A message from Andra Bennett House, APR

Hello, fellow PRSA members!

The 2009 Board and chairs are busy making plans and ready to serve you and the Greater Fort Worth Chapter next year.

Would you like to serve on the board with us? I am in need of a dependable PR chair. That’s right! Need a PR person for PRSA. How much better exposure can you get!?

Nutshell Job Description:

1. Send chapter news to newsletter editor, website editors and local print media (about 5 e-mails).

2. Do this once a month.

Skills required:

1. Sending e-mails.

2. Attending a 1-hr. monthly board meeting as often as you can.



My most valuable relationships with PR peers are those I have made in my years on the GFW chapter board. If you’re interested in serving in this position, please contact me.



Andra Bennett, APR

President-Elect / VP Membership Chair

Greater Fort Worth PRSA

abennett@fortworthchamber.com

It is time to start putting together your entries for the TPRA Silver Spurs Awards

Find out all the details by clicking below:
http://www.tpra.com/awards/

2009 Newsletter/PR Chair position available with GFW PRSA board

Are you a great writer? Enjoy working with the media? Please contact GFW PRSA President-Elect Andra Bennett House, APR if you are interested in this volunteer chair position for 2009, and she can give you all the details. abennett@fortworthchamber.com or 817-336-2491, x 265

Thank you!

Putting Ethics into PR Practice

This post first appeared in The Saltlick blog by Linda Jacobson, APR

After listening to Doug Newsom, grande dame of public relations, speak about the ethical situations in which a public relations professional can become mired, I was surprised to hear her tell of how she resigned a position because she was asked to do something unethical. And in her words, she had four children to support at the time. The show-and-tell of that kind of moxie is really needed so that those of us in the public relations profession understand that, where the stakes are high, resigning just might be the appropriate action.

Newsom delivered several powerful lessons from her 40 years' experience at the Nov. 13 Greater Fort Worth/Dallas PRSA meeting. Chief among them:

1. Stand your ground. When dealing with senior execs, more than likely you're dealing with strong opinions and strong personalities. You have expertise in your field - expertise that the CEO counts on hearing.

2. Understand the culture of the corporation. As Newsom pointed out, when it comes to communication, companies range from closed to open. Know where the company/client falls on that continuum, and decide if your personal values fit that culture. If not, you'll likely encounter some conflicts when sensitive issues arise.

3. Adhere to an ethics model. She specifically discussed a utilitarian model, which supports decision-making of doing the greatest good for the greatest number, or a communitarian ethics model, which stresses morality in the community and being a good "corporate citizen." She mentioned Mitch Land's book, Contemporary Media Ethics, which I highly recommend. Land and co-editor Hornaday present multiple case studies of PR ethics problems, considering them from both perspectives, so the reader can see the difference in the two models.

Newsom also discussed two likely ethics dilemmas with the audience and then stuck around to answer questions.

Her message, so needed in today's transparent world, was timeless and a good reminder to anyone in the communications business.

When is the 2009 PRSA Southwest District Conference?

February 27 - March 1, 2009


Best of the Southwest
Communicators Conference
Presented by Texas Public Relations Association and PRSA Southwest District

MORE INFORMATION IS HERE:
http://www.tpra.org/2009convention/

WHERE: Embassy Suites-Dallas/Frisco Hotel, Convention Center & Spa - Frisco, TX

SAVE THE DATES!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Best of the Southwest
Communicators Conference
Presented by Texas Public Relations Association and PRSA Southwest District
February 27 - March 1, 2009
Embassy Suites-Dallas/Frisco Hotel, Convention Center & Spa - Frisco, TX