Newspaper Industry News

Past President’s Pen: You should attend the WVPA Legislative Breakfast

Dear fellow publishers and editors,

Hope that you all had a very nice, comforting and fun-filled holiday break. I had a chance to get together with most of my kids, and it was, indeed, enjoyable.

I realize that many of you do not attend our convention, but if there’s any meeting that you “SHOULD ATTEND,” it’s our WVPA annual “Legislative Breakfast,” which will be coming up at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Marriott in Charleston. At this breakfast, we have an opportunity to chat with our State Senators and State Delegates in order to keep them informed about YOUR NEWSPAPER and the newspaper industry in general in West Virginia. One of our main goals is protecting open access to government documents and meetings and other Freedom of Information standards.

Additionally, a priority this year is to “keep the state and local legal advertisements in the newspaper, rather than putting them on a less-accessible state government website (like several county officials want). Many of you have expressed to me your opinion on the vital importance of this legal advertising issue.  We must protect this public service that was entrusted to us by State Government many decades ago.
   To do that, we – the WVPA board members – need your help. Just a casual mention to your state representatives that the vast majority of people don’t have internet but read your newspaper will help us keep those legal advertisements. The WVPA Legislative Breakfast is the perfect place to convey that thought to them.

Now, if you come to Charleston the day before (Wednesday, Feb. 5), stop by the WVPA office on Pennsylvania Avenue between 6 and 8 p.m. to meet and greet our new lobbyist and legal hotline attorney. For more information on any of the above, call either Don Smith, our Executive Director, or his able staff at 304-353-1160, or me at 304-462-7309.

Sincerely yours and for our industry’s advancement,

Dave

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