January 2015
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MEETINGS
No meeting this month, but stay tuned — website, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn — for info on the great things coming in 2015!
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Looking to 2015 and Beyond
It’s full speed ahead advancing the 2015 strategic plan. The year’s first meeting will offer a detailed look at the various elements. Chapter
president Michelle Clark, APR, will facilitate discussion. If you’re a member, it’s your plan. Know it, live it, share it.
But first you have to hear about it.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13 (one day earlier than usual)
Cost: chapter members $25, national members $30, nonmembers $35, students $20;
walk-ups add $5
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Wheels are turning. Phone calls are being made.
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STRAIGHT STUFF
James Gaskin writes books, articles and jokes about technology, and he consults with those
who don't read his books and articles. He has published 17 books (15 technical,
one technical humor, one Texas humor) and thousands of articles and reviews,
which makes him a specialist on “Tech for Writers: Tips, Tools and Tricks to Produce and Promote Your Words” — his presentation at the January Writers’ Guild of Texas meeting, 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26 (fourth Monday this month only),
at the Richardson Public Library. More on the Writers’ Guild of Texas at
writersguildoftexas.org.
IABC local update: Melissa Flynn PR & Marketing principal Melissa Flynn, APR, has nearly two decades of experience helping small and large
organizations plan for and manage crises. She will discuss "Is Your
Organization Prepared for the Unexpected?" at the IABC Dallas meeting Tuesday,
Jan. 13, at the Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson. Info.
PRSA local update: Meet the 2015 committee chairs: Julie O’Neil, advocacy; Vanassa Joseph, bylaws; Andrea Condori, digital media; Anthony Spangler, diversity; Brian Murnahan, ethics; Christy Jones and Skyla Claxton, community service (co-chairs); Tracy Greene, hospitality; Jerrod Resweber, job bank; Hope Caldwell and Nancy Farrar, Masters SIG (co-chairs); Claire Olson, newsletter/PR; Richie Escovedo, nominating; Jessamy Brown, Nu Pros; Kristen Escovedo, PR After Dark; Tom Burke, APR, Presidents Council; Megan Murphey, professional development; Rosalynn Vasquez and Andra Bennett House, APR, sponsorship (co-chairs); Emily Conklin, website; and Holly Ellman and Liz Heck, Worthy Awards (co-chairs). Jeff Rodriguez is chapter historian. Mindia Whittier serves as student liaison. Carolyn Bobo, APR, Fellow PRSA, heads the APR committee.
PRSA local update II: The TCU master’s program in strategic communication is accepting applications for 2015-2016
tuition waivers and graduate assistantships through June 1; professionals are
encouraged to apply by Feb. 15. Info here.
PRSA local update III: Congratulations were in order at the December luncheon as the Moncrief Cancer
Institute’s Liz Heck was honored as Greater Fort Worth PRSA’s 2014 Unsung Hero, and the Balcom Agency’s Lesley Dupre was named the chapter’s 2014 Rising Star. TCU junior Madison Oberg and UTA senior Stephanie Lowther received scholarships. Oberg said she seeks a career in public relations to give
a voice to those who do not have the means to speak for themselves. She hopes
to connect people who have resources to people in need and advocate for
individuals who deserve a better life. Lowther is president of the UTA PRSSA
chapter. She noted in her application for the scholarship how PRSSA workshops
and speakers help students grow professionally. An ad hoc committee from the
board reviewed the entries and selected the winners.
PRSA local update IV: Gigi Westerman, APR, Fellow PRSA, and Sandra Brodnicki, APR, each penned articles in “The Book of Content Marketing Strategies & Tactics,” recently published by PR News. The first edition features more than 45 articles
ranging from native advertising and live events to webinars and video to
content marketing for social media and visual storytelling. Info here. Westerman is president of Strategic Image. Brodnicki founded and runs
Brodnicki Public Relations.
PRSA local update V: Panelists Cathrine Hatcher (Personas ID) and Francesca Spinelli (Spinelli Co.) and moderator Laura Moore (LKTM Consulting Group) will explore “The Business of You: Reaching Your Highest Potential in 2015” at the PRSA Dallas monthly luncheon Thursday, Jan. 8, at Seasons 52 at NorthPark
Center. Info here.
PRSA local update VI: Immediate past president Richie Escovedo and chapter historian Jeff Rodriguez regaled the December luncheon with a year in review. It was a keen 12 months.
Highlights:
• The chapter was founded in 1986, so it has been advancing the public relations
profession for almost 30 years.
• It has 172 members, including 27 APRs.
• Monthly programs in 2014 spanned Lockheed Martin’s F-35 jet fighter and Lady Gaga’s hugely successful fan campaign and AT&T’s strategies for reaching out to the LGBT community.
• The Masters SIG met in April with Mayor Betsy Price and her chief of staff, Jason Lamers, in a memorable session. The mayor gave a highly animated narration of how to
connect with constituents.
• The Independent Practitioners SIG conducted three sessions, winners all — what an independent practitioner needs to be successful, how a design firm can
assist you, and the PR needs of small businesses.
• PR After Dark held two events: “March Madness Billion Dollar Tournament of Greatness” and a breakfast club meeting.
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THIS MONTH IN PR/MARKETING HISTORY BY JEFF RODRIGUEZ
An irreverent look at the people and events that keep us up at night
Word on the Street
Before Women Could Win the Right to Vote,
They Had to Win the Right to Protest for It
In real estate, location is everything. But that’s true in public relations, too, where being seen can be just as important as
being heard. On Jan. 10, 1917, a group of women gathered in front of the White
House to be seen and heard. Their objective was to protest for women’s suffrage, and they’re credited with being the first picketers at the nation’s Capitol.
Led by activist Alice Paul, the action was the latest step in a campaign to pressure President Woodrow Wilson and Congress to support the 19th Amendment, which would give women the right to
vote. The women’s tactic was bold and brilliant, so of course it was met with fierce opposition.
The “Silent Sentinels” protested peacefully, but even so, they were often harassed and even beaten.
Fortunately, the police were usually close at hand to make an arrest — of the men trying to protect the women.
Wilson initially ignored the women, but they appeared to be making headway. Then
in April of that year, the United States entered World War I; now the
protesters were considered unpatriotic, sometimes defined as “anything that questions U.S. foreign policy.” Their signs calling the president “Kaiser Wilson” probably didn’t help their cause.
In June, police began arresting the Sentinels. The women were charged with
obstructing traffic — no small feat, as they had been standing on the sidewalk. In July, 16 women
were arrested, convicted and sentenced to a hefty $25 fine or 60 days in
prison. The absurdity of the punishment stunned the public and created a new PR
headache for Wilson, who solved the problem by reluctantly pardoning the
protesters.
But it was a short-lived victory for the suffragists, and before things got
better, they got much worse. The beatings and arrests continued, and in
October, Alice Paul was arrested and sentenced to seven months in jail. The
conditions were appalling, prompting her to begin a hunger strike; prison
authorities responded by moving her to the psychiatric ward and force-feeding
her. In November, prison guards attacked and brutally beat a group of women
coming to the prison to protest. It proved to be something of a misogyny peak.
The atrocities abated, and by the end of the month, all of the protesters were
released.
Between the hunger strike, the violence and the continuing White House protests,
the newspapers had plenty of targets (all of whom could use a little PR!).
Finally, in January 1918, Wilson announced his support for the amendment.
Shrewdly, he described it as a “war measure” (though the suffragists might have had a different war in mind).
The House passed the amendment, but the Senate, then as now a murky chamber of
questionable intent, did not. It rejected the amendment in 1918 and again in
1919. In 1920, the amendment finally passed, but by a narrow margin. A critical
supporting vote was cast by a senator who reportedly changed his mind after
receiving a telegram from his mother.
Today, women’s suffrage is a given, and so are White House picketers. But the Silent
Sentinels must not be forgotten. Over 2 1/2 years, more than 1,000 women
peacefully protested, enduring verbal abuse, arrest and assault, picketing
every day and night except for Sundays (and during airings of “Orange is the New Black”).
They also added a critical piece to the public relations portfolio and,
significantly, scored a major victory for human rights. A small group of
dedicated individuals really can change the world. And if they have a good PR
strategy, they can change it even faster.
(Noted and quoted: Ever been asked, “What does a good PR person do?” Here’s one answer. In her congressional farewell speech, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann thanked her press director, who, she said, “keeps me from making the mistakes I am all too prone to make.” Yep, that sounds about right.)
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Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas update: The 2nd Court of Appeals ruled that the Tarrant Regional Water District did not
violate the Texas Open Meetings Act when it discussed a massive 149-mile
pipeline project that will bring water from East Texas to Fort Worth and
Dallas. Dallas businessman Monty Bennett sued TRWD in 2013, arguing that the board circumvented the open meetings law by
effectively making most of its decisions in two-person committees that the
board then rubber stamped with little public discussion. Bennett is fighting
TRWD’s attempts to use eminent domain to run a section of the pipeline through
property that his ranch surrounds in Henderson County. Details. ... A coalition of powerful business and real estate organizations is gearing
up to oppose any legislative attempt to require the mandatory disclosure of
sales prices of Texas properties.Texas is one of about a dozen states that does
not require such disclosure. Details. ... Greater Houston Partnership will terminate contracts with Houston, Harris
County and surrounding governments, worth about $1 million a year, to avoid
fulfilling public information requests. GHP president Bob Harvey said the group is terminating the deals “in part due to the misperception that we are somehow beholden to the government
agencies by virtue of these contracts.” GHP has been an integral part of Houston’s economic development strategy for at least 20 years. Details. ... Members of the press will continue to be allowed on the House floor in the
upcoming legislative session, but they will have to affirm that they do not
lobby, according to procedures adopted by the legislative panel that manages
operations of the Texas House. The normally routine credentialing of media
organizations received more scrutiny than usual after the conservative group
AgendaWise filed suit after being denied floor access in the last legislative
session. Details.
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PEOPLE & PLACES
The Daily Beast, a self-proclaimed “smart, speedy take on the news from around the world,” named Dallas Morning News consumer watchdog Dave Lieber’s Aug. 9 piece on the murder of his friend Penny Terk one of American journalism’s best columns of 2014. The DB intones: “Sometimes a column has the economy and rhythm of a short story. Dave Lieber
achieved that in his sketch of cold courtroom vengeance, signifying nothing: ‘He sits in a courtroom watching his trial for capital murder. I sit behind him.
He killed my friend.’ It is a love and hate story. Elmore Leonard couldn’t have done it any better.”
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GET A JOB
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times seeks a multimedia journalist to work in the
newsroom. Must have a journalism degree or equivalent experience. Create a
profile to apply. ... The Autumn Leaves Long Term Care senior assistance facility seeks to fill
a social media specialist, project manager – marketing and communications director position in the Fort Worth-Dallas-Irving
area. E- résumé to Roeshaun Murry, rmurry@lasallegroup.com. ... The Morning Sun in Pittsburg, Kan. (billed as a great college town with a
low cost of living), seeks a full-time community news reporter. Send résumé, cover letter and three clips (photos, too, if any) to anash@morningsun.net.
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NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS
SPJ ... Dorothy Bland ... Joe Stout, Lockheed Martin ... Rick Choate, The Dallas Morning News
PRSA ... Randy Armstrong, Hardin Simmons University ... Nathan DeWitt,
Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors ... Taylor Michelle Fernandez, Staffelbach ... Olivia Fissel, TCU ... Andrea Hein, TCU ... Clayton Root, EECU ... Kristin Sullivan, UT Arlington ... Elaine Cole, TCU Neeley School of Business ... Megan Murphey, TCU
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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Michelle Clark, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
As we shake off the dust of 2014 and embrace the promise of a new year, we begin
the process of goal-setting and charting a strategic course. We are fortunate
to have dynamic, diverse and accomplished officers and committee chairs, from
whom I expect tremendous things. They are already developing programs and
activities that will be relevant for our members.
But we can’t do it alone — neither the planning, nor the execution. We need your ideas, your energy. One
of my chief goals this year is to boost committee participation; I encourage
each of you to take ownership in the chapter and use your voice to help guide
its direction.
To that end, the year’s first luncheon program will let you do just that. On Jan. 13 your leadership
team will present its vision for 2015, and we covet your feedback. What have we
missed? What is most significant for you? Where do we go from here? (Note that
the date is a Tuesday rather than our typical Wednesday. You’ll notice more tweaks this year as we seek ways to increase attendance and
involvement.)
The lionhearted Helen Keller said, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do
something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the
something that I can do.” Never think your contribution too slight or your voice too faint. Together, we
will accomplish great things in 2015. I look forward to watching each of you
shine!
Speaking of lionhearted folks, immediate past president Richie Escovedo gets the last word today as he praises two of the chapter’s best and brightest. Take it away, Richie.
On Liz Heck, the chapter’s 2014 Unsung Hero, he writes: “Liz willingly shifted her volunteer service and role expectations when she
stepped in and took over the treasurer’s position early on in the year after the position was left vacant from a member
departure. She was my go-to source for chapter finances, having served in that
same role last year, plus she’s on track for continued chapter leadership as the 2015 VP of
membership/president-elect.”
And on Lesley Dupre, the 2014 Rising Star: “Lesley provided exceptional service to the chapter as this year’s digital media chair and sought ways to improve and amplify PRSA’s events and messages. We look forward to her continued leadership as she takes
on a new role in 2015 as secretary.”
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OVER & OUT
John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ
SPJ national has added a students community to its roster of outreach endeavors.
Info here. Questions? Ideas? Contact campus representatives Jordan Gass-Poore or Brett Hall. ...
The revered AP Stylebook Online now comes at a 20 percent discount, thanks to an
SPJ-Associated Press partnership. More here and here. Have your SPJ member ID ready when ordering (it’s on the label of your Quill magazine or on the SPJ website when you log in; or
just call the SPJ office, 317-927-8000). ...
Thanks to all SPJers who mobilized on Twitter urging Sen. Jay Rockefeller to lift his hold on the Freedom of Information Act of 2014. After a social
media blitz from SPJ, openthegovernment.org and other organizations, Rockefeller lifted the hold, but House Majority Leader
John Boehner failed to put S.2520 on the legislative calendar. The bill fell victim to
lobbyists, an unnecessary and unexpected hold in the Senate and jostling for
position with other House bills prioritized above it in the final hours of this
legislative session. It would have made government more open and accountable — things that are essential to a healthy democracy. Hopefully, sponsoring Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, and others who support open government will continue to fight for
FOIA reform. More here and here. ... Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck was right: Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made. How the Cornyn-Leahy transparency bill suddenly died in Congress.
Caught my eye. New York State bans fracking for good. ... Business as usual: EPA wants clean air, Republicans fight it all the way. ... Toiletry chemicals linked to testicular cancer. ... New solar-powered invention can make sea water drinkable. ... World’s first urban algae canopy produces oxygen equivalent of four hectares of
woodland every day. ... When life gives you jellyfish, turn them into paper towels and diapers! ... Navy powers model plane using fuel made from sea water.
Closing words: “I never said, ‘I want to be alone.’ I only said, ‘I want to be let alone!’ There is all the difference.” — actress Greta Garbo ... “I start in the middle of a sentence and move both directions at once.” — saxophonist John Coltrane ... “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of
the human race.” — H.G. Wells