Editor, Times-Union:
As usual, the honorable senators and representatives are once again considering legislation that will eliminate the requirement that local and state governments have to publish legal notices in Indiana newspapers.
Without going into the weeds TOO much, this concerns you because the state wants to create a public notice website that will cost you big bucks (the state press association already has one, by the way, that they don’t charge for).
By taking away those notices from newspapers, the government is eliminating the checks and balances that a free press provides.
And lastly, can you name something – c’mon ANYTHING – that the government does better and more efficiently than private business?
To be clear, the government does pay us newspaper folks for the legal notices – but trust us, it’s not expensive. The government mandates the rate. What they let us charge them is either at or very near the bottom of anything we offer.
And to be even more clear, I get the idea that they think our industry is dying. But the fact that thousands of you are reading this on a tablet or a phone or a computer of some sort is evidence that we are not. Evolving? You bet. However, the last thing anything in transition needs is another bump in the road. We may be evolving, but what’s the old saying about perception and reality?
So, we are going to have an old-fashioned rally at the Indiana Statehouse to let lawmakers know we do not want them to pass any of this proposed legislation – and we are hoping to have a lot of people show up! More importantly, we’d love for you to join us. The more the merrier ... and the better our chances of convincing those aforementioned elected types that they should reconsider.
If you are willing, the rally is scheduled for March 19 at 11 a.m. We’re going to meet on the third floor, just outside the Senate chambers. If you would like to go, on behalf of newspapers all over Indiana – a sincere thank you! And if you want to go please do let me know. You can reach me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you – and we’re working on maybe getting t-shirts we can share.
Here's the thing – we’ve all seen the horror stories coming out of D.C. about waste and fraud in government spending. I’m not saying we have that here, but it’s time we let those we elect know that we expect them to do better. Keeping a check and balance is just one way to do that.
Thanks for your consideration!
Tim Timmons
Publisher of the Noblesville Times
and The Paper in Crawfordsville
[email protected]