3.1 The Union is open to any person employed as a journalist, photographer or artist in news organisations, and others who earn their income from journalism.
3.2 There will be six categories of membership:
(i) Full members – Those earning the majority of their income from journalistic work. Journalistic work for this purpose is defined as employment as a journalist, photographer, artist or other position on newspapers, periodicals, domestic and international news agencies, radio, television or digital news platforms; as a full time freelancer (those who have worked as a freelance journalist for at least one year consecutively or who can provide confirmation from a media outlet or other institution that he/she is receiving an income from journalism, or that he or she is freelancing in an interim period having left a permanent position in a news organisation); or as a person employed in the pre-service and in-service training of journalists, in Hong Kong;
(ii) PR members – Those employed in public relations and information services;
(iii) Associate members – Those who do not earn the majority of their income from journalism or as a journalist;
(iv) Trainee members – Those training in journalism or serving a form of apprenticeship;
(v) Retired members – A voting member who retires from the occupation listed in Rule 3.1 on account of age or ill-health may, subject to the decision of the Executive, become a retired member who shall not have the right to vote but may participate in the benefits provided by the Union;
(vi) Life members – Those who have rendered valuable service to the Union and are endorsed for such membership by decision of the Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting subject to Rule 3.6. Life members shall be entitled to all the rights and benefits of the Union as other voting members.
3.3 Only members in category (i) may be issued with the Union’s Press Card, which shall remain the property of the Union and shall be returned to the Union on cessation or termination of membership.
3.4 Entrance fee to the Union for categories (i), (ii) and (iii) shall be $50 per person, and yearly subscriptions shall be $200 per person. For category (iv), only yearly subscription $50 is required, with entrance fee exempted. For category (v) and (vi), yearly subscription shall be exempted.
3.5 The Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meetings shall have power to alter the amount of yearly subscriptions.
3.6 The following circumstances will change the membership of a member in the Union:
(i) Members of the Union having left the news industry and finding work permanently in a different industry, occupation, trade or profession, shall notify the Union and cease to be members;
(ii) Unemployed members of the Union, finding temporary work in a different industry, trade or occupation, may be permitted to retain their membership up to a maximum period of six months after securing the new appointment;
(iii) Unemployed members may maintain their membership during the time they are unemployed, provided that they can prove to the Executive Committee that they are actively seeking work with a view to continuing in the profession.
3.7 All members must abide by the rules of the Union. Any member breaking the rules of the Union may be liable to reprimand, suspension of membership or expulsion by the Executive Committee. Any member reprimanded, suspended or expelled shall have the right to appeal to the Appeals Tribunal, whose three members shall be elected annually by the Annual General Meeting. There will be the right of final appeal to the Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting.
3.8 Members who are more than one month in arrears in payment of yearly subscriptions shall not be entitled to union rights including voting rights or welfare benefits. Members who are more than six months in arrears shall cease to be members.
3.9 Financial members transferring to Hong Kong from unions with which the Union has a reciprocal agreement shall, subject to Rule 3.1 and 3.2, be admitted to membership of the Union (HKJA) without payment of the entrance fee provided they can produce satisfactory evidence of such financial membership under the terms of the constitution of the reciprocal union. However, they shall be required to pay the yearly subscriptions as prescribed in Rule 3.4.