SPJ national update III: Close enough for government work, it's hard to find good help, and a big juicy burger to go. In the first year of war in Iraq, the military made 18,004 medical evacuations, the Pentagon's top health official told Congress on March 30. The data, through March 13, is nearly two-thirds higher than the 11,200 evacuations through Feb. 5 cited the previous month by the same official, William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. More here. ... About one in every 10 members of Iraq's security forces "actually worked against'' U.S. troops recently in Iraq, and 40 percent more quit due to intimidation, the commander of the 1st Armored Division says. On April 5, for example, an Iraqi battalion of several hundred soldiers refused to join Marines in an offensive in Fallujah. Before the uprising, America spent $1 billion to recruit, equip and train some 100,000 Iraqi police, soldiers and civil-defense personnel. More here. ... The U.S. Department of Agriculture has pressured its veterinarians into falsifying documents for 20 years, former agency veterinarians told UPI. "We signed export certificates almost daily ... without ever verifying their accuracy," said Tom D'Amura, a veterinarian who spent 12 years with the agency before leaving in 2000. A current USDA veterinarian and an attorney representing federal veterinarians recently made similar charges. More here.
SPJ national update IV: The flag-draped reality of war, what price conscience? and the defectors' defective tips. The Pentagon lost its control over the images of coffins returning from Iraq as about 350 pictures were released under the FOI Act and The Seattle Times published a photo showing more than 20 coffins in a cargo plane about to leave Kuwait. The picture was taken by military contractor Tami Silicio, whose employer, Maytag Aircraft, then fired her and a co-worker, David Landry, whom she recently married. "I'm happy the picture is out, but it broke my heart when I found out she lost her job," said Times photo editor Barry Fitzsimmons. Managing editor David Boardman: "The administration cannot tell us what we can and cannot publish." Silicio told Editor & Publisher: "The newspapers have opened my eyes to what that picture meant for everyone in the nation. I didn't realize how censored the United States has been on what's going on in Iraq." More here and here. ... A senior Australian defense adviser says she was fired because she refused to write media briefing notes that lied about the threat of exotic weapons in Iraq. In an April 11 interview with the Herald Sun in Melbourne, Jane Errey said she took leave rather than peddle propaganda about Iraq. More here. ... Much of the information that newspapers printed based on tips from Iraqi defectors prior to the 2003 war was false, according to a lengthy report by Knight Ridder's Jonathan S. Landay and Tish Wells. The journalists obtained a June 26, 2002, letter from the Iraqi National Congress to a U.S. Senate committee that listed 108 articles based on often-fabricated information provided by the INC's "Information Collection Program," which the United States funded. More here.
SPJ national update V: At least they waited an (in)decent interval, that'll stop those pesky questions, and out of the loop? what loop? Twenty-four media groups and performers on April 19 asked the FCC to reconsider its ruling against NBC for violating decency standards. NBC filed a separate petition seeking to overturn the decision, which found that the network had run afoul of federal decency standards by broadcasting a single vulgarity by the singer Bono during a live Golden Globe Awards show in 2003. The actions were formalities for a court challenge. More here. ... Student journalists from Iowa State U., the University of Iowa and Des Moines Area Community College were not allowed to cover President Bush's April 15 visit to Des Moines. They were left off the approved list, although DMACC reporter Mike Allsup said the paper faxed credential information to the White House press office a full day before the due date. More here. ... Journalist Bob Woodward on April 20 rebutted denials by administration officials and the Saudi ambassador about who knew what and when they knew it concerning plans to invade Iraq. Woodward writes in his book "Plan of Attack" that the Saudi ambassador to Washington was told of the plan two days before Secretary of State Colin Powell was. Woodward says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney told Prince Bandar bin Sultan in a meeting Jan. 11, 2003, using phrases such as "you can take it to the bank ... this is going to happen" and "he [Saddam Hussein] is toast." More here and here.
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PEOPLE & PLACES
TCU grad and Amarillo native Mindia Whittier has joined the Fort Worth Zoo as marketing director. She previously was communications director at Medical Center of Arlington and worked at the zoo from 1995 to 2002 in a variety of positions, including communications manager. ... UTA and University of Washington in Seattle grad David Sims has joined Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations as senior art director. He previously was senior art director for Carter & Burgess. ...
At UTA, The Shorthorn won the top award, Sweepstakes, in Texas Intercollegiate Press Association competition this spring, and Renegade won best magazine. Shorthorn and Renegade staff members Josh Taylor, Danny Woodward, Brad Rollins, Tiffany Murphy, Demond Reid, Mark Roberts, Michael Roger, Brandon Wade, Ryan Hartsell, Cory Wells, Lisa Evans, Jessica Felkel, Amber Tafoya, Beth Francesco, Steven Morris, Missy Saunders, Amy Bombassaro, Melissa Reilly, Barry Roges, Will Thorne, Marisa Alvarado and Brandon Guidry took home 32 TIPA awards. ...
Winners at the Star-Telegram. Carolyn Poirot's story "Operation Bizarre" was recognized for excellence in health news communication in the 2004 Anson Jones, MD, Awards competition. She won over 110 entries. ... Linda P. Campbell won a Gavel Award from the State Bar of Texas for her editorial series on medical malpractice. Judges deemed the entry "an outstanding example of fostering public understanding of our legal system." ... Environmental reporter Scott Streater is a finalist in the Investigative Reporters and Editors contest for a series he did for the Pensacola News Journal that documented how radioactive water had been piped to thousands of Florida residents for years even though authorities knew of high amounts of radium in fountains at an elementary school, an airport, government offices and the visitors welcome center. Streater also will attend the invitation-only Nieman Foundation for Journalism Environmental Conference at Harvard University on May 13-15. ... Ellen Schroeder has just returned from the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism's Cities, Suburbs and Beyond seminar at the University of Maryland. ...
The Star-Telegram's Diario La Estrella became the first Spanish-language daily to win first place at the Texas APME awards. Delia Jalomo won first place for feature page design, and Richard Gonzales won in general column. ... The Star-T's coverage of the American Airlines concessions saga last spring was one of three winners in breaking news in Society of American Business Editors and Writers competition. The story covered the day when flight attendants approved concessions after voting had been extended for a second day; Trebor Banstetter also broke a story that day about American's executive pension trust, which quickly set off a controversy that led to Don Carty's resignation. SABEW's national conference is May 2-4 at the Renaissance Worthington.
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GET A JOB
The Dallas Examiner has immediate openings for a news designer/graphic artist and freelance news writers. Hours for the designer are mostly 9 a.m.-6 p.m., except on production day. Must be skillful with QuarkXPress on the Macintosh, Illustrator, Photoshop and Word; experience in copy editing helpful. Prefer someone with 3-5 years experience, but will train a talented designer with limited newspaper time. Freelancers should be based in the Dallas area, love hard-news reporting and be able to get the "down and dirty details" of City Council and school board meetings or who would be the new Dallas police chief. Send résumé and samples to executive editor (and UTA Shorthorn ex) Sharon Egiebor, The Dallas Examiner, 1516 Corinth Ave., Dallas 75215, phone (214) 428-3446. ...
The University of North Texas marketing office needs a senior editor. Required: Three years of professional writing experience at a newspaper, magazine or college/university and a bachelor's degree preferably in journalism or English, or an equivalent combination of experience, education or training. Organizational and multitasking proficiency and competence in spelling, grammar, punctuation, AP style, Word and Excel. Higher education experience, advertising/marketing experience and Spanish proficiency are preferred. Send résumé and cover letter to UNT Human Resources Office, attn: Employment, P.O. Box 311010, Denton 76203-1010. ...
