eChaser: August 2008 / p2

SPJ national update II: The EPA is telling its pollution enforcement officials not to talk with investigators, reporters and even the agency’s own inspector general, according to an internal e-mail provided to the Associated Press. The June 16 message instructs 11 managers in the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, the branch of the agency charged with making sure environmental laws are followed, to remind their staff members to keep quiet. “The clear intention behind this move is to chill the cubicles by suppressing any uncontrolled information,” said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (web site slogan: “Protecting Employees Who Protect Our Environment”), which obtained the e-mail. More here. ... User-generated content has been buzzed about in magazine circles for years, but editors have largely been reluctant to turn over pages from their shrinking folios to readers. Now a magazine is taking the concept to its extreme: a 100 percent user-generated issue. More here.

SPJ national update III: An Indian company will take over copyediting duties for some stories published in The Orange County Register and will handle page layout for a community newspaper at the company that owns the Pulitzer Prize-winning daily. Mindworks Global Media, based outside New Delhi, says on its web site that it provides “high-quality editorial and design services to global media firms ... using top-end journalistic and design talent in India.” More here. ... The Adult Internet Market Research Co. reports that numerous web sites focused on erotic material experienced a sales boost after the economic stimulus plan checks started appearing in millions of Americans’ mailboxes. “Many of the sites we surveyed have reported 20 to 30 percent growth in membership rates since mid-May when the checks were first sent out, and typically the summer is a slow period for this market,” said AIMRCo’s Kirk Mishkin. More here.

SPJ national update IV: Gov. Linda Lingle signed Hawaii’s shield bill into law June 2, providing new legal protection for journalists asked to disclose their sources and newsgathering materials in state courts. Hawaii becomes the 36th state to offer a shield for journalists. More here and here. ... Student editors at Armstrong-Atlantic State University’s newspaper filed suit against the Savannah, Ga., university, saying it slashed the paper’s budget in retaliation for critical coverage. In March the paper’s budget was cut 27 percent while other student organizations received consistent or increased funding. SPJ sent a letter opposing the budget cuts but did not immediately hear back from the university. More here.

SPJ national update V: The World Association of Newspapers is hitting back against critics who argue that newsprint is headed for the graveyard. It has composed ads aimed at rectifying “the absurd and damaging claims” made about print’s “imminent demise.” It is inviting papers from across the globe to proclaim “the true facts about our dynamic industry.” More here. ... For all the gloom in the newspaper industry, total readership — including web site visitors — is increasing, according to Mediamark Research and Intelligence, which found a 2.1 percent increase in audience size to 80.6 million between spring 2007 and spring 2008. The survey was performed in the top 100 media markets and includes unduplicated online readers, counting each person who reads both newspapers and online just once. More here.

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PEOPLE & PLACES

An opportunity to give back. PRSA member Drenda Witt is helping put together a PR/marketing advisory committee for Camp Fire USA – Fort Worth. Half a dozen professionals are needed for guidance in PR/marketing initiatives and to advise on implementation. The group will meet three to four times a year, and some meetings could be via conference call. E- drendawitt@tx.rr.com. ...

Five interns are jazzing up the place at the Hondo Group this summer —

Sara Facundo, Tara Kuykendall and Jessica Lo in the Fort Worth office and Travis Balinas and Amanda Lawson at the Darlington, Wis., location. Facundo is a senior marketing major at UNT; she previously interned at DFW International Airport in the public affairs department. Kuykendall is a senior at the University of Central Oklahoma, pursing a BBA in marketing, while Lo is a TCU senior majoring in international communications with an emphasis in advertising/PR. Balinas is a senior at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he is studying life science communications with an emphasis in business. Before joining Hondo, Balinas created his own internship at Starbucks focusing on increasing productivity and drive-through efficiency. Lawson is a junior at Drake University majoring in marketing and human resources.

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