For journalists, producers, members, and public information contacts
Report on A.A. without making one member its public face
A.A. welcomes accurate public information and credits the media with helping people learn that recovery help exists. Its request is specific: when identifying a person as an A.A. member, use a first name and last initial and avoid recognizable images of the member’s face.
Use first name and last initial
The media letter gives examples such as a first name followed by the first letter of the surname. Avoid a full name when the person is identified as an A.A. member.
Do not show a recognizable face
A full-face photograph is not made anonymous simply by withholding the surname. Video framing, thumbnails, archived clips, and promotional stills require the same attention.
What a reporter can accurately say
A.A. brings together people who share recovery experience and support one another in addressing alcoholism. Anyone who wants to stop drinking may be a member, and membership has no dues or fees.
A journalist can describe the program, meetings, service structure, literature, and local availability without identifying a particular member. Official facts and public information contacts are available through A.A.’s Press and Media resources.
What one member can say
A member can describe personal experience and recovery. The person speaks as an individual member—not as someone authorized to define A.A. for every member, group, or the Fellowship as a whole.
A member may instead appear under a full identity as a recovered alcoholic when A.A. membership is not revealed. That distinction should be agreed upon before recording or publication.
Plan anonymity before the interview
Apply the official naming and image guidance across the entire production: recording, photography, credits, trailers, social posts, captions, filenames, metadata, thumbnails, archives, and the finished article or program.
For audio or recorded talks, A.A. asks speakers not to use full names or identify third parties by full names. A recording intended for a public website is public media even if the original event was limited to A.A. attendees.
Why the request matters
A.A.’s media letter connects anonymity with newcomer confidence and with the principle that A.A. is a program of principles rather than personalities. Protecting identity reduces the risk that celebrity, authority, professional status, or later personal conduct will be mistaken for the standing of A.A. itself.