eChaser: October 2009 / p2

PRSA local update II: UTA PRSSA is hosting a mixer at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at BlackFinn American Saloon in the Arlington Highlands to raise money to attend the national conference this fall in San Diego. A $10 donation covers appetizers and drink specials and opens a world of raffle-prize possibilities. Questions? Call Holland Sanders at 817-903-4979. The students also thank all who supported the chapter’s golf tournament, which raised $1,600.

PRSA local update III: President-elect Tom Burke is filling 2010 committee leadership positions. He exhorts thusly: “Committees are the backbone of the chapter. Chairing a committee or being a committee member helps enhance leadership and team skills. You also learn about chapter operations and expand your professional network.” To chair or serve on a committee, e- tcburke@us.ibm.com or call Burke at 817-980-7728.

PRSA local update IV: Congratulations all around! Carroll Burney is the new marketing and development VP at Girls Inc. of Tarrant County, and Diane Rhodes Bergman, director of marketing/PR for the Fort Worth Opera, has earned her accreditation in public relations. The APR designation is a mark of distinction for PR pros who demonstrate their commitment to the profession and to its ethical practice. For more on the accreditation process, contact APR chair Lisa Starnes, APR, at lisastarnes@texashealth.org.

PRSA local update V: GFW PRSA’s Dave Hogan, APR, spoke Oct. 2 on investor relations and social media at the annual conference of the International Association of Online Communicators in Washington, D.C. He is scheduled to address a Business Wire webinar on the same topic Oct. 29. Hogan teaches public relations at Abilene Christian University and also serves as director of investor relations and corporate communications for First Financial Bankshares.

PRSA local update VI: PR heavies Erica Iacono (PRWeek) and Sarah Skerik (PR Newswire) will join socially savvy author Joy Weaver, for starters, as highlights of Dallas PRSA’s 2009 Communications Summit: The Renaissance is NOW, Friday, Oct. 16. Expect roundtables (learn how the media like to be pitched, get to know editors) and sessions on networking, social media and creating conversations between clients, the media and diverse publics.

PRSA local update VII: Reminders. The new Social Media SIG is starting a mentoring program for one-on-one training/advice on how to professionally use blogging, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn and more. E- Social Media SIG co-chair Richie Escovedo, richie.escovedo@gmail.com, to be a mentor or mentee. Indicate which social media tool(s) interest you. And a job listing at dfwcommunicators.com could stretch your recruitment dollars. The DFW Communicators Job Bank lists full-time, part-time and internship positions in PR, media affairs, advertising/sales, event planning, graphic design, marketing, and corporate and employee communications throughout North Texas. Employers who are members of the participating organizations may post a job listing for $50; the cost for nonmembers is $75. Nonprofits get a 50 percent discount. Each posting runs three weeks. Greater Fort Worth PRSA receives a portion of the proceeds when a member marks his or her membership status on the submission form. More from Jerrod Resweber at jresweber@webershandwick.com.

SPJ national update: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press asked the Supreme Court on Sept. 4 to decline review of an appeals court decision that found the Freedom of Information Act requires release of images of alleged abuse of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan carried out by U.S. troops. The friend-of-the-court brief filed by the RCFP and 16 other news media organizations argued that the FOIA was properly interpreted and that the Supreme Court need not hear the case because the law is clear and settled. More here. ... On the Lou Dobbs watch: Ex-CNN reporter says Dobbs is embarrassing the network.

SPJ national update II: AP charts all the major newspaper bankruptcies. ... The Texas Open Meetings Act remains good law after withstanding a constitutional challenge by former city council members in Alpine, Texas, who asserted that it violated their rights to exchange e-mail messages discussing city business in secret. After four years of litigation, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Dallas (5th Circuit) dismissed the case as moot. More here.

SPJ national update III: The group editorial director of News Ltd, Australia’s biggest publisher, says the company is “very uncomfortable” with its journalists using Twitter to tell the news. In an interview with The Australian, Campbell Reid says: “It’s our belief that journalists who work for us who have news to tell should do so through the vehicles they are employed to supply material for.” More here. ... 10 things you need to understand to save journalism. ... Journalism still finding recruits if not profits.

SPJ national update IV: The price of information online. ... According to research by a Brigham Young University political scientist, people who closely follow both political blogs and traditional news media tend to believe the blogs more. Richard Davis reports this and other blog-related insights in “Typing Politics,” a new book published by Oxford University Press. “Blog readers still get most of their news from regular news sources, but they are concerned that they are not getting the whole side of the story there,” he says. “They suspect habitual bias in the traditional news content.” More here.

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PEOPLE & PLACES

The UTA Shorthorn is a finalist for the Pacemaker, considered the highest national award in college media. The award is for the 2008-2009 academic year, with Emily Toman and Joan Khalaf the editors in chief in the fall and spring, respectively. The Shorthorn is the only Texas newspaper from a four-year school on the Pacemaker finalists list; UTA last was a finalist in 2004. Winners of the award, given by Associated Collegiate Press, will be announced at the National College Media Convention, Oct. 28-Nov. 1 in Austin.

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