Association of State Baptist Publications

About the ASBP

Statement of Principles Preamble

Members of the Association of State Baptist Papers believe the free flow of truthful information is vital to the health and well-being of Baptist individuals, congregations, associations, and state and national conventions. Our publications exist to provide Baptists with accurate, timely and relevant information, balanced interpretation, and insightful and courageous editorials, thereby inspiring them and involving them in Baptist life.

We pledge to uphold the inviolability of the free flow of truth. Our professional and spiritual credibility rises or falls on our ability to do so. Ours is a ministry of truth-seeking and truth-telling. We empower Baptists when we provide truthful information upon which they can make their individual and collective decisions.

The purpose of this document is to strengthen members of our association as we seek to be truth-tellers. This document provides professional standards — the goals by which we gauge our journalistic performance. Recognizing we are fallible human beings, we nevertheless strive for perfection as we serve our Lord Jesus Christ through the ministries of our publications.

These standards are intended to be supportive and redemptive, the positive benchmarks for which we strive. As an association, we commend them to the various governing bodies of our member publications. We recognize that each of these bodies is responsible for determining how it will use this document. However, we believe all of our members should strive to exemplify these principles.

Kingdom-Building

Baptist journalists, by virtue of our relationship to Christ, strive to glorify God and extend His kingdom through open, honest, truthful information. We will exercise appropriate stewardship in our personal and professional lives to ensure this priority. Our relationship to Christ will guide us in the performance of our responsibilities. We seek to involve our readers in kingdom-building through our ministry of information, inspiration, interpretation and opinion.

Truth-Seeking and Truth-Telling

Integrity is a guiding principle for Baptist journalists. We strive to seek and report the truth. We strive to be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information. Accuracy and balance will characterize our work. We will guard against bias and distortion. We will clearly label opinion and commentary. We will champion the right of free speech. As part of our commitment to these ideals, we will strive to secure the resources necessary to accomplish our work.

Relationships

Healthy relationships are crucial to effective Baptist journalism. We strive to develop such relationships with news sources, constituents, peers and others. We seek to engender trust and to trust others, particularly the Baptist readers we serve. We pledge cooperation with each other. We will encourage and assist each other so that the quality of Christian journalism will be raised to increasingly higher standards.

Accountability

Baptist journalists are accountable to God, to our readers and to each other. Even as we strive to produce materials of the highest quality, we will welcome questions and criticism of our work. We will admit mistakes and correct them promptly. We will attempt to hold the news services upon which we rely to the same high standards we set for ourselves.

Independence

Baptist journalists strive to be free of interests that might impede the free flow of information. We will strive to avoid conflicts of interest and to remain free of associations and activities that may compromise or damage our integrity. Our firm convictions alone will guide us in editorial writing. While we may be professionally responsible to boards, committees or individuals — and to the readers who rely upon our work — we will never forget our ultimate responsibility to God for every decision or activity.

Advertising

In accepting advertising, our publications assume a responsibility not to defraud or mislead readers by what we publish. The products in the ads we publish will not conflict with the purposes of our publications. Advertising shall be distinct from editorial content in format.

History

The Association of State Baptist Publications (ASBP) traces its beginnings to November 21, 1895. That is the day in Atlanta, Georgia, when 10 Baptist state paper editors met with a small group of representatives from publications related to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to form the Southern Baptist Press Association.

Records note numerous changes through the years including membership requirements, structure and even a name change to reflect its membership more accurately. Today, ASBP largely remains what the original founders had in mind. It is the organization serving the primary news publications of state Baptist conventions related to the SBC.

Through all the changes, many of the original purposes remain the same.

E.E. Folk of Tennessee, who played a key role in convening the organizational meeting, wrote the new press association would “promote a greater spirit of fraternity among the editors … and so will be in the direction of building up our common Zion.” Providing fellowship and mutual support for the men and women involved in keeping readers informed about what God is doing through Baptists around the world remains an important function.

In addition, ASBP reminds Baptists of the important role state Baptist publications play in helping Baptists work together by providing trusted sources for news, features, promotion, analysis, opinion, instruction and more.

Membership in ASBP is by publications. That precedent was set in the 1895 organizational meeting when founders insisted that every facet of a publication’s ministry would be served by the new organization. Although some voices argued for an organization just for the editors, founders decided advertising, circulation promotion, administration and management, news writing, editorials, photography and more would all be topics for the new venture.

At the 1898 meeting, members discussed “Agents verses Premiums” and “Cash Basis and Delinquent Accounts.” Today members face different kinds of problems, but ASBP still provides a first stop to find direction and help about issues such as feedback about the latest software, about news gathering tools and an array of other issues. Problem-solving remains an important contribution of ASBP. 

Journalism training is a special priority. Through the years the association has sponsored professional evaluations of member publications. Industry training conferences related to photography, writing, editing, technology and other topics have been a part of the on-going resources provided by ASBP. So has a parade of journalism professionals working with members. Always the goal was the same as today — help state Baptist publications provide readers with the best Christian journalism possible.

Through ASBP, member publications have worked together with other Christian groups on common concerns. For example, ASBP works cooperatively with Associated Church Press and Evangelical Press Association to represent common concerns about postal rates and regulations with senior management of the U.S. Postal Service. ASBP has also worked cooperatively with other Christian groups on issues such as religious liberty and church-state separation.

An important contribution of ASBP is contending for the right of Baptists to free and unfettered information about the work they help support in their state, across the United States and around the world.

During its first 80 years of existence, the association worked with the SBC to include a report about the work and importance of state Baptist papers at each SBC annual meeting. More recently ASBP worked directly with each SBC national entity promoting open meeting and transparent reporting. At times association members worked side by side with entity communicators to provide readers with timely, accurate and balanced reporting.

— Excerpts of history by Dr. Bobby S. "Bob" Terry
Editor-emeritus of The Alabama Baptist
Served as ASBP executive secretary for 25 years (1993–2018)