The Indiana Publisher

Indiana The Volume 76, Issue 19 • September 15, 2011 NNA speaks out on mail plan Proposals could negatively affect community papers The U.S. Postal Service must change, but the needs of customers must be the first consideration, the National Newspaper Association told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs this month. The need for a cost- efficient, customer-oriented Postal Service is compel- ling and urgent, National Newspaper Association Chief Executive Officer Tonda F. Rush told the committee. "We share the views of many that the Postal Service has been unfairly burdened with the way payments into benefits systems have been structured," Rush said. "We agree the mail-processing network carries a heavy cost of excess capacity. But the Postal Service's solution can- not be to push mail out of the system." Postmaster General Pat- rick Donahoe has alerted See Mail, Page 4 Tailgate with Team Advertising at annual conference REGISTER BY SEPT. 23 • PAYMENT MAY FOLLOW LATER Cornhole and a tailgating-friendly menu are on the agenda for this year's Advertising Conference & Awards Gala. The annual event is set for Sept. 30 at Ball State University. To go along with the tailgating theme, attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite jersey and other team garb all day while they get great training focused on boosting revenue. The deadline to register is Sept. 23. Payment may follow later as long as HSPA Foundation receives registration forms by the deadline. Advertising departments may reg- ister by faxing the forms that were mailed to each newspaper or signing up online at www.hspafoundation.org/ events. Dubbed the Advertising Tailgate this year, the annual conference will have a fun, fast-paced atmosphere, and some- one will win an iPad during an after- noon idea-sharing session. The event in the Student Center at Ball State is sponsored by HSPA Foun- da tion, Indiana Newspaper Advertising Execu tives Associ ation and Trace Com- munications. All of the details about the confer- ence and registration forms are avail- able at www.hspafoundation.org/ events. Two training tracks, one for ad managers and sales reps and the other for graphic designers, are planned for the morning sessions. Bob McInnis, president of McInnis and Associates of Greenport, N.Y., will present a session he calls "Driving Serious Local Ad Revenue in a Reces- sion" for ad managers and sales reps. See Tailgate, Page 4 Advertising Tailgate & Awards Gala When: Sept. 30. Sessions for managers start at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Ses sions for sales reps and designers begin at 10 a.m. Where: Student Center, Ball State University, Muncie Registration deadline: Sept. 23. Payment may follow later. Registration: Fax the form your newspaper received, or visit www.hspafoundation.org/events to download a form or to register online. Information: (317) 803-4772, sgoldsby@hspa.com or www.hspafoundation.org/events Publisher Published alternate Thursdays READER RESPONSE IN THE DIGITAL AGE Editors react when posts don't pass libel sniff test By Milissa Tuley HSPA staff A news alert from the local paper pops up on a smartphone. The phone's owner clicks the link to the newspaper's website and reads the story. It's a popular one, with 18 reader comments already. The phone-holding reader scoffs at two of the comments and immediately fires back an outraged response complete with a border- line libelous statement. Whether the comment will be deleted, edited or ignored depends on the paper, but the task is a responsibility editorial boards should take seri- ously, according to Peter Scheer, a lawyer and journalist who's the executive director of the First Amendment Co - alition. The San Rafael, Calif.-based group works nationally to advance free speech, open government and civic participation. In a 2010 column on the group's website, FirstAmendment Coalition.org, Scheer urges newspapers not to let reader comments sections become overly friendly to what he calls See Post, Page 2 Smartphone-toting readers can take advantage of their ability to quickly post on newspaper websites from anywhere. Editors must decide what stays online and what goes. Statement of Ownership deadline is Oct. 1 It's time to file, publish and fax your U.S. Pos tal Service State ment of Ownership. File the statement with the U.S. Postal Ser vice: The deadline for filing your Period icals Class Statement of Ownership with the Pos- tal Service is Oct. 1. Get the form at your local post office or at www. usps.com. Enter "state- ment of ownership" in the search field and download Form 3526. Publish the statement in your paper: The dead line for publishing your notice depends on the frequency of publica- tion: • For dailies and news- papers published two or more times a week, the deadline is Oct. 10. • For weeklies, the dead- line is Oct. 31. Fax the statement to HSPA: We'll use the information to verify your circulation for member- ship and contest eligibility. The fax number is (317) 624-4428. For more information con tact Steve Key at skey@ hspa.com or (317) 624 4427.

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