eChaser: December 2008 / p3

NEW MEMBERS

SPJ ... Joshua Welch, TCU

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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Laura Van Hoosier, APR, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

What a time! As my tenure as GFW PRSA president ends, I look back with pride and fond memories. Every project your chapter leadership undertook this year reflected passion, commitment and excellence. How gratifying to be at the helm with such an exemplary cast of achievers.

We had a year full of education and jumped head-on into learning everything we could about the new media opportunities. We now have a chapter blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter presence. Our chapter donated countless hours giving back to our community and our profession with four service projects. We will also be a part of this month’s JPS book benefit.

Receiving PRSA national’s Chapter Diversity Award was a major highlight, and the “Champions of PRSSA” honor from national underscored our support of the TCU, UTA and ACU PRSSA chapters (we awarded three scholarships this year to students at those schools). Texas Wesleyan is now establishing a PRSSA chapter, too.

We established a special interest group for those working with nonprofits, and another is forming for social media efforts. We made APR prep a focus when we established the Jim Blackmore, APR Memorial Scholarship. The PRSA Southwest District liked the idea so much, its board established a similar program this fall.

I have been in PRSA for almost 11 years and have made lifelong professional and personal friendships. I have been blessed to serve alongside personal heroes, and the organization has provided so many opportunities to learn and grow. I encourage all of you to join a committee or workgroup. Here’s the e-mail: abennett@fortworthchamber.com. Do it. You’ll be glad you did.

A hearty thank you to these 2008 directors and committee chairs for all they do to make GFW PRSA a good place to be: Lisa Gail Barnes; Andra Bennett House, APR; Tom Burke, APR; Lauren Burkett; Allyson Cross; Donna Darovich; Mary Dulle, APR, Fellow PRSA; Richie Escovedo; Nancy Farrar; Marc Flake; Barbara Griffith; Sajata Hale-Williams; Joan Hunter; Linda Jacobson, APR; Dan Keeney, APR; Lara Kohl; Lauren Kwedar; Bill Lawrence, APR, Fellow PRSA; Sarah McClellan-Brandt; Stacey Mensik; Stephanie Mitchell; Carol Murray, APR; Nancy O’Malley; Kelly Owen; Jerrod Resweber; Margaret Ritsch; Susan Schoolfield, APR; Heather Senter, APR; Kelly Shafer; Kim Speairs, APR; Lisa Starnes, APR; Jahnae Stout; Paul Sturiale, APR; Glenda Thompson; and Cindy Vasquez. Next time you see them, tell them how much you appreciate their work.

Let’s all invite a colleague to join us for our holiday luncheon Dec. 10, when we’ll recognize the 2008 board and committee chairs as well as present a few key awards. And be sure to save Feb. 27-March 1 for the Best of the Southwest Communicators Conference in Frisco, presented by the Texas Public Relations Association and the PRSA Southwest District.

Thanks again, everyone. I wish you the very best of the season.

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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Betsy Deck, IABC Fort Worth

I am expecting my first child at the end of December and will be out on maternity leave for the next couple of months. I want to thank the IABC board members for the wonderful job they are doing this year and the great job they will continue to do. President-elect Cheryl Hart will get her feet wet early and bravely step into the role of president during my absence. Cheryl, thank you for all of your help!

We had a great meet-up in November at Pappadeaux in Arlington. Great food, great company, great networking. Special thanks to organizer Pam Huff.

We’re taking December off, but not before spending some time with our communicator counterparts at the JPS book benefit Wednesday, Dec. 3, at Coors. IABC is working hard to make your Christmas shopping easy and fun. We have gathered gifts ranging from tickets to ICE 2008 at the Gaylord Texan, to museum packages, to a private tour at Chandor Gardens. See you Dec. 3

Our monthly luncheons resume in January with “Mailing Tips and Tricks for the Layperson” from GM Direct. Either side of that, I promise to overload eChaser editor John Dycus with baby pictures for publication. That sounds like prime newsletter material to me!

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OVER & OUT

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

A true American patriot has died, but thankfully America’s most dangerous librarians are going strong. Meet the courageous upholders of liberty who fought the USA Patriot Act — and won.

Sarasota, Fla., fan and UTA Shorthorn ex Debra Morrow found twisted mirth in the Longmont (Colo.) Times-Call asking staffers to work a private Christmas party honoring Ed Lehman, in his 51st year as publisher, and his wife, Connie. Dean Lehman, the paper’s editor and president (and Ed’s son), says valets will come in handy because many of the guests are elderly and may need a little help — just like small-market journalists in a struggling economy. So why not give Times-Call employees the chance to earn extra cash as Christmas approaches? Editor Lehman says the valets will earn the same hourly pay as at their newspaper job. Different day, different location, the entire Times-Call workforce is invited to a catered sit-down luncheon. Presumably, writes Romenesko corresponsent Michael Roberts, there’ll be no need for valet parking there. Meanwhile, Fort Worth reader John Wallace took no delight in this. If Chris Matthews were a real journalist, maybe he’d understand why. ...

Turn to the Center for Public Integrity for the best journalism going these days. Its PaperTrail investigative blog promises to build on the center’s 19-year history of more than 400 investigations, ranging from the Bush administration’s 935 false statements leading to the Iraq war, to the Clinton White House’s selling of the Lincoln bedroom, to the report Perils of the New Pesticides that reveals that so-called “safe” pesticides, used in thousands of consumer products, accounted for more than 26 percent of all fatal, “major” and “moderate” human incidents in the United States in 2007, a 300 percent increase over the last decade. The center has conducted investigations into the environment, public health, public accountability, federal and state lobbying, war profiteering and financial disclosure. When the head of the once-mighty Associated Press merits a job offer from the McCain campaign, you get your real reporting where you can. ...

How’d they do it? The Times Union of Albany, N.Y., increased its combined print and online audience by 9 percent for the six months ending in September, according to data filed with the Audit Bureau of Circulations. The paper says it is in the top 10 of all U.S. dailies for readership growth. Mark Aldam, Times Union publisher: “We committed ourselves to increasing our customer base in print and online during the past three years at a time when most media companies began cutting back and focusing exclusively online.” Wonder if he’d like to buy the Star-Telegram.

Closing words: “I’m for morality, but morality goes beyond sex to human freedom and social justice.” — Billy Graham, who turned 90 on Nov. 7 ... “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” — Mark Twain ... “God is a comedian, playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.” — Voltaire