Public notices

It was a very good year for public notice in the U.S.   The newspaper business has had a tough year but not because of public notice.   Public Notice Resource Center tracked about 360 distinct public-notice-related bills introduced in 2019, including 80 that passed and were signed into law. …

By Barry Smith Much has been written about the colorful and controversial character named Christopher (Kit) Carson — studious biographies, every history book about the West, plenty of newspaper articles and whole series of lurid dime novels. But the first time his name appeared in print was a public notice. …

Every once in awhile, we like to remind readers of the glaring difference between general-circulation newspapers and government websites. Below is a piece from Public Notice Research Center that re-emphasizes the point: Just because information is available on government sites doesn’t mean anybody looks at it. In 2014, then-Indiana Governor Mike …

By Richard Karpel In a recent article in Columbia Journalism Review, Liena Zagare and Ben Smith argue that local governments should move public notice and other civic advertising from newspapers to local-news websites like their own BKLYNER. To buttress their case, they claim that a newspaper in their borough, the …

The newspaper industry has had a lot of success protecting public notice in the state legislatures, but collectively we’re on the defensive. Our opponents are more motivated than ever and increasingly sophisticated in their arguments. Every newspaper must play a role in this fight. This session will focus on the …

The Georgetown, Ky., News-Graphic has important, well-read content nobody else has — its local public notices. So, why not draw as much attention as possible to what otherwise may seem like dull, government-required boilerplate? Take a look: “Under our state law,” notes Kentucky Press Association director David Thompson, “the newspaper …

The Public Notice Resource Center has published a new version of its guide to best practices for public notices. The guide is available in a PDF version below, or contact us and we’ll ask the PNRC for printed copies. ‘Best Practices for Public Notice’ was issued at a recent symposium …