Our policy for this news organization is to not give you our opinion. Our exception has long been related to issues that could negatively impact our ability to provide fact-based local news and remain in business. Public notice reform is one of those issues.
For generations, the requirement that public notices – vital announcements of government meetings and actions – be published in local print newspapers made sense. It was a system born of a time before the internet, when the printed press served as a main pillar of community information. But times have changed, and the landscape of news dissemination has been fundamentally reshaped by the digital revolution, the contraction of print newspapers, and the rise of locally-owned digital news outlets.
Today, the world is starkly different. The robust competition that once characterized the print newspaper market has significantly diminished in our region and across Pennsylvania. What remains, in many instances, is a system where public notices are synonymous with inflated costs and lackluster service, a fact well-known to municipal leaders, legal professionals, and engaged residents.
Now, a bill before the Pennsylvania legislature, HB 1291, which is championed by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA), presents itself as a modernization of this outdated system. As someone working to update the state’s outdated public notice law, I commend Representative Robert Freeman and the 21 co-sponsors for recognizing the need to bring the Newspaper Advertising Act into the digital age. Their initial willingness to address this issue deserves recognition.
However, we must sound the alarm on some serious concerns: in its current form, HB 1291 is not the step forward for transparency and efficiency that it purports to be. Instead, it represents a thinly veiled attempt to stifle competition and, ultimately, harm Pennsylvania taxpayers. We’ve heard this concern echoed by online news publishers, local government officials, and concerned residents.
Competition is a cornerstone of our great nation and a principle that fosters innovation. Competition drives down costs and ultimately benefits the public. HB 1291, as it stands, is a direct assault on this fundamental value. While the PNA touts the bill as enhancing government transparency, its true aim is to allow legacy print newspapers to transition to a digital-only model while clinging to their lucrative monopoly over public notices in their respective markets. Their strategy is clear: to prevent innovative, online-only news sources like NewtownPANow.com from ever competing for these vital public service announcements, despite our proven reach, unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity, and significantly lower cost structure.
This isn’t just a concern for us here in Bucks County. Publishers of online-only and free newspapers across the commonwealth share our deep apprehension about this blatant attempt by established print titles to enshrine their monopoly into law for the digital era. The PNA-backed bill seeks to create a new, artificially protected class of newspapers. This proposed category – the “digital newspaper” – ironically describes outlets like NewtownPANow.com and countless others that have pioneered local journalism in the digital realm. Under HB 1291, if a printed newspaper no longer exists in a local market, public notices could be placed in a “digital newspaper.”
But here lies the insidious catch: this “digital newspaper” designation is exclusively reserved for publications that currently or formerly had a printed edition. This grandfather clause serves no purpose other than to protect the existing monopoly and block fair price competition from free and online-only news organizations for this essential public service.
We ask you, the taxpayer: why should local governments be forced to choose a more expensive, potentially less accessible option simply because of a historical accident – one publication once used ink, while another has always embraced the efficiency of pixels? You deserve better. The PNA leadership has stated, “it is your right to know the plan for how your hard-earned taxpayer dollars might be spent.” We wholeheartedly agree. And it is also your right to ensure those dollars are spent wisely and efficiently. HB 1291, in its current form, perpetuates an outdated monopoly solely for the benefit of newspaper lobbyists.
This measure will undoubtedly inflate the cost of public notices by shielding archaic companies – many of which are now owned by large, out-of-state corporations and hedge funds focused on extracting profits while diminishing local news coverage – from healthy competition. We’ve seen what these out-of-state companies and hedges funds can do as they have decimated the local news landscape in Bucks County and closed once-vibrant print newspapers over the past 15 years.
Any meaningful revision to the Newspaper Advertising Act must embrace the core principles of the free market and allow online-only and free newspapers to compete fairly. If HB 1291 were amended to permit all free and online-only newspapers to compete for public notices, regardless of the presence of a current or former print publication, it would usher in an era of greater competition, broader accessibility, and lower costs for taxpayers.
The State House Local Government Committee is expected to consider this bill this month. We implore our legislators: do not make a costly, long-term mistake by granting these legacy titles an indefinite monopoly simply because of their past reliance on ink. Myself and fellow publishers urge the Local Government Committee to seriously consider the amendment we propose and, if necessary, hold hearings to fully explore the issues at stake. The goal should be to guide policy in a direction that best serves not only Pennsylvania taxpayers but the very foundation of our democracy.
NewtownPANow.com readers, if you believe that increased competition in the realm of public notices is a positive step, we urge you to make your voices heard. Please contact your state legislators today and share your thoughts. Let them know that you support a fair and open market for public notices, one that benefits taxpayers and strengthens our communities.
Thank you,
Tom Sofield, Publisher
Click here to tell State Rep. Perry Warren or call 215-493-5420
Click here to tell State Rep. Kristin Marcell or call 215-364-3414
Click here to tell State Sen. Frank Farry or call 215-638-1784
Click here to tell State Sen. Steve Santarsiero or call 215-497-9490
