Active Membership
Any individual firm or corporation publishing a daily, weekly, semi-weekly, tri-weekly, Sunday newspaper or newspaper published less than weekly, admitted to U.S. Postal Service Periodicals Permit paid circulation mailing privileges shall be eligible for Active membership in this Association. Specialty or niche publications meeting these criteria may be considered for Active membership.

Any individual, firm or corporation publishing a newspaper admitted to U.S. Postal Service Periodicals Permit paid circulation mailing privileges which is an Active member in good standing, may submit for ONA membership any additionally-owned online publication or printed newspaper title, whether paid or non-paid circulation. In such instances, individual membership applications for each online publication and newspaper title must be submitted to the board of trustees for approval.

An Active member application must be accompanied by the three most recent issues of the newspaper and proof of the USPS Periodicals Permit (the most recent USPS Postal Statement in the case of free-distribution newspapers.)

A check for annual dues must accompany each application. Annual dues are the cost of 37.5% of a page of advertising (calculated at the national or open rate) plus $65 per thousand of circulation (calculated to three decimals; i.e. 2,156 circulation is 2.156).

Online Publications
An online publication is eligible for Active membership in the Association if it meets the ownership requirement stated above and the following criteria: available to the general public via the World Wide Web; content must be updated on a regular basis; must follow the ethics and standards of print journalism; links to other Web content may be included but the publication’s core content must reside on a server and/or Web site; principally devoted to the dissemination of local or general news and other editorial content (not less than 25 percent of overall content); must primarily serve as a platform promoting the interests and/or opinions of a special interest group, individual or cause.

College & University Newspaper Membership
A non-voting membership may be granted to a college or university newspaper if it conforms to the following criteria: printed in an accepted newspaper format (standard or tabloid size) or published online; published on an announced, regular schedule or, as relates to a Web site, content updated no less than twice a month; have an office in Ohio; must follow the ethics and standards generally of professional print journalism; publish, verify and submit accurate circulation figures to the Association; and prepared entirely by students, except for mechanical assistance or assistance by faculty advisors. Dues are $200 annually.

Associate Membership
Associate Membership is available to firms which provide services, supplies and equipment to the newspaper industry, other non-publishing corporations, university journalism departments, and non-profit educational, financial and governmental institutions, foundations, trade associations, business groups and professional societies. Dues: $400 for profit making firms; $200 for non-profit and educational organizations.

Retired Membership
Any individual who permanently retires from full-time employment in the newspaper industry and has worked for a newspaper that has been a member in good standing of the ONA for the past five consecutive years may become a Retired Member. In addition, Retired Members shall be required to show some proof that they are retired, such as receiving retirement benefits or are not employed full-time by any newspaper or allied industry or organization. Dues: $25 per year.

For more information about ONA click here.

Click here to see some of the services ONA offers to its members.

Download the membership application in PDF format by clicking here.