|
Approved by the board of directors 1/10/98, revised 7/18/98, rewritten 7/13/02
I. Principles
SEJ is a journalism organization. SEJ is not a public relations or an environmental advocacy organization. The SEJ board, through its membership committee, determines eligibility for one of four classes of membership -- ACTIVE, ASSOCIATE, ACADEMIC AND HONORARY -- by implementing these policies in accordance with the Bylaws. When reviewing an application for membership, the committee:
A. Does not consider the journalistic quality of the applicant's work. SEJ is not a credentialing agency;
B. Does consider the applicant's job duties and the applicant's employer. SEJ's ACTIVE, ASSOCIATE and ACADEMIC members do NOT lobby or perform public relations work relating to the environment. Additionally, SEJ members in the ACTIVE membership category do not work for EMPLOYERS who engage in extensive lobbying or public relations work on environmental issues. For an explanation of how SEJ defines lobbying and public relations, please see Section VI;
C. Seeks to keep SEJ's membership as open as possible in order to promote more journalism by more people about environmental issues.
II. ACTIVE Members
To be an ACTIVE member, you must primarily:
A. Work as a journalist for a publication or news outlet that is generally available to the public, or;
B. Be a freelance journalist, the majority of whose work appears in media outlets whose employees would normally qualify for active membership, or;
C. Be a self-employed book author consistent with the principles outlined in Section I.
Examples of qualifying media outlets include: TV or radio stations, and newspapers and magazines that are available on newsstands, through an internet or other electronic site, or through general subscription or unrestricted membership -- that is, membership open to anyone.
III. ASSOCIATE members
To be an ASSOCIATE member you must be substantially engaged in journalism or work in fields that closely relate to environmental journalism, yet be ineligible for active membership, either because journalism is not your primary occupation or because your employer lobbies or conducts public relations work on the environment (see Section VI below).
Examples of potential ASSOCIATE members include: people for whom journalism is a secondary occupation; officials at journalism organizations; part-time faculty at universities; and staff journalists who work for -- or freelancers and authors who get most of their income from -- non-media corporations, government agencies, environmental advocacy groups or universities.
IV. ACADEMIC members
To be an ACADEMIC member, you must be a student at a university or other accredited school with an interest in environmental issues or environmental journalism, or a full-time educator on the faculty of such an institution.
University writers and other university staff are not eligible for ACADEMIC membership, but may qualify for ASSOCIATE membership if their job does not involve public relations or lobbying.
V. HONORARY members
HONORARY members may be appointed by the board to recognize outstanding and distinguished service to SEJ. Honorary members are exempt from eligibility policies that apply to other membership categories.
VI. Public relations and lobbying exclusion
You cannot be an ACTIVE, ASSOCIATE or ACADEMIC member of SEJ if you engage in lobbying or public relations work relating to environmental issues. Additionally, you cannot be an ACTIVE member of SEJ if your employer engages in extensive lobbying or public relations work on environmental issues.
A. Lobbying is considered to be professional work primarily designed to influence legislation or government regulations.
B. Public relations is considered to be professional work on behalf of an organization -- including a university, government agency, non-profit organization or business -- that promotes its views on issues affecting the organization. It often involves media relations, such as issuing press releases or other statements to journalists.
C. Some news or other organizations may infrequently lobby on legislation related to the environment, but their members would still remain eligible for ACTIVE membership if their employer is not engaged in extensive lobbying or public relations on environmental issues.
D. While journalism may reveal corruption or some other misdeed, and reforms may result -- sometimes at the urgings of a publication or broadcast -- SEJ views this to be journalism, not lobbying.
VII. Procedures for denial, termination, non-renewal and reclassification of membership
Members will be notified by first class mail if their membership is to be terminated for cause, and applicants will be similarly notified if their application for membership is denied. Such notification will also occur if a membership is to be not renewed based on ineligibility due to changes in jobs or job duties, or if a member is to be reclassified for the same reason.
A. Termination for cause: Membership may be terminated for cause if a member has failed to be honest and complete in filling out application forms and in answering annual surveys and other inquiries, misrepresented her or his job status, or otherwise violated important rules or policies of the organization, including but not limited to intentional misuse of on-line services such as the listserv.
Opportunity for a Hearing: If within 60 days of notice by SEJ, a member facing termination for cause requests a hearing, as stipulated in the Bylaws, the hearing shall be conducted before the Board of Directors at the subsequent board meeting, if possible, but no later than the second board meeting following the date of the original termination notice. The member has a right to bring an attorney or other representative to the hearing. The member bears the obligation for his/her own travel and other expenses related to the hearing, including the cost of legal counsel. Whether or not a hearing is conducted, the final decision shall be made by the board members present at a legally constituted meeting, with a two-thirds majority vote necessary to terminate a membership for cause.
B. Non-renewal/reclassification of membership: Members who become ineligible for SEJ membership or who are subject to a change in membership status based on a change in jobs or job duties, shall have the opportunity, within 30 days of notice by SEJ, to present countervailing written evidence prior to any final decision by the board or its designee (typically the SEJ membership committee). Non-renewal or reclassification of membership is an administrative action, enforcing the eligibility provisions of the Bylaws and related membership policies. It is not to be confused with termination for cause or for non-payment of dues. In cases of membership non-renewal/reclassification, the board is not obligated to conduct a formal hearing, beyond extending the opportunity to submit written evidence. However, any member is welcome to attend any SEJ board meeting (at their own expense) and will be accorded reasonable opportunity to be heard on membership issues or other matters.
C. Non-payment of dues: Members whose annual dues remain unpaid for longer than one (1) month are no longer considered members in good standing. Dues-delinquent members may continue to receive certain mailings and be carried on the books as members, but may be precluded from full participation in certain SEJ activities and privileges, including but not limited to voting in elections, receipt of the SEJournal, and use of on-line services. After dues are delinquent for one year, SEJ staff shall drop the member from the membership rolls.
D. Non-member applicants: New applicants to SEJ may appeal membership
committee decisions to the SEJ Board of Directors, in writing, within 60 days of notice of the membership decision. The SEJ board will consider that submission at the subsequent board meeting, if possible, but no later than the second board meeting following the date of the original membership decision. As with non-renewal/reclassification of membership (see Section VII.B.), reviewing a new applicant is an administrative action and the board is not obligated to conduct a formal hearing when considering appeals from new applicants.
|