Risky Business
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The Indiana Volume 76, Issue 5 • March 3, 2011Publisher Published alternate Thursdays SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT PRESS Newsprint tax bill dies in committee Opponents of fee point out high recycling rate of papers The vote was a tie, but the draw meant a bill that would tax newsprint died in its House En- vironmental Affairs Committee hearing. The vote for H.B. 1234 prob- How lawmakers ably wouldn’t voted on H.B. 1234 have been that Against: Reps. Dick Dodge, R- close except for Pleasant Lake; Sean Eberhart, some political R-Shelbyville; Mara Cande- wrangling, said laria Reardon, D-Munster; Matt Steve Key, execu- Pierce, D-Bloomington; and Dan tive director and Stevenson, D-Highland. Photos provided by Jack Ronald general counsel Jack Ronald, editor and publisher at The Commercial Re- Sharif, Afghanistan, in January. A woman named Jahantab, For: Reps. Bob Morris, R-South for HSPA. view (Portland), back right, leads a media seminar in Mazar-e back right, served as his interpreter during the sessions. Bend; Bill Friend, R-Macy; Jack Legislators Lutz, R-Anderson; Heath Van- knew the bill Natter, R-Kokomo; and David would have Wolkins, R-Winona Lake. been recommit- Risky business ted to the House Ways and Means Committee to assess its fiscal impact, and there was little chance that group would hear the bill before the Hoosier teaches about media industry in inhospitable locales deadline to pass bills out of committee. ongtime newsman Jack “That fact allowed Republican representatives Ronald started traveling to vote with their chairman without hurting L to countries where jour- Indiana newspapers since they knew the bill nalism is a young and some- would die anyway,” Key said. times dangerous profession Rep. David Wolkins, R-Winona Lake, Envi- shortly before his 50th birthday. ronmental Affairs Committee chairman and au- During his first trip and the thor of H.B. 1234, started the committee hear- 14 since, Ronald has taught ing by amended his bill. He softened the tax journalists how to build in- and threshold for the fee in an effort to garner dependent media operations enough votes to pass the bill out of committee. in countries with histories of His amendment lowered the tax to $10 a ton limited freedoms and little and would impact only newsprint that failed to funding for reporting news. contain at least 20 percent recycled fiber content. He returned from his most recent seminar – this time in See Tax, Page 4 Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan – in late January. For the 62-year-old editor Jack Ronald, center, had tea with these Afghan men. The man on the left is an an- and publisher of The Com- tique dealer. The man on the right said he is a general in the Afghan army. mercial Review (Portland), the work began as a personal goal. free press at the State Univer- ing stint, he felt satisfied with Want public records “The joke in the family is sity of Moldova. Wife Connie his efforts. that is started with a midlife and daughter Sally accompa- “I thought it was over after crisis,” Ronald said. “I wanted nied him to the former Soviet that,” Ronald said. by e-mail, fax or to be in a situation where country, a small republic be- But six months later he got when I turned 50 I felt like I tween Ukraine and Romania. an offer to go back to Moldova mail? No problem made a difference.” Between his classes he did to lead a seminar on media Sure, you could say he’s one-on-one consulting work for self-sufficiency. Amendment reverses slant of law made an impact in Portland regional newspapers that were He gladly went, and the after more than 30 years in making strides to establish calls have kept coming for the that would have restricted access leadership roles at the news- workable business models. past 13 years. Ronald has led The thrust of a bill moved 180 degrees – from paper. But safe journalism With circulations of only media seminars in nine former denying citizens records to empowering them hardly counts when colleagues about 1,000, they operate Soviet countries and Afghani- to seek records in the format of their choice – around the world risk their under the radar compared stan, usually for two or three during a House Government and Regulatory weeks at a time. necks and livelihoods to report to larger papers in the area, Reform Committee hearing last week. The risks of teaching media the news, he said. which tend to be more influ- H.B. 1304, initially tagged the pro-grumpy So in 1989 Ronald applied skills in countries that aren’t enced by financial and political public servant bill by Steve Key, executive for a Fulbright award. He was friendly to an independent pressures. director and general counsel of HSPA, now puts accepted and spent a semester press aren’t lost on Ronald. When Ronald and his family control in the hand of a records requester as to teaching about the concept of returned home after his teach- See Business, Page 3 whether he or she would like a copy of a public record by e-mail, fax or mail. “I’ve never seen a public access-related bill InsIde undergo such a change,” Key said. Rep. Milo Smith, R-Columbus, offered the Papers merge: HSPA Foundation Legal hotline: amendment that changed HSPA’s position on The Evening News About 52 Should an executive H.B. 1304 from oppose to support. donors: Smith was privy to a situation where a local (Jeffersonville) and percent of HSPA- board’s “organiza- government agency refused to e-mail a public re- The Tribune (New member newspa- tional meeting” be cord maintained in an electronic format, requir- Albany) is now the pers donated to open to the public? ing the record requester to drive to the agency News and Tribune. the Foundation in Page 4 office to pick up a paper copy of the document. Page 2 2010. Page 2 See Records, Page 4 Page 2 March 3, 2011 2011 Calendar Southern Indiana papers merge The Evening News (Jef- “Southern Indiana is a our customers with more March 2-3 HSPA/HSPA Foundation Annual Meetings, fersonville) and The Tribune growing regional market, cost-effective marketing Indianapolis Marriott Downtown (New Albany) merged into and it is important that we opportunities,” Hanson one newspaper, the News follow the trends established said. March 10 Pulliam internship selection committee and Tribune, March 1. by many of the successful or- The Evening News and meeting, HSPA Foundation, Indianapolis The newspaper will retain ganizations in the area that The Tribune, along with two offices in New Albany have taken a more global their predecessor newspa- June 9 HSPA Foundation Golf Outing, Southern and Jeffersonville. approach to running their pers, have served Clark Dunes Golf Course, Indianapolis “With the consolidation businesses over the past and Floyd counties since of the two award-winning several years,” said Steve 1851. Sept. 30 INAEA/HSPA Foundation Advertising newspapers, residents of Kozarovich, publisher of The Community Newspaper Conference, Ball State University, Muncie Clark and Floyd counties Tribune. Holdings Inc. owns both will continue to receive the The two newspapers have newspapers. same quality local news and shared a common news web- Employee-owned CNHI information that they have site, newsandtribune.com, operates 86 daily and 46 received in the past, but the for several years. nondaily paid-circulation HsPA Board of directors News and Tribune will also “Combining the two news- newspapers and more than give readers more regional papers is compelling for our 250 specialty publications HsPA Officers coverage of southern Indi- advertisers as it creates a in 23 states. The company ana,” said Bill Hanson, pub- powerful force in southern owns 14 newspapers in President: Don Hurd, Kankakee Valley Publishing lisher of The Evening News. Indiana media and provides Indiana. Vice President: Tim Timmons, The Paper of Montgomery County ( Crawfordsville), The Times (Noblesville) Secretary: Greg Morris, IBJ Corporation Treasurer: Jim Kroemer, Goshen News Tough decisions HsPA Board Members Indiana journalists from around the state gathered in Indianapolis in Febru- dailies ary to judge the Kansas Press Asso- Randy List, Rust Communications ciation’s Better Newspaper Contest. Jack D. Pate, Evansville Courier & Press Kansas journalists will judge Indiana’s Robyn McCloskey, Pharos-Tribune (Logansport), Kokomo Tribune contest entries later this year. Tina West, The Courier-Times (New Castle) Left: David Snodgress, The Herald- Times (Bloomington); Jim W. Brown, nondailies IUPUI staff emeritus; and Darron Cum- Robert Allman, All Printing & Publishing Inc. mings, The Associated Press; from left, John Haley, Pulaski County Journal (Winamac) mull over entries in a photo category. Jon O’Bannon, The Corydon Democrat Below: John Strauss, Ball State Kathy Tretter, Dubois-Spencer Co. Publishing Co. Inc. University, right, writes comments on a judging sheet after choosing winners. HsPA Foundation Board of directors HsPA Foundation Officers President: Mayer Maloney, Hoosier Times Inc. Vice President: Henry Bird, The Herald Bulletin (Anderson) Secretary: John Rumbach, The Herald (Jasper) Treasurer: Jeff Rogers, Home News Enterprises HsPA Foundation Board of directors Linda Chandler, Ripley Publishing Curt Jacobs, The Madison Courier Barbara King, North Vernon Plain Dealer & Sun Pat Lanman, Vevay Newspapers Inc. Kevin Lashbrook, Landmark Community Newspapers Your donations make a difference in Indiana HsPA staff Thank you to these groups and newspapers who contributed to the HSPA Foundation in 2010: Donors The News and Sun (Dunkirk) LaGrange Standard The Rochester Sentinel Steve Key, executive director and general counsel Yandall C. Cline First Amendment The Truth (Elkhart) Dearborn Co. Register (Lawrenceburg) The Spencer Co. Journal [email protected] • (317) 624-4427 Freedom Fund The Ellettsville Journal The Lebanon Reporter Democrat (Rockport) Central Indiana Community The Elwood Call-Leader Daily World (Linton) Parke County Sentinel (Rockville) Karen T.