Writing Organizations for Student Journalists

This is a bit late for me, since I’m graduating in May, but I thought it might be a good idea to talk a little bit about writing organizations for journalists and other editorial media that students may be interested in.

First off, any student who is either an intern at a news organization or works at a student publication should consider joining the Society of Professional Journalists.  SPJ is a fantastic resource for students.  During my time at the Independent Collegian, our staff received two regional SPJ awards, and we were able to have some great experiences because of SPJ.  College student memberships are $37.50 for one year.

For those students at print publications, there is also the American Copy Editors Society.  ACES is an organization for those interested in editing – especially copy editors for newspapers – and holds an annual conference about copy editing.  ACES also has regional events and scholarships for students expressing an interest in and aptitude for copy editing.

Female students may be interested in joining the Association for Women in Communications, which offers both professional and student chapters to its members.  Other benefits include job resources, membership directories, and awards.  Student memberships are only $34, and Recent Graduate memberships are available for the same price for those graduating within 12 months of applying for membership.

There are also associations for student journalists who belong to specific minority groups, including blacks, Hispanics, Asians, gays and lesbians, and other minorities.  Please visit the appropriate site to learn more about their student membership program.

If you are a dedicated student journalist planning to pursue a career in journalism, consider checking out these organizations.  If you are interested in learning more about other journalism organizations, please check out the American Journalism Review’s page dedicated to journalism organizations.