1,000 Jobs Hang In Balance Under State's Publication Proposal

[Editor's Note: Darwyyn Deyo is a reporter for PaIndependent.com and can be reached at 717-920-1819.]

HARRISBURG — Newspaper publishers from Pennsylvania told a House committee that new legislation could cost thousands of jobs, but local government officials accused the publishers of simply trying to protect an advertising monopoly.
 
At issue is legislation, that would allow local governments to post their legal advertising — such as announcements of meetings, construction bids and other required public information — on websites instead of in local newspapers.
 
Martin Till, president and publisher of The Easton Express-Times, told the House Local Government Committee that the bill would cost 1,000 reporting jobs statewide due to the loss of advertising revenues.
 
“If that happens, the state unemployment compensation fund is going to be on the hook for over $1 million a month," said Till.
 
Elan Herr, assistant executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Township Supervisors, argued that the newspapers’ opposition to H.B. 633 was not rooted in concern over public transparency but in the potential for lost advertising revenue.

“(The Pennsylvania Newspaper Association) would have you believe that townships just want to hide critical information,” said Herr. “Instead, they will tell you only daily or weekly newspapers of general circulation can be trusted to provide this critical service, printing legal notices near the back of the paper at exorbitant rates.”

Herr argued that newspapers should provide legal advertising at “reasonable prices,” potentially free of charge.
 
State Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton, minority chairman of the House Local Government Committee, said the main issue is making sure “the broadest range of the public” can have access to local government notices for meetings and bids.

“For a large segment of our population, newspapers are still that source,” said Freeman, “particularly our senior population. They are not necessarily as Internet savvy or as Internet-use oriented, so I would hate to see those legal notices not going into the newspaper in large part because of that.”
 
When asked how much local governments spent on legal advertisements, the two sides could not agree to a figure.

State Rep. David Maloney, R-Berks, said he wanted to see “hard data” to determine how much local governments actually spend on publishing legal notices in newspapers statewide. He also expressed concern over whether his constituents would be well-informed, if H.B. 633 took effect.

“I want (my constituents) to be involved with the process of gathering their own information and being able to know where that is, and readily available,” said Maloney.
 
After the hearing, state Rep. Tom Creighton, R-Lancaster, chairman of the House Local Government Committee, said the local government groups did not present as strong a case as those from the newspaper industry.
 
Creighton said he would introduce amendments to H.B. 633 to address “deficiencies.” The potential amendments would include requiring local governments who publish online to offer email lists for public notice updates.

“We’re a little bit behind times,” said Creighton, “but maybe if we try to jump in too quickly, we’re going to make a mistake.”
 
The committee heard from two panels, one representing local government associations and another representing newspaper interests. Representatives from AARP, an advocacy group representing retired people, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, representing lawyers, also spoke.