There are many ways to show support for the New Mexico Press Association and the newspaper industry in New Mexico, but the best way is to become a member.
There are three membership categories that cover anyone who is interested: Active, Associate and Special.
Active Membership:
Active membership is available to the following:
1) Newspapers with principal offices within the State of New Mexico, said newspaper to be distributed on a regular basis a minimum of 50 times per year, with an accepted newspaper format; must make a regular effort on a continuing basis to cover the news of the community served, with minimum of 25 percent news content; must have an office open to the public where business may be transacted during usual business hours; must have been in regular publication for at least 12 consecutive months prior to application for membership; must annually between October 1 and October 15, publish a sworn statement of average total circulation per issue during the 12 months preceding; and must upload all legal notices to a statewide aggregate legal notice website, administered by the Association, on at least a weekly basis.
Associate Membership:
Associate membership is available to the following:
1) News services with bureaus located within the State of New Mexico.
2) Newspapers published in New Mexico less than 50 times per year.
3) Newspapers with principal offices outside of the State of New Mexico.
4) Independent journalists or print media cartoonists residing within the State of New Mexico.
5) Magazines.
6) Printing Plants.
7) Representatives of allied industries and other friends of the newspaper
business, including vendors and suppliers.
8) Online News Publications: available to general public via the world wide web, updated regularly and consistently not less than weekly; both free and paid websites may be eligible; must contain a minimum of 25 percent local news content, and include staff-produced local news content; must not serve primarily as a platform to promote the interest and/or opinions of a special interest group, individual or cause; must have an office open to the public where business may be transacted during usual business hours; must have been in regular digital publication for at least 12 consecutive months prior to application for membership.
Special Membership:
Special membership is available to the following:
Student publications of accredited post-secondary institutions.
Rights and Responsibilities of membership
Active member:
Active members can attend all Association functions and meetings. Only active members may vote and only active members may hold office in the Association. Each active member shall be entitled to one vote at the annual business meeting, to be cast by an authorized representative of the newspaper member, news service member, or by individual member. Voting may be by secret ballot, if requested by at least 10 percent of the voting members present. Active Members can sit on and chair Association committees and may participate in the Association-sponsored contest in the appropriate daily and weekly categories.
Associate Member:
Associate members can attend all Association functions and meetings, without voting privileges; can sit on Association committees; may participate in the Association-sponsored contest in the appropriate daily and weekly categories, subject to the same rules that apply to active Association members. News services are to compete in the highest daily division, individuals to compete in the division of the publication that the submission was most intended to first appear. Associate members may participate in seminars and other Association educational and award activities.
Special Member:
Special members can attend all Association functions and meetings, without voting privileges; can sit on and chair Association committees; may participate in the Association-sponsored contest in the appropriate daily and weekly categories, subject to the same rules that apply to active Association members. Special members may participate in seminars and other Association educational and award activities.
Becoming a Member
Application for membership shall be submitted to the Board of Directors, through the Executive Director. Approval of new members shall be by majority vote of the Board of Directors.
After approval of a membership application by the Board of Directors, the applicant shall be a qualified member in the category approved, upon receipt of the first year’s annual dues.
Any member may be expelled by the Board of Directors by a two-thirds majority vote, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, for conduct unbecoming to a member, for failure to uphold the purposes of the Association, for conflicts of interest with the purposes of the Association, for a change in the member’s status that no longer meets membership requirements or for failure to pay dues after reasonable notice.