Stockton’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists held their first meeting of the semester on Thursday to discuss the goals of the organization, membership, and plans for future meetings. The meeting was led by faculty members Toby Rosenthal, Erin O’Hanlon and John Froonjian.

The Society of Professional Journalists is a new club on campus, part of a national organization focused on educating journalists on the best practices. SPJ provides valuable resources and opportunities for networking with journalists, students, and educators across the country.

Any student with an interest in the journalism, media or communications fields is welcome to join SPJ. There is an annual membership fee of $32.50 to be part of the national organization, however, students can feel free to attend on-campus meetings this semester to get an understanding of the organization before officially becoming a member.

“We need to get students in the mindset that this membership should be just as critical as any textbook, notebook, or backpack,” said Toby Rosenthal.

The next meeting will be on March 24 at 4:30 p.m. and will be a skill-building workshop. There will be a focus on a variety of journalistic skills, including interviewing, news writing, and writing on deadline.

Anyone interested in joining SPJ can reach out to Toby Rosenthal at toby.rosenthal@stockton.edu.

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