Society of Professional Journalists
professional association for journalists in the United States
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. Its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. It is the oldest organization serving the field of journalism.
History
Sigma Delta Chi
The Society of Professional Journalists was established on April 17, 1909, as a men's collegiate professional fraternity named Sigma Delta Chi. Its ten founding members were Gilbert C. Clippinger, Charles A. Fisher, William M. Glenn, H. Hedges, L. Aldis Hutchens, Edward H. Lockwood, LeRoy H. Millikan, Eugene C. Pulliam, Paul M. Riddick, and Lawrence H. Sloan.
In 1910, Sigma Delta Chi expanded to the University of Kansas, the University of Michigan, Denver University, and the University of Virginia. By 1929, it had initiated 5,821 members at 53 college chapters, with 44 chapters remaining active. It was governed by an executive council consisting of national officers who were elected during the fraternity's annual convention of delegates.
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The subject matters to the history & society register because the source frames it as professional association for journalists in the United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7552604. VIAF identifies the subject as 127373309. The Library of Congress control number is n91096872. Authority coordinates are 39.827, -86.156. 5 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1909, 1910 and 1929.
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This entry incorporates text from “Society of Professional Journalists” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.