eChaser: September 2009 / p2

PRSA local update III: Twenty GFW PRSA members are needed to judge the Keystone Awards from Central Pennsylvania PRSA and the Totem Awards from Puget Sound PRSA. It’s fun to see what colleagues are doing around the country, and the judges surely will get at least one replicable idea from the entries (plus a little food and beverage action for their time). Judging counts toward maintenance points for APRs, plus the chapter will receive cash stipends from the chapters being judged. Judging for the smaller competition (Pennsylvania) will be 4-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at Immotion Studios, and for the larger competition 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Fort Worth Chamber. Contact awards chair Lauren Burkett, loburkett@gmail.com.

PRSA local update IV: Presenters on the latest PR tools, techniques and trends are needed for Oklahoma City PRSA’s professional education conference, “Your Network Is Your Net Worth,” April 15-17. Breakout sessions and general session keynotes will run 60 minutes, plus there will be one 90-minute breakfast keynote. Deadline for presentation proposals is Oct. 15. The proposal must include a title, the topic, a description (200 words maximum) and three learning objectives. Include a 100-word biography and a list of previous speaking engagements, and send to derinda@okstate.edu. Some 250 practitioners from across the PRSA Southwest District (Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas) are expected to attend. More here.

PRSA local update V: 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.

PRSA local update VI: Now through Oct. 31, new members who join PRSA national online or by mail/fax for $290 ($225 dues plus $65 initiation fee) will receive the first year of chapter membership for free. Lapsed members of one year or longer who rejoin national by mail/fax/phone (not online) for $260 ($225 dues plus $35 reinstatement fee) get their first chapter year free. More here.

PRSA local update VII: A panel of pros — Linda Leavell, dallasnews.com; Steve Lee, APR, QuickSilver Interactive Group; Christina Baily-Byers, APR, SMU; and Gail Chandler, APR, Texas Instruments — will take a close look at emerging ethical issues in the profession at the Thursday, Sept. 10, Dallas PRSA monthly luncheon. Info here.

SPJ national update: You don't see newspapers fighting to open court proceedings the way they used to. ... Stars and Stripes continues to report on the military's profiling of embedded reporters. The latest articles show that officials did use the profiles to determine whether and where journalists would be placed. Officials had repeatedly denied that the profiles were used to rate reporters or deny them assignments, the newspaper reported. More here. ... A New York district court judge ruled Aug. 25 that the Federal Reserve Board must provide records identifying financial firms that received bailout money. The Feds refused to provide the records to Bloomberg, saying that if the public knew which companies took loans, that might shake confidence in those companies. More here.

SPJ national update II: The Association of Health Care Journalists and SPJ have asked the Obama administration to end the practice of federal agencies forbidding staff people from speaking to reporters without being monitored by the PR office. The j-groups argue that this is censorship since staff routinely convey only the official story when they are tracked by their bosses. More here. ... Check out which cruise ships and cruise lines have the most sickness outbreaks through data provided online by the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC Vessel Sanitation Program enables a search of outbreaks and inspection records by ship or cruise line going back to 1990.

SPJ national update III: Saving newspapers requires hiring, not firing, journalists. ... Report: Only 3 percent of newspaper reading is done online. ... Newspapers are holding their ground or even advancing in a couple of areas, like the push to wring more money out of print. Now they’re successfully chasing local advertising with technology and ad inventory from Yahoo. The Yahoo newspaper consortium has sold nearly $50 million in Yahoo inventory so far, according to estimates. More here.

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PEOPLE & PLACES

Donna Darovich has been promoted to interim executive assistant to the Tarrant County College chancellor.

Bob Schieffer, CBS News chief Washington correspondent and moderator of “Face the Nation,” will address the annual Outstanding Citizen for Seniors award dinner Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Ridglea Country Club, benefiting Senior Citizen Services of Greater Tarrant County. More here.

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GET A JOB

Partners Together for Health, the foundation for JPS Health Network, needs a couple of interns for a few negotiable hours a week, PR or journalism majors who would help with writing proposals and marketing collaterals, researching resources for grants, and stewardship tasks such as correspondence follow-up and special events. Partners’ Janet Neff: “Don’t know that we have any money but will feed the help!” A business major also is sought to intern for the accountant. More from jneff@jpshealth.org. ...

Parker County Today and Hood & Somervell Today seek fresh freelance writers and photographers. “We’ve got some great people, but we’re always looking for more,” says managing editor Darren White. “For the right person it’s a chance for some great clips and some good work.” Send résumés and clips to darren@communitymg.com.

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