2005 October

Utah Legal Notice Website

http://www.utahlegalnotices.com
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Utah Press Association is announcing it’s intent to keep public notices where they belong... in the Newspapers. Every year we fight the battle to keep Legal Notices in the paper - and not just published on government websites. With the implement of www.utahlegalnotices.com several years ago, we had one more arrow in our arsenal. But the time consuming process of uploading legal notices is obvious by our nearly 30% non-compliance. The system currently in place is not working to the level that we, as a group of fighting newspapers, need.
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UPA has found a quick, easy solution that will need no maintenance by the newspapers. Last October UPA launched it’s new and exciting service called Newsearch. We can now take the pages being scanned and extract just the legal notice sections and post there content on a separate website. The only thing that you the newspapers, need to do is place a small 6 digit code on your legal notice pages. This notifies the Newsearch system to place that in the legal notice database as well as the regular database.
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With the advent of pagination we feel this will be a simple process of placing the code in the template and forever have the code on the legal notice pages, therefore having every page added to the Legal Notice Website.
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It is imperative that we keep up with the Legal Notice Website. We, as a state, cannot afford to loose legal notices in our newspapers. This website is a major leverage point in that we can rebuttal every year that “We are already doing that, so there is no need to change anything”. We’re happy, they’re happy and legal notices stay where they were intended to be, in the hands of the public, our subscribers.
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The code to be placed on the legal notice pages of your newspaper is UPAXLP and is recommended to have the following:

• Appear at least 2 places (top and bottom of page)

• 10 point type or bigger

• uppercase

• san-serif (Helvetica, Arial, etc.)

• non-negative kerning

• non-scaled horizontal and/or vertical

• no characters on the either side of the code (single space before and after).

Side Note: A lot of newspapers are finding it easier to implement this by placing the code after each notice in their newspaper name tagline.

These are recommendations to help the system run more efficiently. If you can't follow all these please contact Kirk at the UPA office.
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For this to work seamlessly, we need to get compliance from every newspaper in the state. UPA will be contacting you soon to discuss the implementation of this process. The very minute we get all the papers placing the code we can stop uploading legal notices. This should save quite a bit of time for everyone involved. Every newspaper should have coded the legal notices by October 20th.
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To sum things up, we need this legal notice website to help keep legal notices in newspapers, we also need compliance, which means we need a simple way get the notices posted. UPA is using a system already in place to make this happen. UPAXLP printed twice on each legal notice page and it’s done, vs. the hassle we’ve been having with uploading.
Thank you for your help in this. We will be contacting you soon to get started.

- UPA Staff -

DEADLINE FOR DIRECTORY INFORMATION REQUEST

Legislature moving on sales tax, e-mail and open meetings

By Joel Campbell
UPA Legislative Monitor

A movement to impose sales taxes on newspaper subscriptions and sales is still alive in the Utah Legislature after a subcommittee recommended the repeal of many sales tax exemptions while another task force is considering a narrow definition of e-mail as a public record.

The Sales and Use Tax subcommittee of the Tax Reform Task Force has recommended that a number of sales tax exemptions be rolled back and specifically voted in September to tax both newspaper and magazine sales at retail outlets. Implicit in other recommendation is the removal the newspaper sales tax exemption on sales and circulation. The Tax Reform Task Force is expected to review the scope of sale tax exemptions at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

The full task force is also expected to vote on changes to truth-in-taxation advertising. Two different proposals would change the wording of newspaper ads required to run before elected officials raise taxes. Another proposal, not formally introduced, would require only one publication of newspaper advertising for a tax increase. Currently, publication of two is required.

UPA members concerned about either the sales tax exemption repeal or change in newspaper public notice should contact members of the task force.

GRAMA concerns

Members of the Government Records Access and Management Act Task Force are considering a bill that would narrowly define e-mail as a public record. Under the proposed bill, e-mail would not be considered a public record if it were part of the deliberative process of a legislator, county legislative body or city council. To be considered a public record an e-mail would have to establish a policy, establish guidelines or procedures, certify a financial transaction and has to have more than "communicative or administrative value."

The GRAMA task force is also considering limiting "personally identifiable" information in lists of information sold to commercial entities and for fundraising. The task force would also like to charge a higher rate if information is sold to commercial users. Some task force members would like the exemption expanded to include personal information in all public records. A proposed bill is expected to be release for the task force's October meeting. The task force hopes to complete its work by November.

Open Meetings Act bill

The Government Operations Interim Committee has also voted to approve a bill that would require taping of closed meetings under the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act. Following an audit that showed school boards widely abused the law including not taking required minutes of closed meetings. The bill would require closed meetings be taped. In case the closed meeting was ever challenged, a judge could review the tape and release any parts of the discussion that should have been made in public. The bill would also require mandatory training for new members of public bodies.

UPA legislative monitor Joel Campbell also testified that there are several other problems with the Open Meetings law. Rep. Glenn Donnelson, R-North Ogden, agreed sympathetic to the concerns and is considering running a bill to address the issues. They include the following:

Minutes of public meetings are often hard to obtain and often incomplete. Although minutes are considered public documents, their preparation can sometimes take weeks. The public cannot rely on the minutes for a timely understanding of the public process. In some rural parts of Utah, for example, weekly newspapers are willing to report to the about the actions in public meetings, but do not have the resources to attend all public meetings on one night. News reports to the public are delayed because the "official" minutes have not yet been approved by the body. Furthermore, the minutes are often incomplete or sketchy. Both of these issues would be solved if a recording was kept. The public could have quicker access to a copy of the meeting recording and the recording could serve as a backup record of the meeting. In the age of inexpensive recording technology, cost should no longer be an issue.

Stealth agendas. There are no provisions in Utah's law that require specificity on agendas. Some government bodies simply may have "old business, new business and executive session" listed on the agenda. However, many already follow this best practice. The Legislature, commissions in Salt Lake and Utah counties and many school boards are very specific on their agendas. This helps citizens know to when to attend when they are interested in an issue. California's open meetings law requires specificity. A closely related element is last-minute agenda items added without notice. The best public policy requires 24-hour notice for all agenda items.

Newspaper notice provisions. The provision to notice "at least one newspaper of general circulation within the geographic jurisdiction of a public body or to a local media correspondent" is outdated. In the era of e-mail and Internet postings, it seems that governments should be able to provide notices to all who like to receive them. There have been some instances when only one newspaper has received notice of an important meeting. The Legislature's Web site is a good example of how notice can be provided to many including a tracking feature for particular bills.

Holding executive sessions at non-specific times and locations. This is an abuse of the law that results in suspicions about secrecy.

Penalties for violating the act. Some states have penalty provisions that send the message that open meetings law are important. The penalties encourage education and translate into more compliance. Currently, Utah's open meetings act has no teeth except to require a public body to repeat what should have been done in the open in an open meeting.

Watch out for the TMI trap

By John Foust, Raleigh, NC

I was talking to Bennett about ad sales. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned,” he said, “is not to tell clients everything I know. The key is to give them enough information to make a buying decision – and keep them interested at the same time. I learned that lesson the hard way.

“I was losing sales, because I was determined to talk about everything in depth. Finally it hit me that some people don’t want that much detail. I remember one presentation, where things went fine until I got into our readership figures. I covered a lot of information about demographics and psychographics, but the person on the other side of the desk wasn’t a numbers person like I am. By the time I realized that his eyes had glazed over, it was too late. It was like paddling upstream to get his attention again.”

My conversation with Bennett reminded me of a story my wife tells about her elementary school days. Her third grade teacher assigned topics for reports, and Suellen was asked to talk about penguins. One thing you need to understand about her is that she never does anything halfway. Her report on penguins was undoubtedly one of the most thorough that had ever been prepared by an eight-year-old. She had statistics, pictures of all the different varieties of penguins – and even diagrams of migratory patterns on poster boards.

When Suellen sat down, her teacher said, “Well, class, that’s certainly more about penguins than we wanted to know.”

Over the years, that teacher’s remark has evolved from painful and insensitive to just plain funny. And it has become one of our little catch phrases. For example, if we’re talking about the World Series, I might say, “That’s more about penguins than you wanted to know.”

You may have heard of TMI, which stands for Too Much Information. This term popped out of popular culture’s language machine, as an abbreviated way of saying, “Whoa, I’d rather not hear so much about that.” It could have started with non-geeks who were tired of hearing techies talk about giga-this and mega-that. It might have originated with someone who didn’t want to hear another stitch-by-stitch description of Aunt Gertrude’s surgery. Or it could have started with customers who had to sit through long-winded sales presentations.

TMI is in the mind of the receiver – not the sender – of information. “After I fell flat on my face,” Bennett explained, “I worked hard to be more tuned-in to my prospects. I still have access to plenty of facts and figures about my paper, but now I have several different ways to describe each sales point. When a presentation becomes more of a monologue than a dialog, it’s time to change directions.”

A penguin is defined in part as a “flightless bird.” You could say the same thing about TMI. If your next sales presentation has too much information, it’ll never get off the ground.


(c) Copyright 2005 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust conducts on-site and video training for newspaper advertising departments. His three new video programs are designed to help ad managers conduct in-house training for their sales teams. For information, contact: John Foust, PO Box 97606, Raleigh, NC 27624 USA, E-mail: jfoust@mindspring.com, Phone 919-848-2401.

Utah Youth Into Media, But Not Papers

by Randy Hines

Media-savvy young adults are still reluctant to latch onto newspaper reading as a regular diet. The teenage and 20s target earns and spends millions of dollars a year. Much of that currency goes toward the latest electronic gadgets. The average high school senior has three e-mail accounts. About 90 percent of U.S. college students now own cell phones.

Although a ton of research has uncovered their computer, Internet and cell phone habits, much can still be learned about this elusive target for Utah newspaper circulation directors.

One under-publicized study about this misunderstood generation allowed participants to share their worries. Dr. Thom Rainer, president of the Rainer Group and a dean at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., developed a top 10 list of things that the youth generation fears.

10—“I will never have a happy marriage and family.”

Youth express concern about broken marriages. They sense that children of divorced parents have more problems than intact households.

9—“Someone I know or love will die of AIDS (maybe me!).”

AIDS, no longer the story from overseas or inner city slums, has hit home. Almost all teens in the study know someone who had contacted the disease.

8—“I feel like I have to have sex to be accepted.”

Forty percent of today’s 14-year-old girls will be impregnated at least once before they hit 20. Not surprisingly, two-thirds of females fear pressure to have sex. Surprisingly, perhaps, is that more than half of the male teenagers also admit the same trepidation.

“These youths were perceptive enough to realize that the media contributed to an ethos which says premarital sex is fun, good and expected,” writes Rainer. “Indeed the media have convinced many parents, politicians, and educators that premarital teen sex is inevitable.”

7—“I cannot find time to do everything.”

Many youth express panic in having so many choices: high school classes, extracurricular activities, jobs, household responsibilities, volunteer options. Frustrated, they feel life is simply too complicated. Stress is the typical result.

6—“I can’t tell right from wrong.”

Almost 60 percent of respondents think their peers have no sense of right and wrong. Lacking a moral compass, they admit that it’s often difficult defining such terms.

5—“Peer pressure scares me.”

Yielding to the standards of cliques and “the gang” is frightening. Teens don’t want to be ostracized or appear uncool in front of classmates or teammates. Going along with the crowd seems safe, but dangerous.

4—“I (or someone I know) will be a victim of violence or crime.”

Conducted long before Katrina’s destruction, the survey reveals that today’s generation is the most violent in history. Seeing violence in television programs, video games and movies makes teens sense that such dangerous action could involve them.

Perhaps that’s why one-third of males carry weapons with the intent to use them if necessary. More than 1 million high school teachers are threatened with violence every year.

3—“I will not be able to make it financially.”

Seeing parents and relatives unemployed does not instill confidence in today’s youths about their own financial future. Apparently, they do realize that money does not grow on trees.

“A college degree does not mean that you’ll get a good job,” said one male respondent. “And if you get a good job, you may not get to keep it.”

2—“I can’t get a good education.”

Because of—or despite—their own forecast of financial woes, more than 80 percent of the participants plan to get university degrees for higher-paying jobs. But many worry about getting into college and financing their education.

More than half of the high school teenagers express apprehension about taking the inevitable ACT or SAT exams.
1—“Something bad may happen to my family.”

More households exist today with the single head-of-household designation than married with children. Many survey contributors say they fear about family breakups because of the change in finances, living conditions, moving away from friends, etc.

Certainly not the most entertaining top 10 list, these concerns of youth could definitely be a reason why newspaper reading is not on their “to do” list.

Perhaps circulation staffs could sit down with editorial and go over the distress facing the future of this untapped, unconvinced readership. By addressing their worries with news stories, first-person accounts, features, interviews with experts and interviews with this audience, Utah newspapers may have a chance to reverse declining circulation trends.

What are we afraid of?

Dr. Randy Hines, APR, teaches in the Department of Communications at Susquehanna University. His address is 514 University Ave., Selinsgrove PA 17870. He can be reached at randyhinesapr@yahoo.com.

People, Context, Specifics: First-Aid Tips in Katrina's Wake

By Matt Baron

The devastating blow inflicted by Hurricane Katrina will reverberate for months, years and decades to come. But reporters operate in seconds, minutes and hours, with deadline demand upon deadline demand.

Between that high-pressure reality, the dangerous conditions prevalent in the Gulf Coast area, and the huge expanse of unanswerable questions at this early stage, reporters understandably have not had the luxury of nailing down numerical information in tidy little contexts.

However, whether you are reporting from afar or in the front lines, here are some First Aid reminders, Go Figure-style:

Behind every number is a human being.

Relate the figures back to people affected by them. What will this action mean to their lives? What is their response?

Question the people who cite the figures. How did they arrive at their numbers? Upon what assumptions are they based?

Put the number in context.

Is this number a crumb from a very large pie, or a huge slice carved out of a tiny pie?

If you tell me that an agency is spending $20 million to address a certain issue, how does that figure compare to the amount that various voices say is truly needed? What proportion of the agency's overall budget does that number represent? How much has been spent on other projects, and why is this more or less than that figure?

If you tell me that 40 police officers turned in their badges, be sure to note how many police officers remain on the job.

And if you delve into something very, very large-in the millions or billions, for instance-use illustrations and metaphors to help your audience digest the information.

Strive for specifics.

In times of crisis, initially it is often difficult to specify beyond vague terms such as "a number" or "some" or "several." But press sources for an estimate of some kind.

Likewise, if they cite a percentage, ask for the raw numbers behind it, so you can better gauge the weight to assign the topic.

BARON BIT: For an excellent assessment of statistics and keeping them in context, check out Roy Peter Clark's column in February 2004 on the coverage devoted to the abduction and murder of Carlie Brucia:

http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=61001

A freelance writer for the Chicago Tribune whose work has also appeared in Time magazine, USA Today and Sports Illustrated for Kids, Matt delivers seminars on numeracy and other communication topics for corporations and associations. You can reach him at matt@mattbaron.com or 888-713-5894. His web site is at http://www.mattbaron.com. Also visit: http://numberscount.blogspot.com/ and http://pavetheway.blogspot.com/

NNA honors two distinguished community leaders with the 2005 Amos and McKinney Awards

COLUMBIA, MO—Peter W. Wagner and Gloria Trotter were honored by the National Newspaper Association with the Amos and McKinney Awards respectively during the association’s annual convention in Milwaukee, WI.

Recognized as the highest and most dignified tributes in community journalism, the Amos and McKinney Awards are presented to a working newspaperman and woman who have provided distinguished service and leadership to the community press and their community. The awards were presented during the NNA’s 119th convention and trade show in Milwaukee, WI.

Wagner, publisher and owner of the N’West Iowa REVIEW in Sheldon, IA, was honored with the James O. Amos Award, which was established in 1938 in honor of Gen. James. O. Amos, a pioneer Ohio journalist and early day member of the National Editorial Association—now known as the National Newspaper Association—and A.B. White, third president of the NEA and the 11th Governor of West Virginia. Amos was owner of the Sidney County Democrat. The paper, which has passed from the family’s hands, is now named The Sidney Daily News.

Wagner, who had been in a meeting, when he learned about the award, said, “I was just completely caught off guard. I didn’t even know I was being considered for the award. I was kind of overwhelmed—very delighted to be recognized by my peers this way.”

In his nominating letter for Wagner, Larry Atkinson, publisher of the Mobridge (SD) Tribune, said in all his years as NNA’s South Dakota chairman, “there has been one regional director who has made any effort at all at promoting NNA and working with—and for—the newspaper leadership in states in his or her region: Peter W. Wagner.”
Atkinson added: “I have known Peter for close to 20 years and have been in awe of his dedication to our profession. He started a weekly newspaper from scratch nearly 20 years ago and has built it into what I believe is the finest community weekly newspaper in America today. In addition, Peter has been willing to share his knowledge, his experiences, techniques and expertise to everyone else in the newspaper industry, traveling extensively throughout the United States giving seminars.”

In supporting documentation, the Sheldon, IA, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mark Gaul wrote: “Peter Wagner has been a strong community leader in many aspects of our community. Peter has always given willingly of this time, talent and treasure since I have been associated with him.”

Trotter, co-publisher of Tecumseh (OK) Countywide News, was honored with the Emma C. McKinney Memorial Award. The McKinney Award was established in 1966 to honor Emma McKinney, co-publisher and editor of the Hillsboro (OR) Argus for 58 years. She was dean of Oregon newspapermen and women in 1954 and was inducted into the Oregon Journalism Hall of Fame in 1982.

According to the Oklahoma Newspaper Association, Trotter is the first Oklahoman to receive the McKinney Award.

When she first learned about winning the award, Tortter said, “It was like an out-of-body experience. I heard what he [Reed Anfinson, NNA Contest Committee chair] was saying, but he had to be talking about somebody else. My next thought was that there must not have been many nominees. Then I thought of all the women here in Oklahoma who deserve the award much more than I do—I mean, seriously.

“It is very humbling, especially to be the first woman from Oklahoma to win. It will be a great honor to accept the award on behalf of all the great Oklahoma women journalists.”

The Tecumseh Countywide News is a prize-winning weekly newspaper in Pottawatomie County, OK. Trotter does almost everything at the weekly paper including planning editorial content, reporting, writing, editing, page layout, paste-up, photography and many other production and management duties.

In his nomination letter for Trotter, ONA Executive Director Mark Thomas said, “When you read of her accomplishments and activity in our profession, you will be convinced that Gloria Trotter is a person most deserving of the McKinney Award.

“Her achievements exemplify the best in journalism and she is an inspiration to others.”

Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin wrote in support of Trotter as well: “Her newspapers are multiple award winners, both at the state and national levels, including 10 trophies as best in class in Oklahoma. Best of all, when you read a Trotter paper, you know you are reading the truth.”

Illinois Publisher Jerry Reppert elected NNA president

MILWAUKEE, WI-Jerry Reppert, publisher of the Anna (IL) Gazette-Democrat, became the new president of the National Newspaper Association during the association's 119th annual convention and trade show here.

Reppert succeeds Mike Buffington, editor of the Jackson Herald in Jefferson, GA. Buffington becomes immediate past president. Reppert had been vice president for the association.

Reppert chose to follow his parent’s career and after completing college in 1969, returned to his hometown with his wife, Dianne, and became editor of The Gazette-Democrat, which had been operated by his parents, Henry Clay and Lewida Reppert.

Reppert became involved in newspaper organizations, serving in all offices, including president, of the Southern Illinois Editorial Association and Illinois Press Association. He was instrumental in establishing the Illinois Press Foundation, the fund-raising arm of the Illinois Press Association, and has continued to serve as the foundation's president since its inception.

He has also been active with NNA and served as state chairman for Illinois and is chairman of NNA's Government Affairs Conference. He also served on the NNA Postal Committee.

He has received one of the highest honors awarded by the association, The General James O. Amos Award.

Elected as vice president was Jerry Tidwell, publisher of the Hood County News in Granbury, TX. Tidwell had been treasurer for the association. Elected as treasurer was Steve Haynes, publisher of the Oberlin (KS) Herald. Haynes had been Region 7 director for the association. Dave Berry, vice president for Community Publishers Inc., in Bolivar, MO, was elected to succeed Haynes as Region 7 director (Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas).

Newly elected to the board are; Michael Sunderman, president/COO for Morris Newspaper Corporation, as Region 11 director (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Guam); and Jeffrey “Jeff” Fishman, publisher of the Tullahoma (TN) News, as Region 3 director (District of Columbia, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia). Fishman succeeds Matt Paxton, publisher for The News-Gazette in Lexington, VA. Sunderman succeeds Greg Tock, publisher of the White Mountain Independent in Show Low, AZ.

Newly appointed to the board are: Mark Thomas, executive director for the Oklahoma Press Association, representing the Newspaper Association Managers; and Roy Eaton, publisher of the Wise County Messenger in Decatur, TX, as an at-large director, representing NNA past presidents. He serves until the next annual convention, which will meet in Oklahoma City, OK, Oct. 11-13, 2005.

Continuing on NNA’s board of directors are: Matt Hayes, publisher of East Bay Newspapers in Bristol, RI, as Region 1 director (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont); Elizabeth “Liz” K. Parker, co-publisher and executive editor for Recorder Newspapers, Inc. in Stirling, NJ, as Region 2 director (New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania); John W. Stevenson, publisher of the Randolph-Leader in Roanoke, AL, Region 4 director (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina); Cheryl Kaechele, publisher for Kaechele Publications Inc. in Allegan, MI, as Region 5 director (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin); Reed Anfinson, publisher of the Swift County Monitor-News in Benson, MN, as Region 6 director (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota); John D. Montgomery, publisher of The Purcell Register, as Region 8 director (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas); Jon E. “Jeb” Bladine, president and publisher for the News-Register Publishing Company in McMinnville, OR as Region 9 director (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington); Merle Baranczyk, publisher of the Salida (CO) Mountain Mail, as region 10 director (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming); Mark W.C. Stodder, vice president of newspapers, Dolan Media Co. in Milwaukee, WI, as the representative for American Court and Commercial Newspapers; Harrison Cochran, publisher for the Aurora Publishing Company in Aurora, CO, as the Suburban Newspapers of America representative; and Jim Sterling, journalism professor and Missouri Chair in Community Newspaper Management for the University of Missouri-Columbia, was reappointed as a director at large.

Established in 1885, the National Newspaper Association is the voice of America's community newspapers and the largest newspaper association in the country. The nation's community papers inform, educate and entertain nearly 150 million readers every week.

Contact Information
Stan Schwartz
Managing Editor
Publishers' Auxiliary
(573) 882-6327
stan@nna.org