Benefiting From SPJ
The Society of Professional Journalists is the largest and most broadly based professional journalism organization in the nation. Stony Brook has its own student chapter. The Press Club of Long Island is the local chapter of SPJ.
Their respective Web sites are:
Society of Professional Journalists
Press Club of Long Island (SPJ)
SPJ was founded in 1909 at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., as Sigma Delta Chi and is now headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind. The society has 9,000 members, almost a quarter of them college students. There are 200 student chapters at colleges and universities nationwide, including Stony Brook and Hofstra.
SPJ believes that a free press is "the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty" and says, "To ensure that the concept of self-government outlined by the U.S. Constitution remains a reality into future centuries, the American people must be well informed in order to make decisions regarding their lives, and their local and national communities. It is the role of journalists to provide this information in an accurate, comprehensive, timely and understandable manner."
For college students interested in a career in journalism, and for students uncertain whether they want to make the news business their life's work, SPJ membership is a means to tap into a national network of journalists and draw upon their knowledge and experience.
The means to do that include:
NETWORKING: As in any business, who you know can go a long way toward landing you that first job and, when you are ready to move on, to advancing your career. Students get the chance to speak with reporters, editors, station managers, photographers, videographers and other professionals by attending national and regional conferences and programs run by local SPJ chapters such as PCLI. Working journalists are an invaluable source of information on job opportunities, industry trends and student internships.
MENTORING PROGRAMS: Some professional chapters of SPJ, including the Press Club of Long Island, have mentoring programs that allow students to spend a day with a journalist and to receive advice on resumes and careers.
STUDENT CHAPTERS: Afford students the opportunity to work as a group to tap into SPJ's resources, to plan campus programs and to work with advisors and local professionals.
AWARDS: SPJ's Mark of Excellence Awards recognize outstanding college journalists at the regional and national levels. The national winners are recognized at the society's national convention. Students submit work they have done for college newspapers, TV or radio stations. See the SPJ Web site for details.
The Press Club of Long Island and Newsday also award as many as three $1,000 scholarships annually to students studying journalism. See the PCLI Web site for details.
PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOPS: Run by local SPJ chapters and by the national society, these workshops are designed to improve professional skills and enhance career development.
JOURNALISM ADVOCACY: By joining SPJ, students hook up with an organization that campaigns for journalists' right to obtain access to government records and proceedings, that wages court battles nationwide to secure First Amendment rights through its Legal Defense Fund, and that works for those rights in Washington, D.C., through its First Amendment Center.
LEGAL ADVICE AND SUPPORT: SPJ supports the First Amendment rights of students and professionals, and in recent years has become involved in lawsuits involving college newspapers seeking access to college records and fighting censorship. SPJ underwrites the Student Press Law Center in Washington, D.C. The society has waged a two-year fight to make it easier for student and professional news organizations to get information on campus crimes. Most colleges and universities do not release timely reports about the scope or nature of those crimes, effectively hiding that information from students and the larger public.
ETHICS: SPJ is a strong advocate for ethics and responsibility in journalism. You will find ethics articles and the SPJ Code of Ethics at www.spj.org/ethics.asp.
THE QUILL: The SPJ magazine, received by members, covers the American journalism community and provides state-by-state updates on Open Meeting and Freedom of Information laws and ethics issues. Some recent articles have looked at campus press, compensation and copyright laws in cyberspace, the new corporate climate in newsrooms, the Jayson Blair controversy at the New York Times and embedded journalists covering the war in Iraq.
SPJ PUBLICATIONS: At discount rates for members, the society sells how-to books, reference guides, stylebooks and the latest books on journalism.
FREEDOM INTERNSHIPS: The Pulliam/Kilgore First Amendment and FOI Internships are paid internships for students that offer the opportunity to study, research and write about Freedom of Information issues.
INTERNSHIP DIRECTORY: Of particular interest to students is the annual SPJ Internship Directory, which lists hundreds of internship opportunities and contains useful advice about going through the process. It sells for $7.
JOBS FOR JOURNALISTS: A weekly newsletter put out by SPJ that lists entry -level and advanced job openings at media outlets nationwide. The 10-page newsletter averages more than 100 listings each week for newspapers, TV, radio, online, public relations, magazine and related fields. For students not ready for the job market, the newsletter also lists internships and freelance opportunities. Available by subscription only to SPJ members, the newsletter also can be received via e-mail.
STUDENT MEMBERSHIP: The student rate is $36 a year, half the cost of a professional membership. The Press Club of Long Island does not charge students to join once they are national SPJ members. You will be on the mailing list for programs and workshops run by PCLI.
You can contact SPJ's headquarters at 317/927-8000 or through its Web site, above.
Contact the Press Club of Long Island through its Web site, above, or its president, Carl Corry, at 631/737-1700 or carl.corry@libn.com. Vice resident David Joachim is reachable at 516/562-5565 or djoachim@cmp.com.
Stuart Vincent is Newsday's communications manager and a former reporter for the paper. He is past president of the Press Club of Long Island.