By Betsy Model, Interim Membership Chair

Depending on the language, the culture and the particular time in history, the story of a great winged bird being consumed by fire and then rising from the ashes – often larger, grander and more glorious than before – may differ in its given name but the lesson or moral is the same; out of death can come rebirth, out of ashes and rubble a grand rebuilding.

This creature that when wounded does not die and when consumed by fire can rise again was called Bennu by the early Egyptians.

The Russians called the” firebird,” Zhar-Ptitsa, Native Americans called it Thunderbird and the early Greeks called it a Phoenix.

Today, in the world of professional journalists, it’s called the Society of Professional Journalists, New Mexico Chapter…

Betsy Model here, the interim membership chair for the Society of Professional Journalists, New Mexico Chapter.  A few weeks ago I sent out a general note inviting New Mexico’s 500+ journalists – reporters, editors, producers, anchors, photojournalists, journalism students, freelancers and their professional peers – to take a look at joining our state’s newly “reborn” chapter.

A number of you have responded with terrific questions, the kinds of questions that I thought I’d address quickly en masse so that if you’re still on the fence about whether to join or asking yourself “what’s in it for me?” we can get you headed in the right direction with the answers.

Why Join? It’s hard to know where to start with this one but the easiest answer is that it’s an investment in your career.  For 100 years, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has been serving its members with everything from advice and information – need to know about diversity in the newsroom?  FOIA?  Ethics in reporting?  Sunshine Act? – to formal training seminars and classes held nationwide.  SPJ has a legal defense fund, provides info on internships, fellowships and scholarships and has a legal advocacy committee that has taken on the kinds of issues that affect you daily, including FOIA and the Federal Shield Law.

There’s recognition, too. The Society of Professional Journalists has multiple competition and award opportunities available throughout the year for individuals and media entities to step up with projects and stories that deserve attention.  Just within our own region – Region 9 that includes New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado – there is the “Top of the Rockies” Excellence in Journalism Competition each year.  There is still time, by the way, to enter this year’s competition with an entry in a variety of print, online, photojournalism or video categories if you hurry…and if you’re a member!  For more information, see http://www.coloradospjpro.com/contest.html.

Who Else Belongs? More than 10,000 of your peers nationwide and, although only reformed two months ago, you already have thirty-seven member peers right here in New Mexico.  We may work right next to you in the newsroom or half-way across the state but we’re your “pack” when it comes to questions, answers and making journalism work in New Mexico.

What’s It Going to Cost Me? Good question!  There are a number of answers on this one and I would encourage you to check out a specific page on the national SPJ site, http://www.spj.org/whyjoin5.asp for a comprehensive dues list but, in short, a professional journalist is looking at only $72 per year with discounts for multi-year membership.  Retired journalists who want to remain active in the field pay just $36 as do journalism students.  Lucky enough to share a home with a fellow journalist?!  SPJ is just like car insurance…you get a special discount for living under the same roof.  And, as I’m sure you already know, professional dues and memberships are a tax-deductible expense.

Here’s another important note; although most chapters charge each member a small annual chapter fee (usually somewhere between $10 and $25) to cover operating expenses and the necessary doo-dads to run the chapter, our chapter is waiving all chapter fees for the 2009-2010 membership year.

I’m Currently Unemployed.  What’s the Benefit? Peers, job boards and credibility.  The Society of Professional Journalists maintains a national job bank at http://jobs.spj.org/  that you will have immediate access to and our local chapter has just begun offering a New Mexico jobs board called “Jobs and Gigs” on our own site at http://www.nmspj.org.  Even though our own job board is only two weeks old, we have already posted six jobs and as publishers and general managers around the state realize we’re up, running and the postings are free of charge, it will continue to grow.

You can also opt to be in the national SPJ “freelancer” directory of professionals that hiring managers, editors and corporate communications folks can tap into for their hiring or Request for Proposal (RFP) needs.  They can’t call you if they don’t know about you!

Your peers at SPJ, whether in Farmington or Milwaukee, are great sources of job leads and adding “Member, Society of Professional Journalists” to your resume lets editors and recruiters know that you belong to the preeminent organization for your profession and that you’re serious about your career.

And, while this offer is not available to new members, if you’ve been a member of SPJ and have let your membership lapse due to being unemployed, the Society understands and is offering, for a limited period of time, a six-month waiver on dues renewals for existing members who have been laid-off from a full-time position.

Ever Do Anything Fun?! You bet!  For a chapter that has been on hiatus for almost two decades, we’re moving fast.  Give us another month to get our feet under us and you can look forward to monthly social gatherings and a variety of special events planned solely for New Mexico’s SPJ members.  The social events will take place at a variety of venues around the state so that we can see as many of our chapter members meet as possible and to also afford folks in each quadrant of the state to have something within easy driving distance at least a few times a year.

And in January, we’ve got something kind of big happening.  The national board of directors for the Society of Professional Journalists is so knocked out by the rapid “rebirth” of the New Mexico chapter that, on very short notice, they have moved their annual board meeting for 2010 to…Albuquerque!  An evening social event is being planned to properly celebrate the new chapter and all of the chapter’s current members – 37 and counting – are already invited.

Wanna come, too?!  Join SPJ and jumpstart your career while simultaneously networking with your state’s top journalists and media professionals.  Joining online takes less than five minutes – honest – and you can do it right here at https://www.spj.org/joinapp.asp.

If you still have questions, let myself or any of the other interim board members know what they are and we will do our best to address them.