If I join the TJA, will my membership information be publicly listed anywhere?

No. Like most journalism organizations, our membership database is not available to the public.

Is there any way my information might be shared publicly?

Our jobs board does have the option to publicly upload your resume for all registered employers. We recommend against using this setting, as the TJA is not able to directly review or remove accounts from the jobs board. You can send your resume to individual employers directly. All job listings are approved and reviewed.

We may ask you if you want you or your work highlighted in our newsletter. That newsletter is public-facing. But you can always decline to be featured!

Will my information be visible to TJA members?

By default, on this site, user information is not visible to other TJA members. If you post a comment on a blog or add a submission to the members highlights blog, that information will be associated with your profile, which people can then view. However, unless you change the privacy settings on your profile, that profile will appear blank to other site users.

This changes if you opt in to a directory. Any user who has opted in to any directory will have some visible user information associated with their profile, which is viewable to any approved member on this site. However, unless you post on a blog post or other member resource, your profile information will only be easy to find through the directory.

Individual directories have different degrees of visibility and privacy. Check our directories page for information on who can see each individual directory. Our directories FAQ has some additional information.

If you join any TJA Slacks, your information will be searchable by any member of that Slack. That is part of why we have a separate application process for the Slacks.

Our email listserv membership is hidden from non-admin users.

If you post to the Slack or listserv, whatever information you have associated with that account will be attached to your post.

How do I know other TJA members won't spam, harass, or otherwise abuse me through the TJA's spaces?

The TJA reviews all membership applications and denies applications from anyone with a documented history of violations of our Code of Ethics. We also take steps to ensure that individuals are not using someone else's contact information, social media profiles, or likeness to apply to our organization through impersonation.

For platforms that do not have extensive, self-customizable privacy settings, like our Slacks, we have an additional application and review process. Additionally, we limit those spaces to journalists only, so that those communities remain smaller, more private, and more feasible to moderate.

We take action to address any oversights or issues as swiftly as possible.

If another TJA member does harass you, that violates our Code of Ethics. Discriminatory or abusive behavior and harassment are not permitted. 

If you witness or experience issues like this in the TJA's online spaces, or at a TJA-hosted event, please file a complaint using our reporting form.

What if I don't want other TJA members to see me at all, ever, anywhere?

You can override the "visible to members" setting at any time by logging in to your profile and deselecting "show profile to others" in your account.

Please note that this will prevent you from appearing in directories, even if you have opted in to them. 

Joining the Slacks/listservs or using the jobs board is entirely optional, but make sure you review your privacy settings and think about whether you want to post on those platforms.

What about the site platform?

Wild Apricot hosts its user data on AWS. You can read the Wild Apricot platform's explanations of its security and privacy practices.