eChaser: February 2009 / p2

IABC local update: Facebook has come to IABC Fort Worth. It’s worth a visit just to learn where Patrick Grady landed.

IABC local update II: Once upon a time, all things digital were considered the exclusive domain of men. Not, of course, anymore. Mitch McCasland with Moroch Partners will help illuminate how marketers reach today’s tech-savvy women at the next Dallas IABC luncheon, Tuesday, Feb. 10. Register here.

IABC local update III: IABC is partnering with Ithaca College to present online seminars for communication professionals moving into management. The two-week sessions begin on a Wednesday and end on a Tuesday and are scheduled consecutively. A certificate in Strategic Communication Management is awarded upon completion of any four of the nine seminars, ranging from “Strategic Planning” and “Designing and Modeling Communication Systems and Infrastructures” to “ROI and Beyond” and “Needs Analysis and Performance Consulting.”

IABC local update IV: Now available at the IABC Store (members only): “The Complete Guide to Integrated Change Communication: Best Practices for Major Announcements,” 2nd ed. Get real-world tips, templates and samples to teach best practices for announcing change to staff, clients, media, local government and others. Included are customizable templates, press releases, a manager’s checklist, communication critical path and communication updates for employees.

PRSA local update: It’s all about the membership. The first membership promotion of 2009 runs through March 31 and features an offer to join PRSA national for $290 and receive a first-year chapter membership free (the cost covered by national). ... PRSA’s affinity programs for members — insurance, shipping, car rentals, business/office products and a credit card that benefits the PRSA Foundation — are being enhanced. Office Depot and FedEx discounts, as well as the Bank of America (formerly MBNA) credit card, are already in place; details are on the Member Benefits page of PRSA national’s web site. ... Groups of 10 or more company employees can receive special membership rates for the first year, along with other benefits, including the ability to transfer membership to another employee. Contact Malia Moore at membership@prsa.org for information.

PRSA local update II: Meet the 2009 Board of Directors and leadership team: president, Andra Bennett, APR; president-elect/membership, Tom Burke, APR; programs VP, Carol Murray, APR; treasurer/sponsorships, Allyson Cross; treasurer-elect, Linda Jacobson, APR; secretary, Terry Morawski; directors, Joan Hunter, Richie Escovedo and Lauren Kwedar; assembly delegates, Laura Van Hoosier, APR, and Dan Keeney, APR; and a passel of committee chairs — accreditation, Lisa Starnes, APR; awards/scholarships, Lauren Burkett; bylaws, Daryl Wagoner; community service, Cindy Vasquez; job bank, Jerrod Resweber; newsletter/public relations, Donna McLallen, APR; nominating, Laura Van Hoosier, APR; diversity, Glenda Thompson; hospitality, Lara Kohl; student liaison, Jahnae Stout and Mary Dulle, APR; professional development, Lauren Kwedar; ethics and Southwest District Conference, Margaret Ritsch; online and Social Media SIG, Richie Escovedo; Education SIG, Holly Ellman; Health Care SIG, Christy Jones; Independent Practitioners SIG, Paul Sturiale, APR; Masters SIG, Andrea Helms; Nonprofit SIG, Diane Bergman; Nu Pros, Lacey Douglas; and Presidents’ Council, Kim Speairs, APR.

PRSA local update III: Press credentials for non-press professionals — they’re kicking the idea around on the GFW PRSA blog. Feel free to join right in.

PRSA local update IV: How does the media deal with social networking? Is it a threat or a tool? Travis Hudson, alternative distribution editor at The Dallas Morning News; Adam McGill, online editorial director for D Magazine and its FrontBurner blog; and Mike Orren, publisher and founder of Pegasus News, will engage in a red-hot discussion of the latest trends at the Dallas PRSA meeting Thursday, Feb. 12. Info here.

SPJ national update: In one of the most important movements in years regarding freedom of information, President Obama on Jan. 21 reversed the Ashcroft memo by instructing federal agencies to err on the side of openness when interpreting the Freedom of Information Act. Soon after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft instructed agencies to err on the side of secrecy and said he would support them if they wanted to keep something closed to the public. That memo reversed the general previous policy that records are open unless the government can prove they should be secret by law. More here. ... The Iraqi government wanted to require foreign and Iraqi journalists to sign a code of conduct in exchange for permission to attend last month’s provincial elections, raising concerns among media analysts that independent coverage could be undermined. Iraqi authorities said the goal was to ensure fair coverage and to prevent the distortion of facts in a politically charged environment. More here.

SPJ national update II: Barney Kilgore on saving newspapers: “My father used to say it is a mistake to cut off the cat’s tail an inch at a time. Doesn’t help the cat.” More here. ... If a St. Louis news outlet wins a Pulitzer Prize in April, it may not be the Post-Dispatch, The Riverfront Times or any other print publication. It might be the online-only St. Louis Beacon. Launched just last year, The Beacon is one of at least five web-only news outlets that plan to take advantage of a new Pulitzer rule allowing online sites to enter. Likely there are many others. The rule stipulates that the sites must produce original work and “publish” at least weekly. They also cannot be connected to magazines or broadcast outlets. More here. ... Small, rural newspapers will get multimedia boost through a project at West Virginia university.

SPJ national update III: Big gains among top 30 newspaper web sites. ... Here’s how to cover local elections. Give a bunch of bright j-students two weeks to fan out across the city and come back with multi-platform stories on issues as diverse as creating bike-only roads, spending almost $30 million on a dog pound and treating the city’s sewage. This is what the first-year students in the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of British Columbia did for their final big assignment of the semester. The stories were published a few days ahead of Vancouver’s local elections Nov. 15 in the student publication, TheThunderbird.ca. More here. ... A New Jersey newspaper shuns the web, and thrives.

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PEOPLE & PLACES

Former Davey O’Brien Award recipient Don McPherson will keynote SafeHaven of Tarrant County’s Legacy of Men Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the Fort Worth Club. Now a social activist, McPherson has become one of the nation’s leading educators regarding men’s violence against women. Also at the breakfast, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten will accept the first Legacy of Men Award for his speaking out about domestic violence. Witten started the SCORE Foundation, which funds male mentoring programs in domestic violence shelters across Texas, including SafeHaven’s Arlington site. More from Michelle Karr at 817-535-6462, ext. 101, or mkarr@safehaventc.org. ...