TWN
THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER February 2024
Nominations wanted for two top WNPA honors
Page 3
Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
States are moving toward allowing website legal ads In general, news websites are favored over government managed web pages Public notice legislation introduced so far in 2024 suggests state legislatures are growing increasingly comfortable having news websites serve as an alternative source of official notice. And that comfort seems to have cooled their ardor for moving notices from newspapers to government websites, the Public Notice Research Center reports. As of the end of January, new legislation authorizing local news websites or newspaper websites to provide statutory notice in lieu of print had been introduced in at least six states, while bills sanctioning the
move from print newspapers to government websites had been introduced in only two states — and one of them is already dead. That’s a dramatic shift from last year, when legislation allowing government websites to substitute for newspaper notice had been introduced in 12 states by early February. Legislation is often difficult to easily categorize so it’s unwise to place too much significance in a single year-to-year analyses, but there’s no denying the numbers so far are striking. The most serious efforts to See LEGALS, Page 6
WNPA board moving ahead on executive director search
WNPA’s Board of Directors will soon be advertising for the organization’s executive director position. Current executive director Fred Obee submitted his resignation at the beginning of January. “My reasons for leaving are many,” Obee said in his resignation letter. “Main among them is I turned 70 last year, and I’m ready for other pursuits. Also, the
cleanup I began when I took over is complete and well tested. Our records are in order, our systems are up to date, our budgets and financial records are clean and easy to understand, historic documents have been collated and preserved, mainly at the Washington State Library, and we have scaled the operation to match our income.” Obee added that he thinks See WNPA, Page 3
Above, Gov. Jay Inslee speaks to members of the media during a reception at the Governor’s Mansion during Legislative Day. Below, Rep. Laurie Jinkins, Speaker of the House, Sen. John Braun, Senate Republican Leader, and Sen. Andy Billig, Senate Majority Leader, speak to reporters. Photos by Mary Murphy
Legislative Day draws a crowd to Olympia
Journalists from around the state turned out Feb. 15 in Olympia for Legislative Day. On hand to answer questions were state officials and legislative leaders. Participants attended receptions with Supreme Court justices at a nearby private residece. The day ended with a reception at the Governor’s mansion.