Time to take notice
The Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) claims the best way to make sure public notices are not noticed by the public is to take them out of paid circulation newspapers and put them on government Web sites.
Of course they claim that. They, after all, represent newspapers that have much to lose if this happens.
A portion of Senate Study Bill 3030 would allow cities, schools and counties the option of placing all of their public notices on the Internet rather than in newspapers. In the INA’s words, “Effectively, it would end the publication of public notices in newspapers and put them on government websites.”
Not necessarily. If written correctly, and if the boards of those entities feel that newspapers best serve their constituents, they can still pay to place public notices there. Good luck with that.
Publishers of paid circulation newspapers have long feared that this day will come, fully realizing it was inevitable. In a one-fingered effort to hang on, the INA has made an onslaught of lobbying efforts to keep the flow of taxpayer funds in paid newspapers, despite rapid declines in circulation and changes in reading habits.
Legislators who are looking for ways to trim the budget see an opportunity to eliminate public notices from paid newspapers, saving taxpayer funds by offering the option of posting notices in locations where more Iowans can access them.
Yes, there was a time when it made sense to require cities, schools and counties to publish their minutes and expenditures in paid newspapers. Times have changed. Government must continue to be transparent, but in ways that match today’s reading habits.
Many antiquated Iowa newspapers will be forced to cease printing overnight when this bill becomes law. They failed to adapt to modern times, and they now hold on to outdated arguments in pointless efforts to keep that revenue. Enough is enough.
The bill went to committee on Jan. 12, was voted out of committee on Jan. 20 and is ready to go to debate. Iowans would be best served if this bill becomes law, and we encourage legislators to serve their constituents by making newspapers stand on their own without taxpayer revenue from public notices. CV
