PRSA national update: Membership has its privileges. Fort Worth members have access to more than 50
live and on-demand webinars offered throughout the year, at no cost. Participating in just one a month
represents an annual savings of nearly $2,000. Get information on a range of
topics reflecting best practices, cutting-edge techniques and measureable
results.
PRSA local update II: Give a student fits. UTA PRSSA needs professionals to critique résumés and portfolios, conduct mock interviews and participate in panel discussions
at the annual “Find Your Fit” program, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, in the University Center on
the UTA campus. Contact Katy Kiger, 817-965-0398, or Mallorie Anderson, 817-727-1113.
PRSA local update III: This month in PR history. 1964: The Beatles landed in the United States for their first U.S. tour. In 1968 they
got back to the U.S.S.R. ... 1861: Texas became the seventh state to secede from the Union, over the objections of
Sam Houston, a staunch Unionist. The governor predicted an “ignoble defeat” for the South and grumbled that legislators were “stifling the voice of reason.” He sat in silence while the vote was taken. The next month, when he refused to
take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, he was removed from office. ... 1887: Harvey Wilcox, a wealthy real estate investor, registered Hollywood with the county recorder.
Wilcox, who had polio as a child, envisioned a Christian utopia devoid of
alcohol and other vices. By 1900 the town still had a population of only 500,
and movie theaters were prohibited. But in 1911, in an unused roadhouse on
Sunset Boulevard, the first Hollywood movie studio opened. About 20 minutes
later, the first publicist arrived.
PRSA local update IV: ReachLocal marketing director Mike Merrill will emphasize the importance of "Personal Branding in the Age of Social Media"
at the Dallas PRSA meeting Thursday, Feb. 9. Register here.
Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas update: The known travel expense bills for Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential aspirations security detail now exceed $800,000. These are
expenses Texas taxpayers likely will end up paying, not Perry or his campaign.
But Perry “is governor no matter where he goes, and the Department of Public Safety has a
policy of providing security for governors and their families everywhere they
travel, as they have back several administrations,” spokeswoman Lucy Nashed told the Austin American-Statesman. “These policies are determined by DPS and not the governor’s office.” The DPS predicts the price tag could go higher “as more unpaid invoices from vendors and reimbursement claims from troopers get
settled.” ... April 6 is the deadline for Monson Award nominations. Sponsored by the
Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Texas Press Association, the
award recognizes journalists and newspapers for efforts that uphold First
Amendment principles, increase public access to government, and improve
awareness of state open government statutes. The award is named in honor of
former FOIFT executive director
Nancy Monson, who retired in 2001 after nearly two decades of service. Info here. ... A victory for open government? Maybe. FOIFT and Austin attorney Bill Aleshire asked the State Library and Archives to extend the length of time records are kept, proposing a return to the retention schedule in place in 2009. The library
board asked its staff to bring back a proposal that may split the difference,
requiring two years for local and state routine/operational correspondence and
four years for state and local policy/program correspondence. FOIFT says this
would be a much better policy than what’s currently in place. FOIFT acknowledges the cost associated with preserving and
archiving what actions governmental entities engage in at taxpayers’ expense but sees a greater value in preserving the details of daily government
that transpire behind the open curtain of public scrutiny.
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