Would all educators be allowed to join? What about high school journalism teachers who double as volleyball coaches?
A. Well, a little beach volleyball would liven up our conventions, that’s for sure, but that’s not in the works. The extension of full membership for educators would apply to leaders of college and university journalism programs and professors with endowed chairs. Q. What is the status of ASNE’s membership base, and to what extent are all of these changes an effort to turn around a decline in membership? In short, to what extent is this a desperation move? (Not that that’s bad; we’re all doing it.) A. Our membership has been declining for several years – that’s true – and in the last year the trend has accelerated as the business has shrunk dramatically. So, yes, to be viable we need to expand our base so that we can carry on our vital work in areas ranging from high school journalism to FOI. But the most important driver is the revolution in the way news and information is produced and consumed. We are no longer bound by the platform on which we deliver news, and so our membership sho
