The Indiana Publisher

His father's side is from Evansville and attended Purdue University. Weber's undergrad degree was in history and political science from Florida State. For Weber, this spring has been a new kind of education and he's appreciative of the chance to learn form Key. "He's taught me a lot about the Open Door Law, the Access to Public Records Act, the role of the press in our government and why public notice is so important," Weber said. Before coming to Indianapolis, Weber worked with two different lobbying firms in Florida. Building on that and serving as another pair of eyes and ears for HSPA in the fast- paced General Assembly has provided invaluable insight on how things work legislatively. "I've thoroughly enjoyed every single day of this job. It's really been a pleasure working for (Key) and all the opportuni- ties HSPA has afforded me," Weber said. HSPA's office in the Stutz Building is within walking distance of Weber's downtown Indianapolis apartment. He said he's enjoying life in a big city and all it offers. "I definitely want to stay in Indianapolis," Weber said about his plans for the future. He has two more years to go and the bar exam. After that, he is perhaps interested in working in state government or an administrative law capacity. Weber said this experience is what helped land him a summer clerkship with the state and put him on the path to where he'll be working after school. Weber said he's impressed by how much Key and HSPA are able to accomplish and the good it does for the state of Indiana "It's taught me a really great appreciation for people like him, for journalists and our govern- ment's process," Weber said. Page 2 April 2021 HSPA Board of Directors Mark Miller, The News-Banner (Bluffton) Intern Continued from Page 1 practices must come to an end. It is no longer appropriate for these two platforms to profit directly from local news while publishers increasingly struggle." In October 2020, the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law issued a 470- page report detailing Google's and Facebook's conduct in the digital advertising market and the profound effects it has had upon America's free and diverse press, particularly the newspaper industry. The Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, and numerous state attorneys general also have filed antitrust claims against Google or Facebook or both. Newspapers have been acute- ly impacted: Advertising revenue plunged from $49 billion in 2006 to $16.5 billion in 2017, threaten- ing the existence of local news, according to the complaints. "The freedom of the press is not at stake," the complaints state, "the press itself is at stake." Nearly 30,000 newspaper jobs disappeared—a 60% industry- wide decline—from 1990 to 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Almost 20% of all news- papers have closed in the past 15 years, and "countless others have become shells—or 'ghosts'—of themselves," according to a recent report by the University of North Carolina. "Newspapers are essential to the functioning of our democracy and there is no replacement for a well-informed citizenry," said Paul Farrell Jr., an attorney for the news- paper publishers. "This is a fight worth fighting." Other publishers filing suit: Brown County Publishing Company, Inc. and Multi Media Channels, LLC; Clarksburg Publishing Company, d.b.a. WV News; Coastal Point LLC; Eagle Printing Company; Ecent Corporation; Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.; Flag Publications, Inc.; Gale Force Media, LLC; and Journal Inc. In addition, WKTimes LLC, and Pinnacle Communications, publisher of Northeast News, have announced their intention to file similar suits in the near future. The newspaper publishers are represented by a national coalition of attorneys: Paul Farrell Jr. and Mike Fuller of Farrell & Fuller, LLC; Paul Geller, Stuart Davidson, David Mitchell and Steve Jodlowski of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP; Clayton Fitzsimmons, Bob Fitzsimmons and Mark Colantonio of Fitzsimmons Law Firm PLLC; and John Herman and Serina Vash of Herman Jones LLP. Lawsuits Continued from Page 1 Josh Weber takes notes at a hearing on April 12 — socially distanced due to the ongoing pandemic. Steve Key and Josh Weber, wearing a newsprint face mask, consult between meetings at the Statehouse.

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