Strong newsrooms don't happen by accident.
PMJA gives public media journalists and news organizations the training, support, and community to do their best work — and keep doing it.
Your whole newsroom. One membership.
Most professional associations charge per person. PMJA doesn't. When your news organization joins, every staff member gets full access to everything PMJA offers. That changes the math considerably.
Community
The value that's hardest to put a number on is also the one members mention most. Public media newsrooms are often small, sometimes isolated, and navigating pressures that most people outside the system don't fully understand. PMJA is where people in this world find each other.
That happens through peer meetups organized around job roles and interest areas. Through the member directory — less a contact list and more a map of who's doing this work alongside you. Through committees, Slack channels, and the kind of ongoing conversations that don't happen anywhere else.
What you get
Training that fits your budget and your schedule.
Members pay significantly less for PMJA workshops and the annual conference — and workshop discounts add up fast when multiple staff attend. See the full benefits list for current member pricing.
On-demand editorial support.
The PMJA Editor Corps connects journalists with experienced editors at rates well below market. PMJA subsidizes each session so member stations pay a fraction of what independent editorial support typically costs. This benefit is exclusive to members.
A career center that works for you.
Members get one free job posting annually (a $100 value), plus access to career resources and hiring trends that help both journalists navigating a transition and news directors thinking about who's out there.
Recognition that travels.
PMJA's Annual Awards programs celebrate excellence across journalism categories. For journalists, an award is a credential. For stations, it's visibility. Members save $35 per awards entry.
Support when things get hard.
Laid off? PMJA offers six months of complimentary membership to journalists going through career transitions, plus access to a toolkit built specifically for that moment. Because public media is a small world, and people remember who showed up.
Find your tier and join in a few minutes.
What membership saves you
Based on a station that actively uses member benefits annually.
| Benefit | Annual savings |
|---|---|
| 10 Annual Awards submissions ($35/entry savings) | $350 |
| 1 conference registration (members $575, non-members $800) | $225 |
| 2 staff attending 1 workshop | $200 |
| 1 free job posting | $100 |
| 10 hours of Editor Corps editorial support (subsidized by PMJA)
Small station: you pay $30/hr Medium station: $45/hr Large station: $70/hr
|
$300+ |
| Total annual savings | $1,175+ |
Members also save 25% on Near+Now subscriptions ($150 vs. $199 for non-members) — additional savings not reflected above.
A station at the $500 tier that actively uses benefits recoups more than twice their dues in savings. At $150, it's close to eight times over — before accounting for Editor Corps.
Membership levels
Annual membership dues for news organizations are based on total station revenue. All staff members receive full access to every benefit.
| Station revenue | Annual dues |
|---|---|
| Under $500,000 | $150 |
| $500,001 to $2,000,000 | $500 |
| $2,000,001 to $5,000,000 | $700 |
| $5,000,001 to $10,000,000 | $800 |
| $10,000,001 or more | $1,000 |
Individual media professionals: $120/year or $15/month | Students: $25/year | Questions? Email info@pmja.org
Ready to join?
Find your membership level and get started today.