SPJ national update V: A wounded soldier sees hope; observers go on chad watch; wait, he's one of us; a VP for all the people; and $6 billion worth of secrets. Sgt. Chris Beard suffered shrapnel wounds to his face, back and spine, but he has joined a coalition of Americans and Iraqis who emphasize the improvements being made in the country. More here. ... International observers will monitor the U.S. presidential election in November. Secretary of State Colin Powell made the request. More here. ... The revelation that U.S. officials exposed a mole within al Qaeda after Washington launched its "orange alert" in early August shocked security experts, who say outing the source may set back the war on terror. See here. ... People hoping to attend Dick Cheney's late-July rally in Rio Rancho, N.M., had to sign an endorsement for President Bush to receive passes. See here. A couple of days later in Arizona, a rally organizer asked Teri Hayt, the Arizona Star's managing editor, to disclose the race of a photographer assigned to cover the event. "It was such an outrageous request, I was personally insulted," Hayt said. "Because she has Indian ancestry, were they going to deny her access?" Mamta Popat was allowed to photograph the rally. See here. ... OpenTheGovernment.org, a coalition of watchdog and civil liberties groups, reports that during the 2003 fiscal year, the federal government spent more than $6.5 billion securing classified information -- a nearly $2 billion jump since 2001 and still only a best guess, since the figure doesn't include data from the CIA, which keeps even its overall budget classified. See here and here.
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PEOPLE & PLACES
Former Greater Fort Worth PRSA chapter president Mary Dulle, APR, has been elected to the PRSA College of Fellows and will be inducted along with 18 others during the 2004 International Conference next month in New York. Of 20,000 PRSA members worldwide, only 430 have been designated fellows. Dulle, director of strategic corporate communications for Alcon Laboratories, serves on the boards of the Better Business Bureau of Fort Worth and Fort Worth Sister Cities International and recently completed terms on the boards of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., Jubilee Theatre, Stage West and the Berkeley Neighborhood Association. She is a member of the North Fort Worth Historical Society and a past president of IABC/Fort Worth. ...
Euless has earned a 2004 Environmental Vision Award from the Tarrant County Corporate Recycling Council for its recycling program started with grant funding in March 2003. The grant project was written and implemented by Lori De La Cruz, Euless' communications/marketing manager at the time. De La Cruz now owns a marketing and environmental consulting firm, Blue Marble Media. ...
Envision Works has launched a free newsletter, The Inspirer ("Eight Essential Rules to Follow When Developing a Brochure" "Want Your Print Ad to Stand Out?" "Entice Your Customer to Read Your Mass Email Campaign"), and Lauren Cleveland is happy to send it to you. She's at (817) 283-0101 or lauren@envisionworks.org.
Kudos & contracts ... Print Magazine chose Jennifer Hart's Star-Telegram Sunday Arts/Nasher Sculpture Garden section front as one of the top publication designs of 2003. The entry was chosen from among 20,000 and will appear in the magazine's Regional Design Annual 2004. ... The Star-T's Danny Robbins was named print journalist of the year and Tom Pennington photojournalist of the year at the Houston Press Club's 2004 Lone Star Awards. Overall, the paper won 27 awards in 19 categories on work by Mitch Schnurman, Jen Friedberg, Jill Johnson, Joyce Marshall, Sharon Steinman, Paul Moseley, Karen Brooks, John Gutierrez-Mier, Mary Rogers, Ken Parish Perkins, Jim Reeves, Jennifer Floyd Engel, Ian McVea, Tim Madigan and UTA Shorthorn exes Linda P. Campbell and Michael Currie.
Kudos & contracts II ... Rucker Performance has chosen InterStar Marketing & Public Relations to promote the company's custom motorcycle products nationally. Rucker Performance builds high-end bikes, notably the Assassin, which company founder Bill Rucker debuted last month at the nation's largest bike show in Sturgis, S.D.
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GET A JOB
A growing technology company needs a media relations manager in Dallas. Among other qualifications, candidates must have at least four years in PR with at least two years in technology; enterprise software experience, especially CRM; and a bachelor's degree. Salary $50,000-$75,000, plus options. E-mail résumé in Microsoft Word format to mlcoyle@sbcglobal.net. ... The Community News, a weekly paper in Aledo, needs a copy editor for an hour a day, Monday-Friday. The person could log in from anywhere to do the work. Contact managing editor Jonathan Sampson, (817) 441-7661 or jsampson@community-news.com. ... Eisenberg and Associates seeks a freelance copywriter with experience in human resources for a global manufacturing client. Must be familiar with employee benefits, executive compensation, diversity issues and insurance. Contact Robert Huckels, roberth@eisenberg-inc.com, or Melissa Jewel, melissaj@eisenberg-inc.com. ...
Michael & Partners Public Relations in Addison is restructuring and looking to hire. Health care and/or technology experience preferred. "I really enjoy it here -- there are so many fun, talented people. Hopefully we'll have some new fun, talented people join us soon!" writes account exec Lindsay Reed. Contact her at 16775 Addison Road Atrium at Bent Tree, Suite 550, Addison 75001; (972) 716-0500, ext. 33. ... PHPR, Inc. seeks a three- to five-year PR veteran, part time or full time. Requirements include degree, excellent writing and management skills, HTML and Microsoft Office proficiency, and flexibility to work with "a small, energetic, agile team on projects across many industries." No e-mailed résumés. Contact Paige Kelly Hendricks, 1253 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth 76104; fax (817) 924-2312. ...
The Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce seeks a communications specialist. A bachelor's degree in journalism, PR, marketing or related field is preferred, with at least two years experience. Must be fluent in the full range of publishing and web software. Salary $28,000-$32,000. Send résumé to Mary Frazior at maryfrazior@heb.org. ... The TXU media relations internship is designed for juniors or seniors interested in working in a fast-paced corporate communications department. TXU's communications staff won PR Week's Crisis Communications Team of the Year award in 2004 and was a finalist for Corporate Communications Team of the Year. Contact Kimberly Morgan, (214) 812-7581, kmorgan@txu.com. ...
A Global 500 consumer package goods company seeks a PR director, PR manager and promotions managers on the marketing team for its North American food and beverage business. Preference will go to Hispanic and other minority candidates, with bilingual and/or multicultural experience desirable. The search firm, SPANUSA, has been recognized for its placements, including Brandweek's 2003 "Marketer of the Year" and "Best Hire of the Year" at Columbia House's Latin entertainment division. More at spanusa.net, or call Jim Szurek, Jr., (312) 828-9229.
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NEW MEMBERS
SPJ ... Brent Wistrom, Wichita Falls Times Record News ... Crystal Glasgow
