Online Newspaper, and The Shorthorn placed second in the Best Newspaper category in SPJ Mark of Excellence judging announced last month in San Antonio. The publications and staffs garnered 20 awards, representing the work of Brandon Wade, David Ortez, Mark Roberts, Sanjeev Datta, Danny Woodward, Demond Reid, Angel Verdejo, Kim P. Jones, Britney Tabor, Jon Cromer, Amy Bombassaro and Melissa Reilly. ...
