Progressive Dinner Adds New Twist to PRSA Colorado Networking Events

The Colorado Chapter of PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) has a problem. 

Oh, it isn’t a huge if-we-don’t-fix-it-now-the-chapter-will-go-under type of problem, but it’s an issue nonetheless and, unfortunately it’s something that lots of organizations face.

A lot of the events are really, really boring.  Seriously. 

Now I like going to bars as much as anyone and certainly understand the need to network, but even the most enthusiastic of us gets tired of the same ol’ same ol’ when it comes to hosting events.

That’s why it was so refreshing to be able to attend PRSA Colorado’s Progressive Dinner event last month.  And what an event it was.  For those who don’t know,  the progressive dinner is a sort of travelling party where each course of a dinner is hosted at a different venue.  In  this case, the group met for appetizers at Lime XS, walked to LaLa’s Wine Bar for a pizza main course, and then ended at Racine’s for a five course dessert tasting.  Each course was distinctly different but definitely delicious.

“We have really focused on coming up with new ideas for networking events that would draw members who might not have been attending events before.” said Heather Rule Grady PRSA Colorado’s Social Committee Chair.

An added bonus was having a representative from each spot talked with the group about how they were using traditional and social media to increase their business.  Not just tasty, but informative.

Kudos to Heather and everyone on the social committee for bringing new event ideas to PRSA Colorado. 

And don’t look for them to slow down.  The social committee folks are putting the finishing touches on a unique trivia contest that should not be missed.

I can’t wait to go.

This Explains Everything

I want this album.

I think I'd like this album

If you don’t know why this is funny, you really are missing out.

This might be my new favorite picture

What we do every night. Try to take over the World

Glad but Not Celebratory

Osama bin Laden has been killed.  Good.  I wish we’d got him a lot sooner.

But celebrating in the streets?

I wasn’t a big fan when people in the Middle East did it on 9-11 and I’m not a big fan now.

I’ll celebrate when Al Qaeda/Taliban/Hamas et al says, “You know?  Maybe we should rethink this whole ‘killing everyone in the name of Islam’ thing and try something a little less….violent.”

Some pets just like to learn

Take this capybara (or chiguire in Venezuela) for instance….

Now get back to your studies.  All of you.

Always love a good link/Getting Medieval

Thanks Ed!  I always appreciate the links.  Just so everyone knows, I still do write here.  It’s just that writing an article on the good/bad points of going to war in the Middle East, and who is or isn’t patriotic seems so…so….05.

So 1105 if you catch my drift.

This just makes me laugh

There are times when things just make you crack up and you have to share it.

This is one of those.

The good that will come out of the Journ-O-list scandal

I saw this post by Kenneth Anderson to non-JournoListers from Volokh by way of my daily Instapundit read and wanted to opine on the good that will come out of this mess.

Anderson writes that the J-List episode has made him question the motives of reporters, even those who he respects and may not even be part of the infamous list.   For these thoughts, Anderson feels a bit bad (yes, this is a paraphrase and if its not accurate, well, that’s how I read it).

As a long time reporter, I wanted to add a few points.

I think Anderson, and any person questioning the credibility of a “journalist,” shouldn’t feel one bit bad about doing so. Credibility is something a reporter must earn and must defend at every opportunity.

News gathering is the ultimate “what have you done for me lately” business.  It also serves one of the most important functions in society.  News gathering lets people know about, and give a window into, events going on around them that may effect them.  But it is a window and not a kaleidescope.  A reporter’s job is to as accurately as possible, describe the events they are sent to cover.  Will their biases color how they look at an event?  Certainly, but the reporter should take their biases into account when covering a story and put them aside.  It’s not that hard, really.

Good reporting comes down to this:  Report what you see, give everyone the benefit of the doubt until they give you reason not to, trust but verify, tell the audience everything, and let the chips fall where they may.  It’s not your job to affect an outcome.  It’s your job to report the outcome.

Any reporter who goes into a story thinking they can manipulate it, or not use due diligence should be exposed and run out of the news business.  I don’t care what you’ve done in the past, if you screw up a story, or worse collude to screw up a story, you should be raked across the coals and be made to grovel publicly to keep your job.  Reporters should be terrified to entertain the thought that they could manipulate the news.  It’s the only way to ensure that they don’t try.

It frankly saddens me that these hacks continue to have jobs, but I’m not the person hiring these folks and watching as their audience is running away.

This whole mess just underscores why I don’t like the term “journalist” in the first place.  Using the term journalist somehow makes people think that they are a  part of the stories they cover and that they know better than you or I what “the public” wants.  Yuck!  What the public wants is the facts, uncolored.

So I say to Mr. Anderson and everyone else, don’t be sorry about constantly questioning reporters.  Your diligent gaze is what makes them, and their product better.  Only by keeping the heat firmly on all reporter can we get the news media we want and deserve.

You know its bad at USC when…

You decide to return one of your school’s Heisman Trophies, and its not even the one won by a player who allegedly killed his wife and another guy, and is currently doing a long stint in prison.

Yikes.