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O’B on Public Notices — Page 2 A Meaningful New Program — Page 4 Bring on the New Year! — Page 5 Our Man in Thailand — Page 6 Vol. 21 • Issue 1 PRINTNew Jersey Press Association • www.njpa.org JANUARY 2010 NJPA BETTER NEWSpapER CONTEST NJPA fights to save public notices Contest Rules NJPA wants to keep public notices in would have on government transparency and accessibility; certainly not less.” (See are available online newspapers, and a battle is expected. and accessibility.” O’Brien’s column on Page 2 for points he www.njpa.org Reliable sources say that state legislative John O’Brien, NJPA’s executive director, says the bill’s sponsors overlook.) Contest Deadlines leaders have marked the reintroduction of said, “On the surface, letting governments Working with Nutt and his committee, Dailies “Web-only” public notice bills as a high pri- self-publish their required public notices on NJPA’s Executive Committee will fight to Friday, January 8 ority for the two-year term beginning Jan. the Internet may seem somewhat logical as keep public notices in newspapers. The GAC 4 pm at NJPA office 12. digital media is becoming more and more and the Executive Committee are developing Weeklies New Jersey statutes currently require state accessible for so many, though not all. But a battle plan, and members will be updated Friday, January 15 and local governments to fulfill their pub- one need not scratch that surface much to regularly as the plan develops. 4 pm at NJPA office lic notice obligations by publishing them in see that, aside from public-accessibility is- GAC members include Chairman Nutt; designated “legal” newspapers. Instead, the sues, allowing governments to use their own Jennifer Borg, North Jersey Media Group; Web-only bills would allow governments to websites to provide required information to Art Hall, Cape May County Herald Times; NJPA EXECUTIVE post notices “on their own government web- the public is a terribly flawed scenario on so Jim Kilgore, Packet Publication; Brian Ma- COMMITTEE MEETING January 14 sites, in lieu of newspapers.” many levels — especially when there’s such lone, The Times, Trenton; Liz Parker, Re- 10:30 am “It’s unfortunate that the substantial turn- a pressing need for our government to be corder Community Newspapers; and David teleconference over of legislative leadership for the upcom- providing its citizens greater transparency Worrall, Worrall Community Newspapers. ing session has greatly increased the chance NJPA BOARD OF for swift passage of Web-only bills,” said DIRECTORS MEETING Charles Nutt, publisher of the Daily Journal, Vezza named Star-Ledger publisher January 29 Vineland, and chairman of NJPA’s Govern- Arwady went on to say, “I know Rich well. 10:30 am ment Affairs Committee. Richard Vezza, president of Penn Jersey He’s a real Jersey guy, having spent a lifetime NJPA Conference Room “Well beyond the financial impact news- Advance, has assumed the additional role working in New Jersey newspapers, both in papers would feel, NJPA’s concern first and of publisher of The Star-Ledger. Donald E. NJ PRESS FOUndaTION news and business operations. He’s a foremost is for the terrible impact this bill Newhouse, president of Advance TRUSTEES MEETING Publications, announced the pro- straight-shooter with a great sense of January 29 motion on Dec. 15. humor who will fit in well here.” 12 noon NJPA joins blogger Vezza succeeds George Ar- Vezza is a life-long New Jersey res- NJPA Conference Room wady, who was publisher of The ident, who began his journalism ca- Star-Ledger since 2004. Arwady reer in 1974 as a night police reporter NJPA EXECUTIVE case as an amicus COMMITTEE MEETING has been named publisher at The for The Hudson Dispatch in Hudson April 15 At its November meeting, NJPA’s Govern- Republican in Springfield, Mass., County. He has worked as an editor 10:30 am ment Affairs Committee recommended that replacing Larry McDermott, who and publisher at a number of New teleconference the organization join as an amicus a case in- retired last month. Jersey daily newspapers, including Vezza volving Internet slander and libel. In a letter to the Star-Ledger the Herald & News of Passaic County NJPA BOARD OF NJPA member North Jersey Media Group staff, Arwady said, “Rich, who is well-known and The Daily Journal in Union County. DIRECTORS MEETING had already decided to join as an amicus. to many of you, has been responsible for our Vezza joined North Jersey Media Group April 20 According to NJPA’s Legal Counsel Tom company’s daily newspapers in Jersey City, in 1996 as president of its Bergen, Passaic 10:30 am Cafferty, the case against Shellee Hale in- Gloucester, Bridgeton and Salem, N.J., as and Essex weekly newspapers and the daily teleconference volves her right as a blogger to protection well as the daily in Easton, Pa. He also has Herald & News when those papers were ac- under the state’s shield law, and whether headed the company’s NJN weekly newspa- quired from Media News Group. damages are presumed in a slander per se pers, which include the Hunterdon County Prior to joining NJMG, Vezza worked for case. Democrat, the Somerset Reporter, the Subur- Media News Group for 15 years in various Cafferty told the committee that NJPA ban News and the Independent Press. In his executive capacities. members and media in general have a di- new position Rich will be seeking additional In 2000, he joined the Star-Ledger’s sister rect interest in the outcome of this case. He ways in which those newspapers can work company, Penn Jersey Advance, as its presi- said it raises “significant questions concern- together with The Star-Ledger and The Times dent. Penn Jersey Advance publishes three ing whether alleged defamatory statements of Trenton, as well as with our affiliate web- dailies in southern New Jersey, The Express- made on the Internet are to be treated as li- site, NJ.com. Each newspaper will retain its Times in Easton, Pa., and weeklies in Union, For more information about bel or slander, and if slander, whether dam- individual identity, while seeking collabora- Somerset, Warren and Hunterdon counties. these events, please visit: www.njpa.org ages may be presumed.” tion that will help us weather these extremely Vezza also has responsibility for the daily — Continues on Page 4 challenging times for all newspapers.” Jersey Journal of Jersey City. Vezza served as president of NJPA’s board of directors in 2000, and headed the New “As long as we continue to Jersey Press Foundation board of trustees be an educated nation in 2001. He has been active on NJPA com- and a democracy, people will mittees, including Legal Advertising, Long need what we do, no matter Range Planning, Editorial and NJNN Steer- what technology we use to ing committees. deliver it.” — Rich Vezza He resides with his wife, Arlene, in Berke- ley Heights and has two grown children. Read more on Page 6. — Continues on Page 11 Page 2 • January 2010 • InPrint INPRINT a publication of As I see it... New Jersey Press Association 840 Bear Tavern Road, Suite 305 West Trenton, NJ 08628-1019 Public Notices in Jeopardy PHONE .............................................609-406-0600 FAX ....................................................609-406-0300 Throughout the nation, Public No- nority citizens. The U.S. Department EMAIL [email protected] tices are coming under attack. Public of Commerce found that Caucasian NJNN FAX.........................................609-406-0399 Notices are the often overlooked yet households have Internet access at NJNN EMAIL .................................. [email protected] important pieces of information that levels up to double those of African- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR John J. O’Brien have been a part of newspapers since American and Hispanic households. COMMUNICATIOns MGR Catherine Langley their inception. Politicians struggling MEMBER SERVICES MGR • The stability of newspapers as a me- Peggy Stephan to balance budgets and, in some cases, BUSINEss MANAGER Denise Sawicki dium for public notices is unquestion- trying to punish publishing companies ACCTG COOrdINATOR Jane Hartsough able. The Internet, on the other hand, IT MANAGER John Viemeister for doing their jobs, have declared war remains highly vulnerable and un- NJNN DIRECTOR Amy C. Lear on this important aspect of the pub- MARKETING/RESEARCH MGR Brian Critchley stable. Power outages, computer prob- lic’s right to know. In states across the MAjOR ACCT SPECIALIST Jennine Remington lems and downed servers can prevent PRINT MEDIA SPECIALIST country pieces of legislation have been Erin Rozansky access at any given time. Government PRINT MEDIA SPECIALIST Adam Wilson introduced that cut back, and in some agencies cannot ensure that informa- SCAN/2x2 NEtwORKS MGR Diane Trent cases eliminate, public notices. John J. O‘Brien ADVErtISING IntErn Christy Quickstad tion located on a server is secure. Be- One ploy, and the one we are expect- Executive Director NJPF DIRECTOR George White cause of hackers, Internet public no- ing to face shortly here in New Jersey, New Jersey Press Association tices are vulnerable to alteration. It is BOARD OF DIRECTORS is to take them out of newspapers and possible that entire years’ worth of no- allow government entities to put them CHAIRMAN permits, or submitting to outside sub- tices could be deleted with the touch Bruce Tomlinson on their own government websites. scription audits. of a single key. New Jersey Herald, Newton Bills are expected to be introduced • The public won’t see legal notices if PRESIDENT shortly in the Trenton that would do • The rates newspapers charge for Ray Worrall they don’t have a computer, and large just that. It’s a short-sighted vision and public notices are set by state statute. Worrall Community Newspapers, Union segments of society lack the financial Vice President • dailies one that will wind up costing, rather The N.J.