Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/84751
Page 4 September 27, 2012 Remind news readers what they're getting N ational Newspaper Week – running Oct. 7-13 – offers an opportunity for newspapers to promote the benefits they bring to their communities. We've all seen the gloom- and-doom stories about the viability of newspapers, and so have your readers. Newspapers should take advantage of a week of recognition to remind readers that you have no intention of going anywhere and look forward to serving them far into the future. To assist you in making a splash during National Newspaper Week, HSPA is sponsoring materials created by the Newspaper Association Managers for your use. The downloadable kit includes: • Logo expressing the theme "Newspapers – The Cornerstone of Your Community" • Crossword and word search puzzle • Editorial cartoon • Four columns – "A bright future lies ahead for newspapers," "Newspapers: Legal documents that protect press and web) tied to your newspaper. Points By Steve Key Key citizens 'beyond a shadow of doubt'," "Your newspaper will be there for you," and "Local newspapers connect us with our communities." Download the free mat - erials at www.national newspaperweek.com. Of course, you can supple- ment the package with stories, editorials, etc., that you create. this issue, 65 percent of publishers surveyed by the Reynolds Journalism Institute expressed optimism about the future of the newspaper industry. As noted elsewhere in You wouldn't know it from the perception of our industry. We need to toot our own horns. Look at your situation. Other than through a news- paper, is there any way some- one in your community can This editorial cartoon is available to use during National Newspaper Week, Oct. 7-13. Other material also are included in a free NAM newspaper promotion package at www.nationalnewspaperweek.com. have all the following infor- mation pre sented to them in one easy-to-use package? • Coverage of local government units •Obituaries • High school sports • Church and civic organization news • Grocery store ads • Retail business sales information • Election news • Opinions and letters to HSPA Hotline The following questions came from the North Manchester News- Journal, Kokomo Tribune and Churubusco News. Q A originally denied our request until the commission's board held a meeting. The board members decided We recently attempted to begin publication of building permits in our county. The planning commission office you for reasonable court costs and attorney fees. Q they would allow us to publish the summary of all building permits; however, they would not allow any names, addresses, dollar amounts, or types of permits to be published. Shouldn't these records be available for publication? If so, what are our options in acquiring this information if the attorney will not respond and the board refuses to accommodate our request? are public records, and I'm aware of no statutory basis for redaction or denial. county has any basis to deny you access to the building permits. They I don't believe the It appears you've reached the point where I would suggest you request a formal opinion on the availability of the permits from state Public Access Counselor Joe Hoage. Act, personnel files can be kept confidential at the discretion of government units. Almost universally, they use that discretion to keep the records secret. They aren't required to do so, but they usually choose to do so. But if a state or local government employee is suspended, demoted or fired, the public has the right to inspect and copy records from that individual's personnel file that outline the discipline taken or concern the factual basis for the discipline. A You can reach him at pac@ icpr.state.in.us or at (800) 228-6013. He may refer you to the state's public access counselor website, www.in.gov/pac, to download a form to make the request. Once you have his opinion, which I believe will be in your favor, use it to try and convince the county that it's OK to make the information available. If they still don't comply with the request (assuming the law is in your favor), your only option would be to file a lawsuit asking a judge to order them to comply. By going through the public access counselor first, if you then prevail in court, the judge would be required to order the county to reimburse It all hinges on whether he was fired or resigned. Under the state Access to Public Records say anything about it. It's become clear that he was forced to resign. Students and instructors told us he was locked out of his office and escorted off school grounds by campus police. Is there any information I can make a public information request for to shed some light on the situation? The chancellor of Indiana University Kokomo recently stepped down. It was unexpected, and the university won't We ran into some access issues while videotaping a high school football game. My videographers were physically thrown off the sideline by the home team's coach. One was escorted off by a police officer. The coach thought we were taping their plays and relaying them for the other team. to prevent this from happening again? All of the other media outlets were permitted to stay on the sidelines for the entire game. This is our 10th season taping the games, and we've never had any problem before. What kind of ID should we wear A What I suspect happened is that IU officials confronted the chancellor with whatever information created the crisis and offered him the option of resigning or being fired. Knowing a resignation looks better on a resume that a dismissal, and perhaps knowing the details would become public if he was fired, he probably agreed to resign. You can always ask for the records under the provision that opens the file if he was fired, but if officials claim it was a resignation, they'll probably deny your request. Q Does HSPA have anything official that I could print up for press passes to put on lanyards? looking press card that you could insert into a lanyard. You could design it to include the reporter's name and newspaper name and logo. It sounds like you ran into a paranoid coach. Obviously, your staff was treated unfairly relative to other media representatives. You may already be doing this, but instruct your reporters to check in with each school's athletic director or football coach prior to the game, especially for road games where they don't know you. Give them a heads-up that you plan to cover the game and ask if there are particular restrictions on where you can film from the field, how to get official statistics, and what the process is for talking to coaches or players after the game. Talking to them ahead of time puts them on notice that you are a legitimate media outlet with the intent to respect school rules to field access and follow guidelines regarding interviewing. It would be hard for an athletic director or coach to throw you out after they've answered your questions prior to the game and acknowledged your credentials as a member of the media. HSPA does not issue press passes. As to a lanyard, your newspaper can print an official- director and general counsel, with media law questions at skey@hspa. com or (317) 624-4427. Contact Steve Key, HSPA executive the editor • Business news. Remind your readers and covers the single-copy cost of the newspaper. Remind them what news coverage means to the communities' well being. I loved a recent Indianapolis Star ad outlining reporter John Russell's work un - raveling a cozy relationship between the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission and Duke Energy. The ad copy started like I'm sure it more than those who don't subscribe what they are getting or missing. Do this with promo boxes of upcoming stories displayed in either your print or online products. Let readers know how much money they could save if they use all the coupons included in advertising (inserts, run of this: 1 tip, 23 records requests … and finished with more than $300 million saved for ratepayers. I urge you to participate in National Newspaper Week and remind your community of the benefits of subscribing to your newspaper. If you can't make an argument for the value of your newspaper, who else will? Steve Key is executive director and general counsel for HSPA. REVENUE Continued from Page 1 looking to hire a semi-tractor trailer driver. Extend her reach to the labor pool in the entire state for only $320 for a 25-word ad in the Indiana Classified Advertising Network. Your profit: $150. The customer's ad runs in 142 Indiana newspapers. That covers a lot of truck drivers. But you say he wants the ad to run more than once a week? Not a problem. You can sell him an Indiana Classified Advertising Network daily ad for $590 that will run Monday through Friday in 52 daily newspapers. Your profit: $177. "It's a deal you can't refuse, but too many HSPA members fail to take advantage of the opportunity to combine profit and service to benefit customers," said Steve Key, executive director and general counsel for HSPA. If a newspaper sold only one weekly classified ad, one daily classified and one 2x2 ad a month into HSPA's advertising network, its bottom line would be enriched by $7,164 a year. Not bad for selling to your current customers. But, you say, the customer only wants to run ads in a few surrounding counties and wants them to be larger than a 2x4 ad? HSPA can handle that, too, with our display advertising program, Midwest Advertising Placements, but that's another story for another issue of The Indiana Publisher. For more information on using HSPA's statewide advertising network to increase your revenue and your clients' reach, contact Shawn Goldsby at sgoldsby@hspa. com or (317) 803-4772 or visit hspa.com/ advertising-services. 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