The Indiana Publisher

The Indiana Publisher Published alternate Thursdays Volume 78, Issue 25 • December 5, 2013 Save date for Annual Meetings USA Today pioneer will address group K en Paulson, president of the First Amendment Center, will deliver the keynote address during the HSPA and HSPA Foundation Annual Meetings and Government Conference in February. The event Feb. 5-6 will bring together the state's newspaper executives at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. Mark your calendars for the yearly meeting of the media minds, designed to offer industry ideas and opportunities for collaborating and socializing. Paulson, also dean of the College of Mass Communication at Middle Tennessee State University and former editor in chief of USA Today, will bring signature his candor to his session. His expertise makes him a sought-after speaker. Previously, he served as editor and senior vice president/news for USA Today. He now serves as a columnist on USA Today's board of contributors, writing about First Amendment issues and the news media. Throughout his career, Paulson has drawn on his background as both a journalist and lawyer, serving as the editor or managing editor of newspapers in five states. He was among the team of journalists who founded USA Today in 1982 before moving on to manage newsrooms in Westchester County, N.Y.; Green Bay, Wis.; and Bridgewater, N.J.; and at Florida Today in Brevard County, Fla. 2014 GENERAL ASSEMBLY PREVIEW Yes, Virginia, budget notices still exist A State tax study committee doesn't act on bid to eliminate publication of budget hearing notices HSPA: Posting on state websites doesn't equate to public notice state tax study committee took no action on a recommendation to stop requiring local government units to publish notices of budget hearings in newspapers. The Indiana Depart ment of Local Govern ment Finance pushed for lifting the publication mandate. HSPA opposed Micah Vincent the change. Micah Vincent, commissioner of the Department of Local Government Finance, suggested publication be replaced by a posting on the department's website. Brandt Hershman He made the recommendation Dec. 2 during a joint meeting of the Commission on State Tax and Financing Policy and Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Vincent said such a move would make the budget process easier for local government officials, some whom have difficulty determining in which newspaper they are required to publish notices. "Internet usage is up, and newspaper subscriptions are on the decline," Vincent testified in support of the move to his agency's website. HSPA Executive Director and General Counsel Steve Key, who also testified, countered with several statistics opposing the attacks on the value of publication of public notices. (For more information on Key's testimony, see his Key Points column on Page 4.) Vincent also claimed that if a Hoosier didn't read the editions where a notice was published, they were out of luck. "If you miss those two days, you miss it," Vincent said. Key reminded members of the two committees that the state legislature requires newspapers to also publish public notices on their websites, and that HSPA has created a statewide public notice website to display the notices from all 92 counties. He said public notices will not disappear from newspapers' or HSPA's website following their publication. Hendricks County Council an Larry m Get your public notice rate charts T he state Board of Accounts has released the charts outlining maximum line rates allowed for public notice advertising that will go into effect Jan. 1, 2014. The charts reflect an increase of 2.75 percent from the 2013 rates. The yearly 2.75 percent increase was part of legislation that the Hoosier State Press Association worked to get approved by the Indiana legislature in 2009. The increase every year is automatic unless the state legislature passes a bill altering this policy. Prior to the comprehensive public notice advertising bill that established the guaranteed increase, rate changes required legislative action. Since 1927, the legislature had passed rate increase bills fewer than 10 times. The charts have been emailed to advertising directors and also are posted at hspa.com. If a newspaper's column width for public notice advertising isn't included in the charts, Steve Key, HSPA executive director and general counsel, can help with determining the new line rate. Contact Key with questions about the charts at skey@ hspa.com or (317) 624-4427. See Notices, Page 4 Congratulations, winners! Ken Paulson will give the keynote address at the Annual Meetings and Government Conference in February. Look for registration information in the coming weeks. How did your newspaper do in the 2013 HSPA Foundation Better Newspaper Contest? Get the results online starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at HSPAfoundation.org. INSIDE Multimedia press releases: HSPA partner GistCloud offers releases featuring text, photos and video that can come straight to an editor or reporter's inbox. Page 2 Key Points: Steve Key offers insight on a tax study committee's negative opinion of publishing budget hearing notices in Indiana newspapers. Page 4

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