The Indiana Publisher

Publisher The Indiana Volume 79, Issue 3 • March 13, 2014 Published on second Thursday monthly New member joins board Scholarships support high school journalists T he HSPA Foundation board of directors approved a new member and elected officers at its March 7 meeting. Mark Miller, publisher of The News-Banner (Bluffton), joined the board for his first three-year term. The leadership for 2014- 15 includes President Jack Pate, publisher of the Evansville Courier & Press; Vice President Nancy Grossman, publisher of The Salem Leader and The Salem Democrat; Secretary Michael Christman, president and chief executive officer for Fort Wayne Newspapers; and Treasurer Jeff Rogers, chief financial officer for Home News Enterprises. Three current board members agreed to serve another term: Barbara King, publisher of the Mount Vernon Plain Dealer and Mount Vernon Sun; E. Mayer Maloney Jr., publisher of Hoosier Times Inc.; and Pate. King first joined the board in 2003, while Maloney began in 2005. Pate will serve his second term. A s part of its endeavor to recruit young, talented journalists to newspapers, the HSPA Foundation recently awarded two $1,500 scholarships to high school seniors who plan to major in print journalism. Indianapolis students Carley Lanich from Lawrence Central High School and Ashley Shuler of Ben Davis High School won the 2014 grants that they may use for books, tuition, fees, housing or any other legitimate expense related to their college educa- tion. The announcement of the winners came during the annual Indiana High School Press Association's First Amendment Symposium March 5 in the North Atrium of the Indiana Statehouse. Lanich's grade point average of 4.386 ranks her No. 17 in a class of 570. Shuler's 4.9255 places her eighth in a class of 986. At the symposium IHSPA recognized the Indiana Student Journalist of the Year – Lanich – who will represent the state in the National Journalist of the Year competition. The other finalists included Maggie See Scholarships, Page 8 Foundation Front: State Department of Education rules high schools can elect to weight journalism classes. Page 3 Print vs digital: Digital companies benefit when newspapers listen to their 'expert' advice. Page 5 Hey, can they do that? Steve Key answers your legal questions. Page 7 INSIDE 2014 INDIANA GENERAL ASSEMBLY Legislators pick up pace in final week of session H SPA worked to successfully resolve two public notice issues in the final days of the 2014 General Assembly. The publication of local government budgets accompanying the notice of budget hearings will continue for one more year, State Rep. Dan Leonard, R-Huntington, announced during the con- ference committee hear- ing for H.B. 1266. The state Department of Local Government Finance initi- ated the bill. At Leonard's urg- ing, the Indiana House passed language that would have eliminated the requirement this year. State Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, added a two- year sunset provision when the Senate considered the bill. "Apparently the two legislators reached a compromise of one year," said Steve Key, executive director and gen- eral counsel for the Hoosier State Press Association. "This gives us a year to prove to legislators that Hoosiers still prefer publication of notices in newspapers rath- er than posting on government websites." Key believes officials pushed the provi- sion in part to relieve the state agency of denying budgets when local governments don't properly publish budget hearing notices. "I think they decided they didn't want to be the bad guys and tell local entities that they would have to live with last year's budget because they didn't publish the notice correctly," Key said. Otherwise, one would have to buy the argument that placement of notices on a website that averages 2,258 unique visi- tors a week provides better notice than newspapers, which are read by 87 percent of Hoosiers, according to HSPA's last read- ership survey. The Department of Local Government Finance averages 24.5 visitors per county per week, but Leonard argues web post- ing is preferable to newspaper publication of the notice. Key said many legislators mistake special interest notice (notices that insiders know where to find) for public notice (notice put into the hands of Hoosiers). In another public notice advertising matter, State Rep. Matt Lehman, R-Berne, made good on a promise to HSPA to pre- serve the requirement that out-of-state I n a surprise move, State Rep. Bill Friend, R-Macy, filed a dissent motion on H.B. 1306 regarding a cell phone provision in the pubic access bill. House and Senate Republicans were deadlocked over wording in the bill con- cerning cell phones used to take pictures of public records. The Hoosier State Press Association has worked on this legislation for two years with Speaker of the House Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, and it may die for a sec- ond year over an item not even part of the original bill, said Steve Key, executive director and general counsel of HSPA. The final day for bill passage is two days after The Publisher's deadline. Check hspa.com for up-to-date details. A provision inserted by the sponsor, State Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, allows a person to use a cell phone to Dan Leonard Matt Lehman State lawmakers soften stance on anti-public notice advertising bill Cell phones trip up public access legislation See Public notice, Page 8 See Records, Page 8 Carley Lanich Ashley Shuler Mark Miller HSPA offers political advertising resources Visit hspa.com/2014political to download materials promoting political advertising in newspapers. Get a full-color brochure, handout, PowerPoint document and more customizable components. NCAA trademarks: Friendly reminder that the NCAA is monitoring your ads for violations. Page 4

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