eChaser: June 2013 / p3

Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas update: Texans would gain greater access to the records and actions of their public officials under several measures supported by the FOIFT, approved in the 83rd Legislature and sent to Gov. Rick Perry. Electronic communications relating to official business would be accessible by law to the public, even if sent from a private e-mail account or mobile device. Contracts between a state governmental entity and a vendor involving the exchange or creation of public information would be made available to the public. The legislation, championed by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, codifies attorney general rulings into state law as part of the 40-year-old Texas Public Information Act. “When the law was originally written, there were no such things as e-mail and text messages,” noted FOIFT board member Laura Prather, a First Amendment attorney with Haynes and Boone. In other open government successes, lawmakers approved bills that would:

• Allow members of a governmental body to communicate in writing between meetings through a publicly accessible online message board without violating the Texas Open Meetings Act. (authored by Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin; sponsored by Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas)

• Encourage those who believe they were defamed in a publication or broadcast to come forward early to request a correction or clarification, thereby reducing any perceived damage and limiting the number of libel lawsuits.

• Clarify the existing appeals provision in the anti-SLAPP statute passed in 2011 that aims to protect whistleblowers, news reporters and individuals exercising their First Amendment rights to speak out about matters of public concern. The existing law allows the dismissal of frivolous court cases known as “strategic lawsuits against public participation.”

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PEOPLE & PLACES

Greater Fort Worth PRSA member Matt MacVeigh, a marketing and communications specialist for the UNT System Business Service Center, was named a 2013-2014 Fellow by the Texas Social Media Research Institute at Tarleton State University. The fellows program is designed for those who are conducting or wish to conduct research on social media issues. TSMRI provides resources for discovery, both applied and scholarly. Fellows work with TSMRI to connect social media to their research agendas. In addition to his professional position, MacVeigh is a doctoral student in the interdisciplinary information science program at the University of North Texas. ...

Students from Tarrant County College and TCU scored handsomely in Mark of Excellence judging announced at the SPJ Region 8 Conference last month in San Antonio. TCC’s David Reid took a first-place award and Bethany Peterson, Karen Gavis and Taylor Jensen a third place. This was the first year the MOEs were divided by school size and not by two-year and four-year, so TCC’s awards came against four-year universities. TCU’s Image Magazine (best student magazine), Ryan Osborne, Madison Pelletier, Landon Haaf and J.D. Moore all took firsts. Osborne, Haaf, Bailey McGowan, Lexy Cruz and Joey McReynolds all took seconds and thirds.

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GET A JOB

Want to work in Houston, New York or Washington, D.C.? Perhaps

Mexico City or Bogota? Journalism academics superstar (and former Fort Worth SPJ banquet speaker) Sree Sreenivasan has just the contacts for you.

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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Chris Smith, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

A couple of people let me know that thanks to job leads shared at the last meeting, they got interviews. A few of us also left grateful for tips given during table discussions on best practices in organizational video production and how web user analytics can improve websites.These benefits represent just a fraction of the value derived from being involved. They rank up there with knowing who’s who in our profession, observing the work ethic of those who volunteer in name only versus those who actually put in the hours, and sharing vendor experiences.

You can learn a lot about excellence from being around those who excel. A lot about character from those who honor their commitments. A lot about charity from those who help others in need. Have a work crisis? Chances are someone in the chapter has undergone a similar situation and is happy to give counsel. I’ve seen it happen.

Sounds corny, but colleagues can be like extended family. Lifelong friendships can occur, and I’m lucky that more than a few of our chapter members fall into this category for me.

Here’s the point. Professional development associations — in our case PRSA — offer an unparalleled source of personal and professional growth and camaraderie outside the workplace. Consider our program this month. Chip Hanna, Ali Lamb and Lesley Dupre are generously giving their time so everyone in the room can learn how to get the most out of new media and push beyond the traditional boundaries of public relations. Can you afford NOT to be there?

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OVER & OUT

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

Good work, Yamil Berard, Gayle Reaves and Kim Pewitt-Jones, securing

heavy hitters for the “Pulling Back the Curtain: Investigative Reporting from Parkland to Police” workshop Saturday, June 29, at UTA. Wouldn’t want these people investigating me. Dinner’s okay. ...

SPJ applauds the reintroduction of bills in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that would create protections for journalists who seek to keep their information sources confidential from prosecutors and attorneys. “I’m glad the subject is once again before Congress,” SPJ president Sonny Albarado said. “We’ll see whether Congress and the Obama White House can sustain the momentum once the embarrassment of the Justice Department’s trampling of the First Amendment fades.” The Justice Department and White House have been under fire for leaks investigations that involved tracking and monitoring Associated Press reporters and Fox News’ James Rosen. Albarado also issued a statement regarding the DOJ’s secret seizure of AP journalists’ phone records. More here and here. ...

Caught my eye. State Department Keystone XL approval linked to oil industry. ... More proof that bike lanes boost business. ... LG is building a washing machine that doesn’t use water. ... Tiny lithium ion battery is 2,000x more powerful and can charge 1,000x faster. ... IBM solar collector harnesses the power of 2,000 suns. ... Portable solar-powered outlet sticks to windows, charges small electronics. ... National Wildlife Federation: Dolphin, turtle deaths a sign of sick Gulf.

Closing words, bigotry never goes out of style, East Texas division: “When the state board tells you that you are supposed to teach the major religions and the beliefs of those religions, it’s then turned on you that you are promoting the Islamic religion because you taught students what the Islamic religion is.” — Mary Ann Whiteker, superintendent of the Hudson Independent School District, on the political witch hunt that gutted a curriculum tool, CSCOPE, that hundreds of the state’s school districts had been using to teach curriculum standards adopted by the State Board of Education