eChaser: October 2011 / p3

Ethnic Coverage Called Not Much to Write Home About

by Jocelyn Tatum

What are the local media missing in ethnic news coverage? A lot. That was the consensus of NBC 5 reporter Susy Solis, activist and author Eddie Griffin and businesswoman Cindy Dao, all speaking at the September SPJ meeting.

Dao, chairwoman of the Asian Chamber of Commerce and the owner of three companies, gave the news media a “zero” for Asian-community coverage. One local Asian-owned company created 3,000 jobs, she said, but the owner received no attention from the press except for a blurb in D Magazine (thanks to the SMU business school).

Dao said the only positive coverage she ever sees is the stereotypical Chinese New Year celebrations with the dragons.

Her assessment was the harshest among the panelists. Griffin gave the media a C for local coverage of African-Americans and said that stories on the black community are usually negative. “It’s black coverage through white eyes,” he said.

Solis gave her own station a C. The only Latin voice at NBC 5, her moniker is “the people’s reporter,” and she said she isn’t afraid to go into Fort Worth’s dangerous neighborhoods to get a story.

Concerning Dao’s comments, Solis said that when something happens in the Asian community, like two boys drowning recently, reporters have few sources. She said she needs a “face” for the viewers to relate to. No face, no story. Dao noted that it’s Asian tradition to cherish privacy and to not say anything negative.

Solis said she works hard to pitch stories about minorities in her newsroom but they usually are never developed. She then may give the rejected idea to a friend at another station. When her producers ask, “Why didn’t we cover that story?” she tells them she tried to.

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BOOKS

“The Transition of a Country Boy: A Memoir,” by Ron Howell and Jean Weaver, records the memories of Arlington resident Howell throughout the pioneering days of the refinery, chemical and pharmaceutical industries in West and North Central Texas, when being a good softball pitcher was the fast track to a profitable career. Surviving polio and the hardships of the 1930s produced farm-boy Ron’s philanthropic heart, influential spirit and educational focus. However, his encounters with celebrities, the issue of mysticism vs. spirituality, his romances and unusual friendships and heartbreaking losses connect and conflict with a lucrative career and his intense struggles with elites and colorful associates. In stunning detail and peppered with humor and optimism, “The Transition of a Country Boy: A Memoir” reveals the triumphs and life-threatening risks in the infancy of the refinery and chemical industries, and the secrecy and competition surrounding the pharmaceutical industry. A limited number of copies were printed, but the book also exists in several electronic formats. It was written to be read, not to sell copious copies. Weaver, who has a long affiliation with SPJ, likely will send you one; e-mail her at jean.weaver@charter.net.

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PEOPLE & PLACES

Paula LaRocque will sign her new novel, “Chalk Line,” Saturday, Oct. 1, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble/Lincoln Park (West Northwest Highway) in Dallas. “Chalk Line,” her fourth book but first fiction, is a mystery set in the Fort Worth-Dallas area. More at paulalarocque.com. To see how much fun a Paula LaRocque book signing can be, experience UTA Shorthorn graduate Mei-Chun Jau’s sensitive, thoughtful photos here. ...

TCU grad Kelsey McDaniel has joined Fort Worth-based GCG Marketing as account coordinator. She previously was account coordinator at Jackson & Flagg Public Relations in Dallas, where she assisted with events and reported press coverage.

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NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS

SPJ ... Bert Shipp, A.H. Belo Broadcasting Corp. ... Stan Levenson, Levenson & Brinker PR ... Michael Vega, City of Fort Worth ... Kathy Cruz, Hood County News ... Barbara Sisk, University of North Texas

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PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Carol Murray, APR, Greater Fort Worth PRSA

Presenting professional development opportunities for organizations as diverse as ours is always a challenge. Topics that might appeal to someone just entering the business can be too basic for the seasoned professional who has been there, done that. And vice versa. The solution? Digital DFW 2011!

Greater Fort Worth PRSA is joining forces this year with Dallas PRSA to co-host its annual communications summit. The summit, Oct. 21 midway between us in Las Colinas, has a great track record for seminars and keynote presentations that appeal to our industry as a whole, complemented by breakout sessions to suit different interests and professional levels — a real win-win for both chapters. The summit will take the place of our chapter’s monthly luncheon.

I encourage you to learn more about Digital DFW 2011, read about the keynote speakers and breakout sessions, and join me and our Dallas colleagues as we take professional development to new heights. Register here.

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OVER & OUT

John Dycus, Fort Worth SPJ

She’s everywhere, our Rebecca Aguilar. ...

If you’re struggling with a journalism ethics dilemma or want to discuss a tough call you’ve had to make, contact the SPJ Ethics Hotline at 317-927-8000 ext. 208 or ethics@spj.org. Requests are directed to appropriate sources. Confidentiality will be honored. Read the SPJ Code of Ethics here. Speaking of which, the fourth edition of “Journalism Ethics: A Casebook of Professional Conduct for News Media” is organized around the ethics code and features 47 real-life case studies to demonstrate how journalists can identify and reason through ethical dilemmas. Order from Marion Street Press. Half the proceeds go to the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

Caught my eye. Obama administration abandons stricter air-quality rules; how the axed ozone regulations would have created jobs. … Cancer-stricken 9-11 firefighters denied health care coverage. … Two big victories for health care reform. ... End of the trail: What happens to Texas if the drought continues? ... Texas cut fire department funding by 75 percent this year. ... Pat Robertson’s marital advice: Divorce your wife with Alzheimer’s. ... Another reason to hate the Keystone pipeline. ... Researchers turn wastewater into ‘inexhaustible’ source of hydrogen. ... U.S. solar PV power grows 69 percent for second-quarter 2011. ... Republican debate fireworks: Perry doubles down on climate denial, Huntsman says GOP can’t run from science. ... 20-square-mile fake city to be built as technology test bed. ... Laptop becomes a stovetop with Electrolux mobile kitchen concept. ... Climate change beaches 20,000 walruses. ... Yale researchers discover source of signals that trigger hair growth. … Two-thirds of world’s biggest businesses now put climate change at heart of strategy. ... Nuclear experts say U.S. learned nothing from Fukushima. ... Tom Friedman on climate denying presidential candidates. ... Gorgeous tree house built without cutting a single branch.

Closing words: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.” — Robert Frost, who also said, “A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.” and, “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” ... “A high station in life is earned by the gallantry with which appalling experiences are survived with grace.” — Tennessee Williams, who also said, “Make voyages. Attempt them. There’s nothing else.”