You have the right to know what's happening in your community.
A new marketing campaign being rolled out by America's Newspapers highlights the need to protect public notices in newspapers and readers' right to know.
Newspapers can download this series of print and social media ads at no cost. The print ads include space for the name or logo of the newspaper publishing them.
The ads, produced in partnership with Sandpaper Marketing, call on readers to let their state legislators know that they value being able to access notices in the newspaper and that they are worth the investment.
If you have any difficulty accessing the files, email Greg Watson at America's Newspapers.
Yes, I want to access the print and digital ads from America's Newspapers!
Download a two-page PDF from the Public Notice Resource Center: "Why Public Notice Should Remain in Newspapers"
June 22, 2022 - The city of Gilroy, California, just put a charter amendment on the November ballot to eliminate the requirement for publishing bids in newspapers of general circulation. This June 22 editorial was published by the Gilroy Dispatch in response to the city's action.
May 17, 2022 - Michigan newspapers need to post notices of public meetings or other similar announcements online in a manner that is free for everyone, according to a pair of bills Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently signed into law.
May 5, 2022 - One of the most important steps newspaper publishers can take to ensure newspapers continue to remain the exclusive vehicle for public notice is to expand the audience for those notices by posting them on their own website and on their state press associations’ statewide public notice website.
March 4, 2022 - The measure would allow state and county governments to publish certain public notices on their web sites.
March 1, 2022 - Press associations in four midwestern states are supporting bills that would update their states’ public notice laws.
February 1, 2022 - Lawmakers will again consider a proposal to allow government agencies in Florida "the option to publish legal notices on a publicly accessible website instead of in a print newspaper," according to a House staff analysis.
Jan. 28, 2022 - David Bordewyk, executive director of the South Dakota Newspaper Association, said: “This bill is about our industry being proactive and working to bring you a solution that will work well for the future of our state’s newspapers and, more importantly, for ensuring our local citizens are informed about what local entities are doing and how they are spending taxpayer dollars.”
July 26, 2021 - The Indiana Supreme Court is considering a change to Trial Rule 4.13 that would allow an attorney to place notice on a website controlled by the Supreme Court rather than publish the notice in a local newspaper.
June 10, 2021 - Legislation before the Rhode Island General Assembly would take a swipe at both newspapers and transparency in government — two things that are intrinsically linked. House Bill 6375 and Senate Bill 916 seek to override any state laws that require municipal governments to post notices in print newspapers.
Now legislation would wipe out the entire practice and override nearly 200 state statutes. Replacing the thousands of notices currently posted in the state’s newspapers would be a digital clearinghouse on the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s website.
June 3, 2021 - Leave it to the Legislature to introduce a “transparency” bill that actually makes it easier for board members of special taxing districts to keep the public in the dark. Indeed a better name for Senate Bill 21-262, the “Special District Transparency” bill, would be the “Obfuscation Opportunity” bill.
March 26, 2021 - Last week, many newspapers wrapped up coverage of Sunshine Week, a time set aside to promote government accountability through public records and public meetings. In North Carolina, the idea of sunshine has been more aspirational than reality-based. Now though, there is greater cause for celebration than we have seen in a long time, thanks to the introduction on Thursday of Senate Bill 355 — The Government Transparency Act of 2021.
May 25, 2021 - The California News Publishers Association and Column, a public benefit software startup, have announced a long-term strategic partnership designed to transform the future of public notice for the most populous state in the country. In partnership with Column, CNPA members will have access to public notice software that they can deploy to streamline internal operations and deliver a powerful new customer experience for local governments, legal services and businesses that are required to place notices.
April 7, 2021 - “As HSPA prepares potential legislation for the 2022 session,” says Executive Director Steve Key of the Hoosier State Press Association, “we hope to convince the leadership that public policy should continue to embrace the four key elements of effective public notice — accessibility, verification, archivability, and an independent conduit for the distribution of those notices to the public.”
April 7, 2021 - Legislators in Texas have introduced at least 20 separate bills this session that could have an impact on public notice. Fourteen were introduced last month alone.
April 7, 2021 - Newspaper publishers from across the country are watching the moves taking place in the Florida legislature. The Public Notice Resource Center reports that one of the primary concerns to be addressed during a hearing scheduled for Thursday, April 8, concerns the type of free newspapers that may qualify to carry notices. This hearing on SB 402 is scheduled in Florida's Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice.
