Outcast of Society

As of today, I am officially no longer a member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

I joined the SPJ in February 2020 after attending a special event for local reporters in New Jersey.  I met many of my friend in the profession there and I even saw Walt Kane, a investigative reporter on local cable television.  I really thought I was in my element, and I was encouraged to join the SPJ.  When I joined, I envisioned going to seminars and networking to advance my career. 

Then COVID hit.

All of a sudden my opportunities to further my career evaporated, and the only way I could take part in SPJ activities was virtual.  Well, I don't like webinars, and I don't stream.  Also, I can't figure out Zoom. Still.  As for the cost of membership, the annual dues were too much money, and my only fringe benefit was a magazine I never had time to read. (The magazine, a quarterly publication called Quill, is sort of like Brian Stelter's CNN show "Reliable Sources" in print.)  Whenever an SPJ event did catch my eye, it was usually something irrelevant to me. 

The way I see it, I probably shouldn't have joined the SPJ.  My role as a journalist is and always been covering local meetings for hyperlocal news sites; I haven't been able to expand on that experience.  And while I am still proud to cover local meetings for hyperlocal online media, it's not so much a career as it is a sideline. I clearly don't belong in the SPJ, so I had to quit it.

And that's one more thing I've given up.  There is likely more that I'm going to have to give up on as my world gets smaller. 😢