PBWA Bylaws

Article I
The name of the organization shall be Professional Basketball Writers Association.

Article II
The purposes of the Professional Basketball Writers Association are:

  1. To promote and protect the rights of its members and others in regard to working conditions in the daily coverage of professional basketball.
  2. To represent the collective interests of its members in any area that affects their professional duties or general welfare.
  3. To uphold high standards of professionalism in their craft.
  4. To present to the public and to the basketball community a responsible group for dealing with matters of mutual interest.
  5. To stimulate cooperation and fraternity among its members.
  6. To use its powers for whatever purposes the membership duly decides to be worthwhile.

Article III
The following criteria must be met by all members:

  1. He or she must be employed by a media organization of general circulation that regularly assigns reporters to cover professional basketball.
  2. Such an employee must be one of the following:
    • A reporter assigned regularly to cover professional basketball.
    • A sports editor, assistant sports editor or head of a sports copy desk.
    • A regular sports columnist.
    • Anyone certified by his or her sports editor as a basketball specialist who is not covered in the three preceding cases.
  3.  Anyone who does not qualify under sections 1 or 2 above may be granted membership on a case-by-case basis by the membership committee and president, but only if the applicant meets one of the following requirements:
    • He or she is an employee of a weekly newspaper or news magazine that covers professional basketball on a regular basis, and the applicant is assigned to such coverage.
    • He or she is an employee of a daily newspaper of specialized circulation (such as a foreign language or neighborhood newspaper) that regularly assigns reporters to cover professional basketball.
    • He or she is a sports editor or regular columnist of a daily newspaper of general circulation that does not regularly assign reporters to cover professional basketball.
    • He or she is an employee, editor or owner of a website that produces independent reporting and original content and specializes in professional basketball.
    • He or she is a writer for a media enterprise who primarily is responsible for covering professional basketball and has an editor.
  4. In reviewing membership applications, the president and the membership committee will consider the following criteria:
    • whether an applicant regularly produces independent reporting and original content.
    • whether an applicant already receives media credentials to cover professional games or practices.
    • whether an applicant works for an outlet that is considered a “fan site.”
    Applicants who do not produce independent reporting and original content or do not receive media credentials or work for fan sites are unlikely to be granted membership.

Written: 1973
Updated: 2007, 2012 and 2014