eChaser: October 2009 / p3

best lesson learned in PR Believing in your organization or client is key. If you think the business is valuable or can be personally engaged in at least some of its causes, you’ll convey more enthusiasm and creative ideas that will be contagious when promoting it to external stakeholders. I left a business whose employees I really liked because I could not embrace its enterprise. I also stayed with one organization most of my career because I thought its services were important. Likewise when I made the move to the T, I felt that public transportation is essential.

advice to a new PR pro Don’t hesitate to seek insight from veterans in your field. I was thrust overnight from writer and newsletter editor at a state agency to interim public information officer with no experience in public relations. I immediately sought direction from senior PIOs with other agencies who seemed flattered and more than willing to advise a newbie on news conferences, media relations and other public outreach. Thanks to these mentors, I not only gained the permanent PIO position but also unexpectedly discovered that public relations would be a great career fit.

trade secrets Refrain from sending widespread news releases on items that have little news value. If your management insists, suggest other types of outreach or find an angle for a specific trade publication. If still required, then tie your non-news into something else that is newsworthy. This helps maintain the credibility of your professional organization, coupled, of course, with timely response on outside breaking news that may impact your organization or client.

favorite movies Any movie that is akin to a good read. Recent favorites are “Julie and Julia” and “Moon.” Most any film at the Angelika, Modern, Magnolia or Inwood where I also enjoy the atmosphere. I belong to a fun movie group with in-theater viewing followed by discussion over dinner.

hobbies Traveling is a passion, even short road trips. I enjoy action, including swimming, walking, hiking, cycling and winding down with a news magazine, novel or movie. I also race around for two months each year trying to view all the nominated films prior to the Oscars.

this much I know Quality control for communications vehicles is a must because they reflect your organization. Accurate, grammatically correct, typo-free communication is something that can usually be managed. It’s when I’m too rushed or multitasking that errors invariably occur, so when possible, I try to carve out extra time to focus on fact-checking and offline proofing.

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Andra Bennett House, APR, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

Green‘s my favorite color. Huge green elephant ears sway in the breeze outside my home office window as I write this, bringing peace to my work. My affection toward green extends to the ink on U.S. currency. Having that kind of green brings peace of mind, too.

Can those two greens live in harmony? As more environmentally friendly initiatives come on the PR scene, how do we implement programs that are relevant to our customer and measure the return to our company/client? Find out at the next PRSA luncheon, Oct. 14, as panelists Brian Boerner, Tom Burke and Chris Smith share how the public and private sectors are working to steward our precious environment, communicate these efforts to the public, and bring a positive return to a company.

We’ll also be handing out some green. Your GFW PRSA has established a scholarship fund for outstanding PRSSA students at ACU, TCU and UTA. Will Moore, ACU; Katie Pool, TCU; and Kathelin Buxton, UTA, each will receive a $500 check at the October luncheon.

Finally, let’s hear it for Diane Rhodes Bergman, APR, for achieving her accreditation status from PRSA national. Diane will receive her APR pin and $100 from the chapter’s Jim Blackmore, APR Memorial Scholarship Fund. The fund was established last year in memory of Blackmore’s PRSA legacy in Fort Worth-Dallas and is awarded to GFW members who achieve accreditation.

Chapter members, your annual dues fund these important local awards that elevate the status of our profession and help support fellow members and students. Please join us in October at our annual meeting for the luncheon program, presentations and elections.

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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Cheryl Hart, IABC Fort Worth

It’s accreditation month at IABC. What does that mean to you? IABC’s accreditation program is the global standard of professional achievement for organizational communication practitioners. Our accredited members around the world apply the same strategic communication management process in all communication disciplines, across diverse cultures, in small and large organizations, and in for-profit and nonprofit entities.

The program challenges candidates to demonstrate their knowledge of strategic communication planning, implementation, measurement and ethics, and requires that their work be evaluated by their peers. Candidates who meet the requirements earn the designation Accredited Business Communicator (ABC).

Oregon IABCer Tom Unger, ABC, says that any communicator who is goal-oriented, self-motivated and takes pride in his accomplishments should seek accreditation. “Accreditation identifies you to your co-workers and fellow communicators as a professional in your field,” he says, and that’s so true.

IABC’s accreditation program is your gateway to advancing your skills. Anyone interested in accreditation or learning how to build a solid strategic communication plan to implement any upcoming project (think IABC’s Bronze, Silver or Gold Quill) should not miss our half-day seminar this month, “Create a Strategic Communications Plan: A How-To Workshop.” More about the workshop on p. 1.

Now is the time to show your employers and peers that you have what it takes to bring enhanced credibility to your organization, that you understand effective communication practices and can communicate strategically. Visit our web site for details or go to iabc.com/abc for facts on the accreditation program.

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OVER & OUT

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

It was Paul King who volunteered to take any and all SPJ members and their families and friends out sailing on the night of the summer social at Eagle Mountain Lake. Unknown to many, it was Paul who brought the extra beer and ice that made the July heat tolerable and those parties extra special. He was an Aggie accredited in green building techniques, hard-working but easy-going. He loved his family and Texas music, kept his promises and could make anyone laugh. He loved sailing, yes, he did, and he loved Gayle Reaves, with whom he shared his life for 23 years. SPJ lost a good friend Aug. 24 when Paul died after a long struggle against cancer. He was 53. ...

Save two dates: Oct. 9, reception for new SPJ national president Kevin Z. Smith in Paul and Harriet Harral’s home, 2102 Pembroke Drive, 6 p.m. (more on p. 1), and Nov. 14, multimedia workshop for professionals in the new TCU Convergence Center. Your SPJ chapter is at full throttle; if you’re not on board you’re missing some fine times in the dining car. ...

SPJ national member Jennifer Peebles of texaswatchdog.org — a hit at our First Amendment Awards and Scholarship Dinner in April — received the Capitolbeat 2009 John Aubuchon Freedom of Information Award for pursuing ethics disclosures from state legislators and then posting them online with an interactive map. Capitolbeat celebrated its 10th anniversary this year as the nation’s only professional group devoted to state government journalism. ...

The White House recently enacted a policy to disclose visitor logs, an action that, while limited, is a move toward more openness in government. SPJ advocates for greater transparency in government, believing that the openness fosters the accurate, ethical and fair practice of journalism required for a well-informed citizenry to exist. Visit the web site to learn more about SPJ’s freedom of information efforts.

Closing words, a division all his own for retired Brig. Gen. Tom Daniels of Fort Worth: “Something’s wrong in Arlington. Something’s wrong in Austin. And something’s wrong in America. ... Now our country chooses a black man as president — and suddenly, the governor is talking about secession? And Arlington is boycotting the president? They won’t even let children see him in school? ... [after Sept. 11, 2001] Look how united we were! Now — look how we’ve squandered it. We’re hollering at each other now. We hate each other. ... I talk to military guys all over the world — white, black, brown. They’re asking, ‘If it was unpatriotic to talk this way about the last president, isn’t this unpatriotic?’ They’re concerned. This is nothing but open, unabated racism. Nobody’s saying that. All I know is, the black guy wins, and suddenly these nuts are out there on TV and radio preaching to long-haul truck drivers all over the country. Somebody needs to start talking back. Where are the moderates in the Republican Party? Where are the people like George [H.W.] Bush who made sense? They’re letting the nuts lead them around by the nose. When is somebody in Arlington or Austin going to stand up to these people? ... [on Arlington schools refusing to show President Obama’s address to schoolchildren yet initially planning to bus fifth-graders to hear George W. Bush at a Super Bowl event at Cowboys Stadium] I’ve always called Arlington a true all-American city. I love the parks. I love how they stuck their neck out to get baseball and football. But now they’re one of the few cities in America boycotting the president’s speech? That’s wrong. ... [on Gov. Rick Perry] He’s Air Force. He should be ashamed. I’m ashamed of him. Even for a campaign, it’s [Texas leaving the U.S.] the wrong thing to talk about. That’s not our Texas. We love our country. We’re not going anywhere. We don’t believe in secession.” — Bud Kennedy’s Sept. 11 Star-Telegram column; Daniels flew missions in Vietnam and served in the Pentagon under the first President Bush; he called Bud a couple of weeks after the column ran, and they compared death threats they had received over it