eChaser: February 2012 / p3

GFW PRSA Member Spotlight

when I was a little girl For a while I thought I was going to be a beautician. I wanted to be a teacher, too — I’ve always enjoyed reading.

and I used to watch A show called “Captain Kangaroo.” I liked all the characters, especially Mr. Green Jeans and Dancing Bear.

now I like to watch I’m really into all these forensic, cop and law shows like “Body of Evidence” and “Criminal Minds.” I’m not sure what that says about me.

the worst job I ever had When I was 4 or 5, I would dust the whole house for a nickel or a dime. At the time I thought it was a great deal, but looking back I know it wasn’t exactly the path to economic security.

the worst PR disaster I ever saw There was a political person in Austin, in line for a position, but she never graduated from college (only about three hours short). When her résumé was questioned, she didn’t admit it was wrong, but she rode into it head-on. The story drug on all through the weekend and into the next week. Perhaps if she had admitted it and apologized, she could have quietly finished her coursework and eventually resumed her political career.

if you are trying to get started in PR Make sure you get as many experiences as possible. Maybe you’re not great with graphics or web design, but if you have the opportunity, you should work with those people because the more you know, the more places you can land. Jumping in and doing stuff is always the best way, especially when you’re a student. Then when you say, “I didn’t know,” people are more sympathetic.

in my free time One of my favorite things to do is read. I’m not a big novel reader or anything — a lot of my reading is related to my church, Mount Olive Baptist Church in Arlington. I’m heavily involved in the teaching ministries, so it will be things like Dr. Tony Evans and Evelyn Christenson.

a local restaurant we all should try Oliver’s Fine Foods. They have everything from a sandwich to a four-course meal. I tried it over the holidays, and it was very good.

the Kat Smith catalog ...

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Allyson Cross, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

I am so pleased to announce that GFW PRSA will host its first local awards program — the Worthy Awards — in 2012. Make sure to attend our Feb. 8 luncheon for detailed information on categories, deadlines and how to enter. A 6 p.m. mixer Thursday, Feb. 16, at WineStyles in Montgomery Plaza will reveal more tips from awards program chair Margaret Ritsch, APR, on best practices for submitting an award “worthy” entry.

Our February luncheon will feature two local PR pros, Gigi Westerman, APR, and Mark Brinkerhoff, as they present information about Silver Spur-winning campaigns for Tarrant County Public Health and Mockingbird Station, respectively. You will want to hear what made these submissions leaders in the Silver Spur competition.

We’re looking for sponsors for our awards program and monthly luncheons. Contact Rita Parson at rita.parson@tccd.edu. I look forward to seeing you Feb. 8 and 16 — and also to hearing about the amazing work you produced in 2011 through the Worthy Awards.

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OVER & OUT

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

Broadcast journalists and print journalists working in Texas or Oklahoma — SPJ Region 8 — or whose work is used by news organizations in those states are eligible (verily, are encouraged) to enter Fort Worth SPJ’s signature competition, the First Amendment Awards. Entry postmark deadline: March 1. The awards will be presented Friday, April 13, at Cacharel in Arlington at the 9th annual First Amendment Awards and Scholarship Dinner. For everything you need to know, start here. ...

Maybe thoughtful observations like this are why Texas Monthly named state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-District 14 (most of Travis County and all of Bastrop County) one of Texas’ 10 best legislators in 2009. Watson’s “A Sobering Snapshot of Texas Schools” should be mandatory reading. ...

Students writing for their school publications are eligible for three prizes, all cash, in the College Columnists Scholarship Contest sponsored by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. The winner also will attend the NSNC conference in Macon, Ga., May 3-6. Info here, past winners here. Star-Telegram Watchdogger Dave Lieber founded the contest 14 years ago. ...

Good work, Gayle Reaves-King, for shepherding the well-attended and critically received Conflict Zone exhibit at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, an eye-opening compilation of war photography. Thanks, Jackie Spinner (formerly with The Washington Post, now teaching journalism at Columbia College Chicago), for organizing the traveling exhbit. Thanks, American Society of Media Photographers, especially Jason Janik and Robert Hart, for providing refreshments at the opening-night reception. Thanks, Tom Pennington, Sig Christenson and Staff Sgt. Joel Chaverri for speaking at the reception. Photographers from across the Metroplex were there; Erich Schlegel came up from Austin, Christenson from San Antonio. Thanks, everyone who supported the exhibit underwriter, the Independence Fund, by buying a raffle ticket for the photo print, buying a t-shirt or just making a donation. This raised about $250. “Where’s my ‘like’ button?!” Christenson e-mailed. “I, too, thought the exhibit came off well and noticed that a lot of people stopped and took long looks at those photos. Perhaps photographry is the one sure way to get Americans to re-engage on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, their costs and implications for all of us. I know that days later, I am still seeing some of those photos in my mind’s eye.” That was the whole idea. ...

Deadline is March 16 to seek the Molly National Journalism Prize ($5,000 for the winner; $1,000 for two honorable mentions), sponsored by The Texas Observer. Submit an article or series of related articles/columns telling the stories that need telling, challenging conventional wisdom, focusing on civil liberties or social justice, and embodying the characteristics of Ivins’ work. ...

Loyola Law School, Los Angeles is accepting applications until March 5 for its 7th annual Journalist Law School fellowship, a crash course May 30-June 2 on civil, constitutional and criminal law taught by law professors, jurists and attorneys. Fellowships will be competitively awarded to 35 journalists and will cover instruction, lodging, meals and half travel expenses. More than 200 reporters, editors and producers have completed the program since 2006. More here or from Brian Costello, 213-736-1444 or 310-902-9560. ...

SPJ’s Ethics Committee is preparing a series of position papers on points addressed in the Code of Ethics. The newest explainer: checkbook journalism. Other topics in the coming months will be catalogued on the position papers page. ... Applications are due March 15 for the SPJ Reporters Institute, a hands-on training program for journalists in their first three years of work. This year’s RI will take place June 10-13 at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. Cost is $300 plus travel. More from Heather Dunn, 317-927-8000 ext. 204.

Caught my eye. Clean energy executives say grid parity without subsidies could be just three years away. ... Best emissions are zero emissions: Dearman engine runs on liquid air. ... Fueling extinction: How dirty energy drives wildlife to the brink. ... House backer withdraws Web anti-piracy bill. ... SOPA and PIPA protests could save online publishing and the jobs that depend on it. ... Obama administration rejects Keystone oil pipeline; Cornell study says won’t create 100,000 jobs, but Boehner forges ahead. ... Nebraska rancher: Obama Keystone decision shows ‘courage.’ ... Gulf Coast residents still sick from BP oil spill. ... Why is illegal immigration dropping? ... The broken dreams of Obama’s presidency. ... Tax on newspaper sales is America’s worst tax idea. ... Amazing map purports to shows every tree in the United States. ... Tennessee Tea Party demands slavery be removed from textbooks. ... The sneakiest anti-environment moves by House Republicans. ... Scientists say world attention on wrong climate pollutant. ... Northern Ireland’s SeaGen tidal turbine gets environmental approval. ... New material shown to remove CO2 from smokestack effluent and other sources. ... Biologically inspired design: How sunflowers could reshape solar power. ... Sex education in Texas public schools: progress in the Lone Star State. ... Audit finds that many natural gas pipelines in Texas are not inspected. ... City windmills enable clean energy and unique advertising opportunites.

Closing words: “Here’s how it goes: I’m up at the stroke of 10 or 10:30. I have breakfast and read the papers, and then it’s lunchtime. Then maybe a little nap after lunch and out to the gym, and before I know it, it’s time to have a drink.” — author E.L. Doctorow on his writing routine ... “Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” — one of the definitions in H.L. Mencken’s “The American Language,” his attempt to catalog uniquely American phrases and idioms

Closing words II, effusions of grandeur division: “Moses, he tried to talk God out of making him go lead the people. He wasn’t a good speaker. Now from time to time I can relate to that.” — Texas Gov. Rick Perry as he campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination in South Carolina