Best practices are the foundation for keeping public notices in newspapers and e-editions.

PUBLIC NOTICES MUST BE PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY OF THE GOVERNMENT AND OTHER PUBLIC TRUSTEES

Publication should be in print AND in digital format
Print: Publication must have a fair price and a preexisting audience apart from public notice. Digital: There should be no cost to readers to access digital notices.
Public notices in print should be readable
Readers should be able to find them. The best publishers provide enhanced services (e.g., email subscription) to specialized audiences at a reasonable price.
Publishers should make reasonable effort to direct attention to notices
Efficient indexing for ease of reader use, quick access to web links, and reporting on news embedded in important notices are among the tools publications can offer.
Print publication is self-authenticating
Publishers should be prepared to provide an affidavit of publication. Digital authentication is evolving. Print authentication is particularly critical for real estate.
Public notices should be archived for proof of publication
Archives should be open to public during reasonable office hours and copies should be available at publisher’s cost.
Archives should be preserved for historians
Care should be taken to retain archives when systems or owners change.

Even in remote locations, public notice is challenged.

Victoria, B.C. CANADA

Adapted from a commentary by a Salt Spring resident, Deborah Campbell, who is a journalism professor at the University of Victoria…she discusses the loss of public notice in local newspapers.
Good journalism is sunlight. Bad politics hides in the dark. Last week we learned — only because it was reported in The Driftwood, Salt Spring Island’s award-winning newspaper of record — that to save a few thousand bucks from an $11-million budget, the Islands Trust will no longer require itself to publish public notices in print.
Our trustees now deem their own clogged website and American-owned Facebook to be all that’s needed. This on small islands where many residents were born before the internet, where others lack stable access, and where the power is sometimes off for days.
Public notices are a cornerstone of democracy. They are meant to inform us about important meetings, development permits and rezoning applications.
A recent investigation by journalism professor April Lindgren, published in The Walrus, tracked the loss of 529 local news outlets across Canada since 2008. In “Local News Is Dying. The Consequences Are Worse than You Think,” Lindgren found that rumours, paranoia, and social divisiveness typically follow the death of a local paper, as people rely on hearsay and fight on social media.
Residents are left less informed, less involved and less connected. Some politicians may prefer this, but it doesn’t make for healthy communities.
No doubt trustees will argue they will also be posting notices on the Islands Trust website. But provincial legislation says public notices should be “accessible” and “easily found.” Those who believe information on the Trust website is easily found have obviously never tried to find something there.
Important information has even been known to disappear, such as the 14 hours of recorded Trust council debate from the September 2024 meetings where trustees discussed the controversial new Trust Policy Statement (TPS) that will affect all islands.
The new TPS, and Salt Spring’s Official Community Plan revisions, are beginning the community input stage — the only chance residents will get to have a say.
It’s no secret that some trustees have been unhappy with Driftwood coverage of their activities. But starving our local paper while calling for “public engagement” looks like a cynical attack on the public’s right to know.
It will only add to a growing mistrust of the sweeping changes being proposed. Mayne, Saturna, and North Pender have already jumped to the new “model” of abolishing print notices. Salt Spring hasn’t, for now. But the threat is there.
The Islands Trust is governed by the Government of British Columbia’s Islands Trust Act. The Islands Trust Area covers the islands and waters between the mainland and southern Vancouver Island, including Howe Sound and as far north as Comox.

The Times Colonist is the oldest daily newspaper in Western Canada. Link to full commentary.
https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/islands-trust-slashes-newspaper-notices-while-calling-for-public-engagement-11150447

Why Public Notices are in newspapers.

The story below provides a great answer… because people DO read newspapers!!
Opponents of maintaining public notices in print argue that no one reads newspapers. This article highlights the important role of community newspapers in our democracy and where public notices can be found.

Who reads newspapers? Everybody!

By Emily Caswell

Like most great ideas, the idea for the View Newspaper Group’s latest marketing campaign came to me while I was enjoying a cold beverage. I was at a craft beer festival sampling a Mexican lager with View Newspaper Group Publisher Wes Smith, when we struck up a conversation with the brewer and learned his brewery was located in Battle Creek.
One of the things I love about working for a growing, locally, owned community newspaper group is that often when I meet a new person they live in or near a community served by one of our newspapers. As is the mission of View Newspaper Group, that fact gives two otherwise strangers an instant connection. The Battle Creek Shopper News joined our group just over a year ago, and while we typically make it a point to know the breweries located in the communities we serve, we hadn’t visited this location yet. We told the brewer about our new connection to Battle Creek, and along with inviting us for an in-person visit, he said “Oh yeah, everybody reads the Shopper News.”
This brewer didn’t just serve a refreshing beer, he served a refreshing response. Sometimes when we share what we do for a living we’ll hear a dreaded response along the lines of “Oh, newspapers are still a thing?” or even worse “Who reads the newspaper?” These responses make my skin crawl. Newspapers are very much a thing, and if you’re not reading at least one newspaper, you’re uninformed.
Newspapers are so much of a thing that last year we added seven new titles (including the Battle Creek Shopper News) to our group through an acquisition, and just this spring we launched a new newspaper — the St. Clair Area View. Today, View Newspaper Group is home to 22 newspapers with more than 352,000 copies in print each week.
Newspapers are so much of a thing that just a few weeks ago the New York Times announced a revenue jump of 9.7% from subscriptions and ads. Currently 11.88 million people subscribe to the New York Times, including myself and my best friend’s 16-year-old daughter.
A Gallup Poll found that 74% of all Americans believe that having a newspaper in their community is important for providing them with much-needed local news and information.
During a time when disinformation is everywhere, newspapers — national, local, online or in print — remain a trusted source of information. They serve as a record-keeper, a source of entertainment, a marketing tool and best of all, offer connection. Research continues to prove that communities with local newspapers are safer, healthier and more engaged in civic activities.
The American Journalism Project found that local news aides in a healthy democracy; it helps communities understand what’s at stake in local elections, equips them to get involved in the political process by voting, contacting officials and running for office, reduces political polarization, and holds public officials accountable.
Even better, local newspapers can equal lower taxes. Researchers from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Illinois found that communities that had lost their community newspapers for more than three years, saw taxes increase $340 per year for a household of four people.
Given this information it’s clear that everybody should read the newspaper. And while we complain about the few uniformed people who ask if newspapers are still a thing, we know that the majority of community members we serve know we’re a thing, and they read our newspapers. We are thankful to our readers and our advertising partners who make what we do possible.
Back to that beer festival and that refreshing response. The brewer’s comment launched the idea for our newest marketing campaign that will help us promote on our locally-owned, locally-connected community newspapers, and more importantly our loyal readers. The campaign has launched in Lapeer County in The County Press. Titled “Everybody Reads The County Press,” the print advertisements feature a rotating line up of well-known faces in the community sharing why they read the newspaper and why you should too.
You can be a part of your local campaign by doing a few things. First, continue to read newspapers, including the local newspaper in your hand. Second, share this column with someone who may not be a newspaper reader. Third, if you own or manage a business, use our newspapers to market your products and services. Fourth, help us flip the script when it comes to newspaper readership. “Who reads the newspaper? Everybody!” And finally, if you’d like to be featured in our Everybody Reads campaign please contact me at ecaswell@mihomepaper.com. Along with your 15 minutes of fame, you’ll brand yourself as an informed newspaper reader and community member, and help us continue to grow and strengthen our brand as Your Community Connection.
Local publisher fights back after county strips legal notices in retaliation
From Editor and Publisher

A small-town paper takes on a big constitutional battle

Episode 303 of “E&P Reports” – A Vodcast series hosted by Mike Blinder

Who reads newspapers? Everybody!

What’s Happening Around the Country?

LEGISLATION OF INTEREST

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association supports font requirement changes for notice
The Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA) testified in favor of Assembly Bill 433, presented to the Assembly Committee on Judiciary in Wisconsin on September 25, 2025. ​ The bill proposes amendments to Chapter 985, which governs the publication of legal notices in newspapers. ​ Currently, legal notices must be published in print, on the newspaper’s website, and on WisconsinPublicNotices.org, a free, searchable statewide public notice website maintained by WNA. ​
The proposed amendment seeks to remove the mandatory use of the Arial typeface for publishing legal notices, a requirement established in 2011 to streamline the newspaper certification process. ​ This mandate has become problematic for some newspapers due to changes in layout and design platforms that no longer support Arial. ​ The WNA and the Department of Administration agreed to pursue legislative changes to revert to the pre-2011 status, where no specific typeface was required. ​
The WNA supports this change to simplify the process and address current challenges faced by newspapers. ​

Massachusetts

MA H4313 Allowing “print-free” digital legal notices for the town of North Brookfield
(Similar bills introduced for other select communities in MA)
This bill allows the Town of North Brookfield to publish legal notices digitally instead of in print newspapers, addressing the community’s lack of an adequate local print newspaper. The legislation permits municipal boards, committees, and officials to satisfy legal notice requirements by posting notices on various digital platforms, including print newspaper websites, local news websites, statewide notice repositories, or the town’s own website. These alternative digital publication methods can be used when a majority of a public body approves or when a municipal official determines it appropriate, while still maintaining existing legal timing requirements for notices. The bill specifically references Massachusetts General Law and provides flexibility for digital notice publication, ensuring that residents can still access important municipal communications despite the absence of a local print newspaper. The act will take effect immediately upon passage, giving the town an immediate option to transition to digital-only legal notices.

MA H1632

Relative to legal advertisements in online-only newspapers
This bill modifies existing Massachusetts law regarding legal advertisements in online-only newspapers by expanding the ways these publications can satisfy legal notice requirements. Specifically, the bill allows online-only newspapers that do not have a print version to publish legal notices on their own website and a statewide website, which would now be considered a valid method of publication. Additionally, the bill provides protection for online-only newspapers by stipulating that certain technical errors or temporary website issues (such as outages or service interruptions) will not be considered a defect in publication, as long as the legal notice ultimately appears correctly on either the newspaper’s website or the statewide website and meets all other legal notice requirements. This change acknowledges the growing prevalence of digital media and provides more flexibility for online-only publications to fulfill legal advertising obligations while also offering some technical error tolerance.