During a time when the president of the United States is meeting with reporters every day, providing more transparency to government operations than Americans have seen before, some lawmakers at the Indiana Statehouse are trying to do the opposite.
A couple of committees are considering taking public notices out of Indiana newspapers and placing them all on a giant, government website that would make looking for a specific public notice like finding a needle in a truckful of needles.
Truth is, most of them mean well. They are talking about saving money for taxpayers and creating a one-stop shop for public notices.
But the reality boils down to just a few essential facts.
1. Public notices cost pennies compared to other government spending.
2. If the state has to create a website for this, they will have to spend money to do so and then spend money for staffing and upkeep
3. The state press association already has a public website where those ads are placed at no additional cost to taxpayers
4. Not everyone reads public notice ads, but some do. And for those who pay attention to how our government operates, these information boxes provide invaluable data
5. If the government posts their own notices, where is the check and balance system? Isn’t that akin to the fox guarding the henhouse?
6. Newspapers aren’t dying, but evolving. However, the last thing those community icons need right now is another piece of negative news. Wouldn’t it serve everyone better if lawmakers didn’t pass legislation that makes it even harder?
7. Can you name something the government does more efficiently than private business?
Let’s make no mistake about this. Public notices are a positive thing for newspapers. They certainly aren’t the biggest revenue stream we have – by a long shot. But these days, every little bit helps. And there is no doubt that having that information published by those who tend to keep an eye on politicians helps everyone – including the legislators.
Taxpayers are already angry over property taxes and insane government spending programs. Why would Indiana lawmakers want to make such a blatant move that does nothing but make important information harder to find?
It doesn’t make sense for anyone – here’s hoping better heads prevail in Indianapolis.
Tim Timmons is an owner of Sagamore News Media and publisher of the Noblesville Times and The Paper in Crawfordsville. He can be contacted at [email protected].