If you are in need of an expert source, you can also submit a free ProfNet query and have qualified sources come to you, or search the free ProfNet Connect database, which features nearly 50,000 user profiles, all searchable by keyword. If you are looking for Spanish-speaking experts, you can also opt to send your query via ProfNet en Español; just select that option when submitting your request.

Submit a free ProfNet query

Search the ProfNet Connect experts database

EXPERT ALERTS

• Change Happens: Now What?
• NYC Soda Ban: Bad Idea for Consumer Choice?
• Organic vs. Conventional Food: What’s Best for Our Kids

MEDIA JOBS

• Investigative Reporter - Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Reporter - Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• NFL Reporter - Mclean, Va.

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Media News Highlight
• Socialympics: Social Media Favorites From 2012 Summer Games
• Weekly Roundup: Reddit, Respect in PR, and Twitter and Political Journalism

********************

EXPERT ALERTS

Expert Alerts are listings of ProfNet members who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact their media representative at the end of the listing. You can also find Expert Alerts online at bit.ly/pncalerts

Change Happens: Now What?
Natalie Caine
Owner
Life in Transition, What's Next
"Change happens over and over in your life, whether expected or unexpected. But how do you respond? 1) How do you make decisions? 2) What motivates you to make the change? 3) What really keeps you awake at night? Could it be a fear of leaving the part of you that you have known all your life and entering the unknown, more than the fear of mistakes or loneliness; or is it a combination of reasons? It helps to know if you are a spinner, collaborator, observer or leaper when making decisions or a combination of decisions. Know how you usually make choices. Dig deeper into why you are sleepless. Could it be the fear of sitting in the unknown without a net? If so, get curious about the unknown rather than panic. Curiosity and compassion are two best friends during changes."
Caine can discuss the answers to the questions above.
Websites: www.emptynestsupport.com and www.lifeintransition.org
Expert Contact: natalie@emptynestsupport.com

NYC Soda Ban: Bad Idea for Consumer Choice?
Jessica Levinson, RD, MS
Founder
Nutritioulicious
"On Sept. 13, the New York City Board of Health has an important decision to make. Will they vote to remove personal choice or honor people’s right to make decisions that are best for their individual lifestyles? Whatever the decision, one thing is fact: removing choice is never the answer to big problems like obesity. Knowledge and education are key. As a registered dietitian, I counsel clients every day on the importance of including a variety of foods and beverages in a balanced diet -- even sugar-sweetened beverages like soda. The key is moderation and balancing calories taken in with those burned through exercise. If we’re not teaching people these basic principles for healthy living, then no amount of rule-making will help solve our city’s issue with weight."
Levinson, a registered dietitian (RD), is available to provide perspective on the impact of the soda ban and elaborate on the important principles of inclusion, balance and moderation when it comes to making food and beverage choices. She is a consultant to The Coca-Cola Company, Frito-Lay, Centrum, Avocados from Mexico, and the Corn Refiners Association.
News Contact: Kimberly Wise, kwise@ccapr.com or +1-202-609-6015

Organic vs. Conventional Food: What’s Best for Our Kids
Shazi Visram
Founder, CEO and "Chief Mom"
Happy Family
"As a deeply passionate and involved member of the organic-food industry, I have a clear understanding of the benefits of organic food, but know many consumers face confusion in our cluttered landscape of food labels and certifications. I believe the recent Stanford University study is only adding to this confusion. I have always been a champion for organic, both as a mom and an entrepreneur, but today it’s not about my business -- it’s about the health and safety of the next generation. Organic food is crucially important for our children, and it’s not just because of the nutritional value. You don’t choose an organic strawberry over a conventional strawberry because it has more vitamin C -- you choose it because it’s free of harmful pesticides and toxins that can be absorbed by your child’s body. I encourage parents to look at all the facts, view this study with a critical eye and remember that choosing organic is about the safety of our kids and the health of the planet."
Visram is able to provide commentary on the subject of organic vs. conventional food for babies and children in response to the Stanford University study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Website: www.happyfamilybrands.com
News Contact: Laura Herbert, herbert@formulapr.com or +1-212-219-0321

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: bit.ly/pncjobboard

• Investigative Reporter - Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Reporter - Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• NFL Reporter - Mclean, Va.

See more listings here.

********************

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com

• MEDIA NEWS HIGHLIGHT: ProfNet Editor Evelyn Tipacti shares stories from the worlds of media and journalism: bit.ly/Q3UxnJ

• SOCIALYMPICS: SOCIAL MEDIA FAVORITES FROM 2012 SUMMER GAMES: PR Newswire's Christine Cube shares some of the more creative social media items from this year's Olympic Games: bit.ly/P1y6h7

• WEEKLY ROUNDUP: REDDIT, RESPECT IN PR, AND TWITTER AND POLITICAL JOURNALISM: ProfNet Editor Jason Hahn reviews 10 interesting PR- and media-related stories from the past week: bit.ly/RiUqpY

If you are in need of an expert source, you can also submit a free ProfNet query and have qualified sources come to you, or search the free ProfNet Connect database, which features nearly 50,000 user profiles, all searchable by keyword. If you are looking for Spanish-speaking experts, you can also opt to send your query via ProfNet en Español; just select that option when submitting your request.

Submit a free ProfNet query

Search the ProfNet Connect experts database

EXPERT ALERTS

• American Muslims Reflect on Fighting Intolerance, Growing Anti-Muslim Sentiment
• Communication Between Parents and Teachers
• Politics and the Workplace

MEDIA JOBS

• Investigative Reporter - Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Reporter - Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• NFL Reporter - Mclean, Va.

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• DNC 2012 Day One: Event Prep and CarolinaFest
• Media News Highlight
• Tool Spotlight: timeStats

********************

EXPERT ALERTS

Expert Alerts are listings of ProfNet members who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact their media representative at the end of the listing. You can also find Expert Alerts online at bit.ly/pncalerts

American Muslims Reflect on Fighting Intolerance and the Growing Anti-Muslim Sentiment
Zainab Al-Suwaij
Executive Director
American Islamic Congress (AIC)
"As American Muslims honor the 11th anniversary of the tragedy of Sept. 11, we must reiterate our commitment to nonviolence, interfaith dialogue and tolerance. I co-founded AIC in the weeks following 9/11 in the hopes of building interfaith and interethnic understanding, and representing the diversity of American Muslim life at the time of highly charged and polarized debates. Eleven years after the horrific attacks that took nearly 3,000 of innocent lives, the American Muslim community has made great progress in its bid to empower the often silent moderate voices and to dispel many harmful stereotypes. But great challenges remain. As recent attacks on religious minorities in Oak Creek, Wis., and Joplin, Mo., demonstrated, religious intolerance is, unfortunately, still alive in the United States. Freedom of religion is one of the founding principles of the United States. This reminds us we must not take this freedom for granted. Religious intolerance must be countered by our communities as we lead by example. But we must also keep our leaders accountable when their words create the environment of intolerance and discrimination."
Al-Suwaij, the executive director of AIC since its inception just after 9/11, is a leader in the interfaith community and can speak about: 1) the significance of 9/11 to the American Muslim community; 2) the progress made over the past 11 years evident in the greater visibility of moderate Muslims; 3) the challenges the community still faces illustrated by the recent tragedies in Oak Creek, Wis., and Joplin, Mo.; 3) the status of interfaith dialogue in the U.S. and what it can do to help during times like these; 4) how actions and rhetoric from the nation's top leaders on down creates an environment of hate, discrimination and violence against certain religious or ethnic groups is permissible; and 5) how Muslim groups work with entities such as the Department of Justice, schools and community groups to dispel stereotypes and fears.
News Contact: Kseniya Zudava, i.zudava@aicongress.org or +1- 1-617-266-0080

Communication Between Parents and Teachers
Dr. Elizabeth Archambault
Assistant Professor in the College of Education
Argosy University, Inland Empire in California
"Keeping the lines of communication open with your child's school and teacher is critical to your child's academic success and establishing a home-school partnership. If a problem arises, whether it is academic or social, it is important and comforting to know you can address it with the child's teacher and try to reach a resolution through communication and cooperation. Your child will be more secure knowing you are participatory in his/her educational experience. Although most issues can be resolved between the child and teacher or parent and teacher, sometimes more serious circumstances arise that require intervention at a higher level."
Archambault is able to discuss how parents can keep the lines of communication open with the classroom teacher, as well as how to address those more difficult situations.
News Contact: Anne K. Dean, adean@argosy.edu or +1-714-620-0910

Politics and the Workplace
Robin E. Shea
Attorney
Constangy, Brooks & Smith LLP
Commentators agree that this year's presidential campaign is more divisive than any other in modern history. In the two months between the conventions and the election, employers need to know how to avoid being caught in the middle and how to keep the workplace civil. Is it a good idea for a public-minded employer to solicit political donations from employees, encourage employees to volunteer for the campaigns of certain candidates or even to "encourage" employees to vote the "right" way? Can a heated political debate in the workplace lead to hostile work-environment harassment claims? Do First Amendment rights apply in private-sector workplaces? Are there any "best practices" for employers to follow in this contentious election season? Shea can discuss these issues and more.
"There is an old saying that you shouldn't discuss politics or religion with people you don't know very well. That goes quadruple for this election, where opinions and emotions are so strong on both sides. Unless the employer is a political party or a candidate's organization, employers should not be putting any pressure on their employees to work on campaigns, make donations or vote a certain way. And employees should be respectful of their co-workers' rights to their opinions. Although the First Amendment applies only to 'state action,' it's very easy for a comment about a political issue, or political 'humor,' to be interpreted as evidence of race, sex or religious discrimination."
Constangy, Brooks & Smith LLP is a national employment and labor law firm. Shea has more than 20 years of experience in labor and employment law, and is the editor of the blog Employment & Labor Insider.
News Contact: Wendy Angel, wangel@constangy.com

***************

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: bit.ly/pncjobboard

• Investigative Reporter - Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Reporter - Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• NFL Reporter - Mclean, Va.

See more listings here.

********************

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com

• DNC 2012 DAY ONE: EVENT PREP AND CAROLINAFEST: PR Newswire's Christine Cube offers a glimpse into the Democratic National Convention: bit.ly/OTzYGY

• MEDIA NEWS HIGHLIGHT: ProfNet Editor Evelyn Tipacti shares stories from the worlds of media and journalism: bit.ly/PwPPvR

• TOOL SPOTLIGHT: TIMESTATS: ProfNet Editor Jason Hahn looks at timeStats, a Chrome browser extension that tracks your online browsing habits: bit.ly/NCDWmd

A Journalist's Guide to Reddit: Last Wednesday, President Obama took part in an AMA ("Ask Me Anything") on Reddit. (For the uninitiated, an AMA is "an open Q&A thread where one notable person answers questions from everyone else.") While Reddit didn't need the president's participation to establish its legitimacy, it's a call to journalists to start paying attention to a site that's becoming increasingly mainstream and culturally relevant. However, getting acclimated to the world of Reddit takes some education. This guide covers basic things like subreddits, the site's stance on self-promotional links and its broader definition of news. (Poynter)

Tips for Earning Respect in the PR Industry: Capable, young PR professionals are often given big responsibilities that come with a lot of pressure to perform, but respect is not always part of this package. Among the 10 tips included here for earning respect in the PR industry are to dress like an adult, balance causal banter with a serious demeanor and act as your own PR agent. (PR Daily)

Twitter and Political Journalism: Twitter has changed the game of political journalism, but is that good or bad? Controversial remarks spread much quicker than they did four years ago, pressuring campaigns to respond faster. On the other hand, Twitter and other social networks allow people to defuse incorrect or silly reports faster. The consequences of sources being able to "go direct" will be more apparent as the election draws closer. (GigaOM)

Traditional Journalism Is Connected to News via Social Media: Eric Carvin, social media editor at the Associated Press (AP), doesn't see it as "traditional journalism versus news over social media." Rather, he sees the two sides as connected, with social media providing up-to-the-minute information, and journalists verifying that information and putting it in a bigger context. Carvin also notes that social media can create closer ties between journalists and readers. His goal is for all of AP's 2,500 journalists to use social media well, not just to promote stories but to make stories better. (The Content Strategist)

Mobile Users Prefer News From Trusted Mainstream News Sites: According to the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute's "2012 Media News Consumption Survey," 61.8 percent of mobile users prefer news stories produced by professional journalists. However, 30.6 percent of respondents said they don't trust the mainstream media. (Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute)

More Than 20 Percent of U.S. Newspapers Have Online Pay Walls: More than one in five U.S. newspapers have now put up pay walls requiring subscriptions for full online access to content. According to News&Tech, the number of papers with some form of metered pay walls or digital subscription plans has doubled since last year. (Mashable)

Thirty-Five Nuggets of PR Advice: "Public Relations is a marathon, and not a sprint." That was the best bit of public relations advice this PR professional received when he was fresh out of college. What advice do other PR practitioners want to pass on to the next generation of professionals in their field? Among the 35 bits of advice included in this post are: "Media/PR world is a small world, so don’t burn any bridges"; "When you walk into a meeting with a client, say one smart thing and ask one smart question"; and "Tell the truth faster." (fresh as.... A Mynt Public Relations Blog)

Fact-Checking and the Media's Crisis of Confidence: Paul Ryan's speech at the Republican National Convention brought a question to the minds of journalists and commentators: "Can the media stop politicians from misleading the public?" Journalists should remember to remind readers of bogus claims and cover a pattern of false claims as an ongoing story. They should also remember that whenever someone who could be the next president or vice president of the nation makes a false claim, it's always worth honoring their duty to truth, not the marketplace or people they cover. (Columbia Journalism Review)

How the Desert News Supports a Local Newsroom With a National Strategy: Here's a look at how Salt Lake City's Desert News is approaching the challenge facing most American metropolitan newspapers: "A local web audience isn’t large enough to support the newsroom, but a national audience can get national news from anywhere." The Desert News is faring well, as its digital revenue grew at more than 50 percent annually for the past three years and now accounts for more than a quarter of total revenue. The core of its success is an editorial strategy that focuses on issues not sufficiently covered by other news organizations and a digital unit that comes up with Web-only products. (Nieman Journalism Lab)

Ten Reasons Why I Hate Social Media: This social media coordinator and graphic designer shares 10 reasons why she hates social media. "Because I’m so immersed in it, occasionally there are things about it that make me want to throw staplers across the room in hopes that a rogue staple will somehow fly out and hit someone in the eye." Among the reasons are: typos/grammatical errors, the fleeting nature of content and the difficulty of proving ROI. (The Abbi Agency)

ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.

If you are in need of an expert source, you can also submit a free ProfNet query and have qualified sources come to you, or search the free ProfNet Connect database, which features nearly 50,000 user profiles, all searchable by keyword. If you are looking for Spanish-speaking experts, you can also opt to send your query via ProfNet en Español; just select that option when submitting your request.

Submit a free ProfNet query

Search the ProfNet Connect experts database

EXPERT ALERTS

• American Muslims Reflect on Fighting Intolerance and Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the U.S.
• Clostridium Difficile
• Eco- and Wallet-Friendly Kitchen Pantry Tips
• Life in Transition: Now What?

MEDIA JOBS

• St. Paul Bureau Team Leader - Minneapolis
• Assignment Editor - Phoenix
• Editorial Assistant/Community Reporter - Fort Collins, Colo.

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Media News Highlight
• Freelance Focus: Protecting Your Story Idea
• Tool Spotlight: timeStats

********************

EXPERT ALERTS

Expert Alerts are listings of ProfNet members who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact their media representative at the end of the listing. You can also find Expert Alerts online at bit.ly/pncalerts

American Muslims Reflect on Fighting Intolerance and the Growing Anti-Muslim Sentiment Zainab Al-Suwaij
Executive Director
American Islamic Congress (AIC)
"As American Muslims honor the 11th anniversary of the tragedy of Sept. 11, we must reiterate our commitment to nonviolence, interfaith dialogue and tolerance. I co-founded AIC in the weeks following 9/11 in the hopes of building interfaith and interethnic understanding, and representing the diversity of American Muslim life at the time of highly charged and polarized debates. Eleven years after the horrific attacks that took nearly 3,000 of innocent lives, the American Muslim community has made great progress in its bid to empower the often silent moderate voices and to dispel many harmful stereotypes. But great challenges remain. As recent attacks on religious minorities in Oak Creek, Wis., and Joplin, Mo., demonstrated, religious intolerance is, unfortunately, still alive in the United States. Freedom of religion is one of the founding principles of the United States. This reminds us we must not take this freedom for granted. Religious intolerance must be countered by our communities as we lead by example. But we must also keep our leaders accountable when their words create the environment of intolerance and discrimination."
Al-Suwaij, the executive director of AIC since its inception just after 9/11, is a leader in the interfaith community and can speak about: 1) the significance of 9/11 to the American Muslim community; 2) the progress made over the past 11 years evident in the greater visibility of moderate Muslims; 3) the challenges the community still faces illustrated by the recent tragedies in Oak Creek, Wis., and Joplin, Mo.; 3) the status of interfaith dialogue in the U.S. and what it can do to help during times like these; 4) how actions and rhetoric from the nation's top leaders on down creates an environment of hate, discrimination and violence against certain religious or ethnic groups is permissible; and 5) how Muslim groups work with entities such as the Department of Justice, schools and community groups to dispel stereotypes and fears.
News Contact: Kseniya Zudava, i.zudava@aicongress.org or +1- 1-617-266-0080

Clostridium Difficile
Dr. Tor Savidge
Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
University of Texas Medical Branch
Dr. Savidge is an expert on Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile, and can address the recent USA Today investigation on the rising C. difficile infection rates in hospital settings.
"In the majority of hospitalized patients, C. difficile infection is asymptomatic, and community-acquired CDI is rapidly becoming a more significant concern and may play a role in contaminating hospital and long-term care environments. Identifying high-risk patients and developing better laboratory tests and vaccines should be future goals to combat CDI."
Website: www.utmb.edu
Bio: bit.ly/PSNQ8S
News Contact: Brianne O’Donnell, brianne.odonnell@gabbe.com or +1-212-220-4444

Eco- and Wallet-Friendly Kitchen Pantry Tips
Joshua Joe
Storeroom Manger
The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California -- Los Angeles, a campus of Argosy University
For a basic green-living project with benefits to your wallet and the environment, consider revamping the kitchen pantry.
"Practicing a first-in, first-out method of consuming your pantry goods is a true way to save money and prevent food waste. The tendency is to go for the freshest or A+ product when the older, A-grade item will do. You don’t want to let perfectly usable goods go to waste."
Website: www.artinstitutes.edu/los-angeles
News Contact: Amy Rocha, arocha@aii.edu or +1-310-314-6174

Life in Transition: Now What?
Natalie Caine
Owner
Empty Nest Support Services
"Whether expected or unexpected, change happens. Kids come back home to live and parents aren't happy about it. Now what do you do? 1) OK, I set boundaries but now what? The kids are still home. 2) Why do I feel guilty that I am paying some of my kids' bills? 3) Can I just say 'No more' and live with myself as their parents? 4) How do I keep moving forward with my dreams even though my kids are on the sofa?"
Caine can discuss answers to these questions.
Websites: www.emptynestsupport.com and www.lifeintransition.org
Expert Contact: natalie@emptynestsupport.com

********************

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: bit.ly/pncjobboard

• St. Paul Bureau Team Leader - Minneapolis
• Assignment Editor - Phoenix
• Editorial Assistant/Community Reporter - Fort Collins, Colo.

See more listings here.

********************

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com

• MEDIA NEWS HIGHLIGHT: ProfNet Editor Evelyn Tipacti shares stories from the worlds of media and journalism: bit.ly/PwPPvR

• FREELANCE FOCUS: PROTECTING YOUR STORY IDEA: ProfNet Director Maria Perez interviews two freelance writers about how to protect great story ideas: bit.ly/STPaYG

• TOOL SPOTLIGHT: TIMESTATS: ProfNet Editor Jason Hahn looks at timeStats, a Chrome browser extension that tracks your online browsing habits: bit.ly/NCDWmd

The Internet is a valuable ally and a formidable foe when it comes to our daily productivity. If you're curious to see how helpful or harmful your use of the Web actually is, look no further than timeStats, a free Google Chrome extension that keeps track of your online browsing habits and generates colorful charts detailing which sites you spend the most time with, along with other interesting and useful information.

Once you add the extension to Chrome, you'll see a small red, green and yellow pie-chart icon in the upper right corner of the browser window. When you're visiting a website, that icon will show how much time you've spent on that site today. Hovering your cursor over the icon will also tell you this information.

However, the real charm of timeStats is seen when you click on the pie-chart icon. This opens up a new browser tab and takes you to the timeStats dashboard. Here you'll see a variety of colorful charts and graphs. For example, a pie chart titled "Visited sites" will show you the percentage of time spent with all the sites you've visited in the designated time frame (which can be adjusted at the top of the dashboard page). Hovering your cursor over each slice of the pie will display the domain URL and the time spent on that domain. Clicking on a slice of the pie will take you to that domain.

Other timeStats charts convey information like the amount of time spent with domain zones (e.g., .com, .org, .edu), how much time you spend with site categories (which must be manually assigned to sites), how much total time you spent browsing during each day of the week and each month, your most visited domains, and your busiest browsing days. The dashboard updates each chart in real time.

To the left of the dashboard are tabs that display the charts included on the dashboard, along with others, in more detail. You can choose whether or not each of these charts is included on the dashboard.

There's also a tab for options, where users can adjust things like the length of stored history, how long it takes for the browser to go idle, the first action that happens when you click on the timeStats browser button and excluded domains. On this page, users can also delete statistics, clear all statistics, restore default settings and export statistics to a CSV file.

PR professionals and journalists can benefit from using timeStats as a way to see where most of their browsing time is spent. Not only can this reveal distracting leisure sites to consider blocking for productivity's sake, but it can also bring to attention daily responsibilities that might be better handled via delegation or teamwork. Using timeStats can also help with things like forecasting how much time will be spent actively using the Web or using particular websites during a day, week or month, which can help with prioritizing tasks.

According to Wips.com, the developer of the extension, a version of timeStats for Firefox is in the works, in addition to more graphs and an improved interface.

Another tool for reporters is ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.