Your membership card, including your photo and membership number, identifies you as a financial member of the Media section of MEAA.

As a MEAA Media member you are bound by MEAA’s Journalist Code of Ethics.

To obtain the benefits of MEAA membership, you must ensure you do not have any membership dues outstanding.

The card provides an assurance that you work in journalism. MEAA’s rules state that only those persons who constantly or regularly engage in journalism and related fields shall be eligible for membership.

Part of the membership card’s  function is to allow journalists access to places and events that may be limited to the public or subject to restrictions by authorities. As an example of the principle of a free media, MEAA Media members should be allowed access on the understanding that they are there to observe and report on matters of public interest.

The card seeks to provide maximum protection for journalists in the field – authorities should be able to identify the card to understand why journalists are there and the work they do. MEAA has also been in discussions with police command in some jurisdictions where there have been issues about the treatment of journalists at public events in order to improve recognition of the card.

MEAA Media members must not abuse the rights or the responsibilities of their card:

• It is a misuse of the media card to seek entry to a paying event for free with no plan to report on it.
• It must not be used as a protection against disruptive activism.
• Do not use the card for personal advantage or do anything that could bring MEAA into disrepute.

Misuse or abuse of the card or serious breaches of the Code of Ethics could result in expulsion from MEAA.

Advice for members

• Your membership card is there for your protection.
• Keep your card safe. Ensure it is visible when it is important to quickly identify you.
• Make it available for examination upon reasonable request.

There is space on your card for a passport-style photograph for further identification. Contact MEAA Member Central on 1300 656 513 to arrange to have your photo added to your card. If you would prefer to have a plastic version of the card, rather than the electronic version that is issued automatically, you should also contact MEAA Member Central.