Tech Writer Lawsuit; STC position?

[Beth Agnew]

Absolutely!! This is a great opportunity for the STC to make itself 
known, and what do they choose to do? Remain silent. What good is a 
professional society that refuses to advocate for us?
When the media are looking for experts, the STC is saying, well, we have 
some but we can't tell you who they are. Hey, STC, you ARE the experts 
and should be using this opportunity to make that known, as Geoff said.

For the STC officers on the list, why are you not urging head office to 
coat-tail on this media coverage to take advantage of thousands of 
dollars of free publicity for our organization?
--Beth

Geoff Hart wrote:
> ...
>
> <<Still, overall, it's gutless. It's gutless to not make a decision,  
> instead holding to the reason that someone else advised them not to  
> say anything. The Society is not a party to the suit and shouldn't  
> become one, I guess.>>
>
> Reluctantly, I must agree. This is exactly the kind of situation  
> where STC should be shouting from the rooftops: "This is who we are,  
> this is why we're important, and this is what happens when that  
> importance is trivialized or outright ignored." Whether or not STC is  
> or should be party to the suit, they should certainly step forward to  
> provide expert witnesses and, not incidentally, gather in all  
> possible publicity that can be gathered.
>
> STC should always try to play a role in establishing legal precedents  
> that protect technical communicators and establish our importance and  
> legal rights. This is what professional associations do all the time,  
> and it's a shame we aren't doing it.
>
> Again, I recognize that STC is going through difficult times, both  
> financially and in terms of reorganizations and staffing. But  
> important opportunities should not be missed.
>
>