Paul Weissler, IMPA Membership Chairman, responds to the anonymous veteran member who last month questioned the professionalism of some of the newer members in attendance at IMPA’s recent Test Days.
What It Means To Be An IMPA Member
I obviously don’t know who the IMPA member is who questioned the online members we have, but he doesn’t have to fear giving his name. People often ask me how we qualify members with online credentials as journalists, and the basic rule is simple: you have to be earning “bill-paying money” for your work (as opposed to some nominal amounts that might cover a McDonald’s lunch). That’s our definition of a “professional,” and my membership co-chair Shari Hartford, who processes the applications, is relentless in vetting applicants for that qualification, as well as determining validity of “clips” submitted.
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Paul Weissler |
If you’re running a website, it has to be as a money-making venture. We check web traffic rankings, review content and look for a “revenue stream” that would justify the time invested as a professional venture. Further, I have personally done face-to-face interviews with applicants. We also work with car makers to check their assessments, but the final call is that of the membership committee. And believe me, we turn down a lot of membership applications every year, including people to whom the car makers lend cars. All that said, we don’t require that you earn your primary income from automotive journalism, only that you have recent clips and earn professional pay for it.
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