“A free press isn’t free. Journalism costs money. Less journalism costs society. Let’s get to work,” says SPJ National President Matthew T. Hall about one of the goals for his year-long term.

In an effort to build a stronger network of journalists, Hall wants every SPJ member to recruit at least one new member. This latest SPJ initiative coincides with Hall’s birthday and the anniversary of the adoption of the First Amendment on Dec. 15.

“The idea is so simple, it sounds silly. But I’m serious,” Hall says. “Together, we can boost SPJ’s membership by thousands of people, with one simple act each: Finding one person to join.”

To participate, SPJ members should encourage at least one journalist, journalism student or supporter of journalism and the First Amendment, to join SPJ. Use the invitation form on this page or simply point them our way — there's no wrong way to invite them to be your plus one!

From there, the prospective member should create a profile in SPJ’s membership database, select their membership type and enter the name of the member who recruited them. It is that simple.

“...if all of us can find just one person who feels compelled to join SPJ — for advocacy, for camaraderie, for ethics and legal defense and award discounts — our membership would double,” Hall says. “That’s ambitious. Maybe impossible. But it’s worth trying. Let’s each make it our mission. Let’s dream big.”