The Indiana Publisher

Page 4 I ndiana newspaper executives have an assignment for 2017 – this includes publishers, ad directors and editors. Talk to state legislators about the value of public notice advertising. I know you're all busy and some of you have multiple state representa- tives and senators in your area, so I'll give you until Christmas to finish this homework. I won't even require a double-spaced report, but put you on the honor system to get it done. The reason for this assignment is that the pressure is turning up on the preservation of this democratic tradition that pre-dates our country. Richard Karpel of the Public Notice Resource Center reports that 20 state legislatures this year had bills intro- duced that would effectively eliminate the publication requirement for public notice advertising. Almost all would move the notices to government web- sites. Indiana legislators filed no such bill, but the concept took another hit with the passage of H.E.A. 1009. The school financial bill eliminated the require- ment for school districts to publish the school bus replacement fund budget and capital projects fund budget while giving notice of hearings on those plans. Since I knew bill author Rep. Tony Cook, R-Cicero, is a former school superintendent, there was no surprise that he wasn't sympathetic to HSPA arguments over the value of published public notices. I also wasn't surprised, but pleased, that bill sponsor Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, who used to operate the family's grocery and has been a friend of newspapers, agreed to remove the offending provi- sion when the bill traveled through the Senate. Unfortunately, Rep. Cook's inten- tion won out when the bill's confer- ence committee version was decided. More ominous to me was the comment made by Sen. Kenley to the Senate Rules Committee as he explained the final version of the bill. The bill "does eliminate require- ment to publish in the newspaper and does require you to go onto the school corporation's website, which is kind of a breakthrough decision and… it is just a question of when this is going to happen." Kenley said. "When we are going to go to these kind of things, it does save pretty sig- nificant money on a statewide basis." When a former staunch newspaper advertiser says this, you should be concerned. Legislators hear the steady drum- beat of local and state officials who don't like to be bothered by the effort to publish public notices. The mantra is it's a waste of money; nobody reads them, nobody comes to the meetings. Their answer to the question of the public's right to know is we'll put it on the website where everybody can see it – knowing that no one will even know to look for most notices. At best, the truth is most bureau- crats just don't want to be bothered with having to place the notices, to determine the correct language of the ad, to determine deadlines for place- ment, collect the proof of publication, and to pay for the ads. At worst, the sentiment of a Lake County school superintendent explain- ing to Bill Masterson, then-publisher of The Times (Munster), why she didn't want to move her school dis- trict notices from a small weekly to the large daily, explains the constant attacks on public notice advertising. "The only thing that happens when we publish public notices is that people come to the meeting and give us crap about what we're doing, why would I want more people to see it," Masterson said he was told. The bureaucrats' wish for the elimi- nation of publication of public notices blinds them to the public's desire for its continuation. HSPA has document- ed public sentiment in past surveys of adult Hoosiers. Even when told the publication of public notices can cost government units thousands of dollars, 64 percent of the respondents said the notices should continue to be published in local newspapers. It's up to you to personally speak to Indiana legislators and make them understand that the public doesn't want to troll through government websites to learn how elected officials are proposing to spend their tax dol- lars when that information is now being delivered to their doorsteps. Steve Key is executive director and general counsel for the Hoosier State Press Association. Key Points Steve Key Homework assignment: speak up LIKE THE HOOSIER STATE PRESS ASSOCIATION ON FACEBOOK FOR INDUSTRY NEWS, DEADLINES AND UPDATES. May 11, 2017 News in brief Respect for Andy Graham was well earned in 35 years of reporting and writing for the Herald- Times (Bloomington). Graham retired on April 28. Graham covered high school sports and Indiana University sports, with a stint covering public education mixed in. He's earned honor around the state and in 2013 was inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame. - The Herald-Times (Bloomington) Neil Burk, editor of The Paper of Montgomery County, was named to Editor & Publisher's presti- gious "25 Under 35" list. 25 Under 35 recognizes 25 news- paper professionals under the age of 35 throughout the United States and beyond for their accomplish- ments in the field. Burk said that he was humbled by the honor. - The Paper of Montgomery County Jason Travis is now the edito- rial contact for The Huntingburg Press and Jasper News Journal in Dubois County. Travis also works with three weekly papers in East Central Indiana in Grant County. They include the Oak Hill Times (Swayzee), Journal Reporter (Gas City) and The Courier (Upland). The papers are published by Indiana Newspaper Group. Travis began his duties in February of this year. - Indiana Newspaper Group John Gregorio has joined The Times Media Co. (Munster) as its new advertising director. Gregorio joined The Times earlier this month after working a short time at Farm Journal Media, which produces print and broadcast prod- ucts for the agricultural industry. That job followed 24 years with the Chicago Tribune. Gregorio, lives in Lisle, Illinois, with his wife and three children. - The Times Media Co. Graham retires after 35 years Travis joins Newspaper Group Editor nationally recognized Andy Graham need to include," he said. The state Board of Accounts once published a "Guide to Publication of Legal Notices," but the last version was printed in 1989. Key said he was told the government agency became concerned about the possible legal liability if incorrect information pub- lished in the guide led someone to be harmed for failure to properly give notice required by Indiana law. The Board of Accounts (SBOA) does yearly update the charts used by newspapers to determine the proper line rate that should apply for govern- ment notices placed with them. HSPA works with the SBOA to try and cover the multitude of column widths used by HSPA member newspapers. "Not only is public notice advertis- ing an important component to the public's right to know, along with the Open Door law and Access to Public Records Act, but it is also an impor- tant piece of the advertising revenue stream for newspapers," Key said. "Staffers tasked with serving gov- ernment officials, attorneys and citi- zens should understand the require- ments of the law. Just because the client is forced to publish the public notice advertisement shouldn't lessen the level of customer service pro- vided." HSPA encourages members to sug- gest additions for this new resource, but Key asks for patience as HSPA in response creates new pages for the guide. Suggestions can be sent to skey@hspa.com. Guide Continued from Page 1 Register today for the 2017 Reporters Workshop! www.hspa.com/ reporters-work- shop Adobe Sign (free for Adobe CC subscribers) Adobe Sign is another scanning application with an important twist. Using their fingers, Adobe Sign allows users to sign documents on their phone screens. Documents can be scanned, converted to PDF and signed, all in one sequence. In addition, Adobe signature is legally binding, compliant with e-sig- nature laws around the world. Instapaper (free) Instapaper is a favorite of reporters and researchers who need to search and save information on the Internet. A simple click allows users to save web pages and stories to a phone, tablet or computer. Creating archives of web pages related to a topic is a breeze with Instapaper. Snapseed (free) Snapseed may be the best photo editing application for the phone. Many of the tools available in Photoshop, Lightroom and other edit- ing applications are available from within Snapseed. Shadows & highlights, dodge & burn, spot repair, tuning and more are available all while working from a phone or tablet. Camera+ ($2.99 - $4.99) Simply stated, Camera+ is the best app for taking pictures on an iPhone or iPad. For photographers who want total control over their photos and wish to attain the highest quality reproduction, Camera+ is a must-have app. Kevin Slimp works as a newspaper industry trainer, speaker, writer, and consultant. Kevin can be reached at kevin@kevinslimp.com. Apps Continued from Page 2 New ad director at The Times Neil Burk Gregorio Jason Travis

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