The Indiana Publisher

Connect with us. Follow HSPA on Twitter & Facebook. @OurRight2Know, facebook.com/ HoosierStatePressAssociation April 2022 Page 11 HSPA also has fought the seem- ingly unending battle to preserve the concept of public notice adver- tising as the third pillar of govern- ment accountability. I'm not sure there's been a legislative session that didn't have at least one bill filed to diminish the publication requirement. That goes back to the day in January of 1993 when I walked over to the Statehouse on my first day as a legislative intern with then general coun- sel and executive director Dick Cardwell, who hired me. And that's been the situation during the time Cardwell's successor, David Stamps, mentored me as we've experienced the upheaval in the newspaper industry. The business model that served us for more than a century has fractured. During the pandemic, Indiana has seen more than a dozen newspapers close their doors. Conversely, the demand for local news has never been greater. In the vast majority of Indiana's 92 counties, it was the local newspa- per that informed the community of how COVID-19 was impacting their lives. Newspapers continue to serve as the eyes and ears of the public – attending local govern- ment meetings to report on what is being done with taxpayer dollars; sorting through public records to uncover mismanagement or pos- sibly corrupt behavior. A few years ago, a group of Northwestern and Notre Dame university economists statistically showed that communities without a strong local newspaper presence saw the cost of the government be greater. Newspapers continue to weave together the fabric of their com- munities with stories about life – high school sports, the county fair, church activities, the work of charitable organizations, festivals, the birth of children and obituaries. I've always felt a city or town that loses its newspaper loses its voice. It's been my privilege to work with publishers and their staff members to help them serve Hoosiers as a vital piece of what makes local democracy work. I often tell people how lucky I've been to do a job that not only do I enjoy, but I believe can make a difference. I started my journalistic career 45 years ago as a sports writer for the Quincy Herald-Whig in 1977. It's a good time to turn the job over to a new generation of leadership. I'm confident that Amelia McClure, with the support of Pam Wells- Lego and Shawn Goldsby, will do a tremendous job serving Indiana newspapers as the new executive director and general counsel. Let me finish by urging everyone involved with Indiana's newspapers to not lose sight of how important you are to your communities. Continue to seek out the truth, even when it's uncomfort- able, and respect the impact your stories have on those involved. This is my – 30 – as executive director and general counsel. Key Points Continued from Page 1 Though the building doesn't include a parking lot, Miller said, there's plenty of on-street parking available on Sundays, a city-owned parking garage just a block away and other nearby lots that the church could reach out to in the future. In addition, some church members will simply opt to walk to services because they live nearby, he added. "Studebaker gave us a taste for redeeming old spaces," Miller said, adding that its relocation to the former Tribune building connects it with The Tribune's historic mission of community service. "We want to honor its history, not erase it." While the newspaper performs its primary function through the writ- ten word, he said, the church aims to help solve problems by working with and advocating for vulnerable children, families and other at-risk members of the community. Miller said the church already has commitments for $1.2 million and hopes to eventually raise $1.5 million to $3 million for the project. The congregation figures it will end up with a mortgage payment to pay for the remainder of the project, but it wants to get that monthly bill lower than what it's paying for rent at the Studebaker building. The closing will occur after the church completes its due diligence on the building, said Chris Dautel, vice president of strategic planning and corporate development for Schurz. Although Schurz sold the newspaper in 2019, it retained own- ership of the buildings in downtown South Bend. "We've been exploring opportu- nities for the company's downtown buildings," Dautel said. "This was an excellent opportunity to get one back into functional use and allows the church to expand its mission." Beyond the newer press building, Schurz also has been exploring uses for the estimated 110,000-square-foot structure that fronts Colfax with the thought that it could be divided into first floor retail and offices and living space on the second and third floors. Church Continued from Page 8 Let me finish by urging everyone involved with Indiana's newspapers to not lose sight of how important you are to your communities. Continue to seek out the truth, even when it's uncomfortable, and respect the impact your stories have on those involved.

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