HSPA Newsletter articles

Congratulations to Natalie Acra with the Greensburg Daily News for designing the new HSPA logo.

We will be launching the new logo starting September 1st!

Thank you to all the folks that submitted logos to HSPA. We had great participation and Indiana newspapers still have talented creative staff.

As a thank-you for your membership in the Hoosier State Press Association, we’re pleased to offer you a complimentary subscription to E&P Magazine. Each month, you’ll receive our award-winning print edition delivered to your mailbox, featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders, original reporting, practical revenue and audience strategies, technology insights, and in-depth analysis created specifically for news media professionals. Thank you for your continued support of the industry and the vital role you play in protecting and advancing journalism. Simply click this link to activate your free subscription:EandP.press/IN.

About E&P

Founded in 1884, E&P Magazine (Editor & Publisher) is the authoritative voice of the news media industry, covering the people, platforms, technology and business models shaping journalism today. While E&P’s roots are in newspapers and traditional publishing, its mission has evolved alongside the industry itself — now reporting on digital, broadcast, audio, nonprofit, ethnic, independent and emerging media organizations across North America and beyond.

For more than 140 years, E&P has chronicled the transformation of journalism, from the golden age of print to the digital revolution and today’s rapidly evolving AI-driven media landscape. Its audience includes publishers, editors, chief revenue officers, digital leaders, newsroom innovators and media entrepreneurs seeking insight into the future of news publishing.

E&P publishes a monthly print magazine distributed to thousands of senior news media executives, newsroom leaders and industry decision-makers. The publication is also distributed at major media conferences and trade events throughout the year. In addition, the digital edition and daily industry coverage on EditorAndPublisher.com reach more than 45,000 unique monthly visitors looking for timely reporting, analysis, case studies and commentary about the business of journalism.

Each weekday, E&P delivers the latest industry headlines, trends and executive moves through its popular #NewsMedia Today newsletter, emailed daily at noon (ET) to more than 30,000 subscribers. E&P also publishes E&P Exclusives, featuring original reporting, interviews, opinion and sponsored industry insights.

E&P is also home to the prestigious EPPY Awards®, widely regarded as the news publishing industry’s highest honor for digital excellence. Recent honorees include ESPN Digital, CNN, Block Club Chicago, NBC News Digital, The Arizona Republic, Consumer Reports, Detroit Free Press and Honolulu Civil Beat.

In September 2019, E&P was acquired by The Curated Experiences Group, led by media consultant and longtime industry advocate Mike Blinder. A former newspaper digital pioneer and author of “Survival Selling,” Blinder has spent decades working alongside media organizations worldwide, helping publishers navigate transformation, audience growth and revenue strategy.

Since 2020, Blinder has hosted the widely followed vodcast series E&P Reports, featuring candid conversations with influential voices in journalism, media technology and public affairs. Guests have included newsroom leaders, media innovators, journalists, academics and policymakers discussing the challenges — and opportunities — shaping the future of news media. 

Publishers/Editors, and Newsroom Staffs:

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - HSPA will be hosting the Journalism Conference & Awards Luncheon at the Crown Plaza Airport Hotel in Indianapolis on Friday, September 25.

We have three informative sessions in the morning followed by our annual awards luncheon.

Registration Opens at 8:30am with first session beginning at 9am.

Session 1 - Creatively Covering Your Community

Presenter – Lindsey Young Co-Owner of Kansas Publishing Ventures

will talk about how to freshen up your weekly routine with some story ideas she has implemented over the course of the last 10 years. If you feel your content has gotten a little stale, then consider trying some of these new story ideas.

Session 2 - Recruiting Using Earn Your Press Pass

Presenter - Lindsey Young, Co-Owner of Kansas Publishing Ventures

In addition to running newspapers, Kansas Publishing Ventures has developed an on-demand training program called Earn Your Press Pass, which is designed to train a lay person to be able to write a variety of stories for their local newspaper. The Youngs use this program in their own newsrooms, and EYPP has been deployed in over 20 states. Learn how to use this training (which is free to Hoosier Press Association members!) to recruit freelancers, part-timers and even full-timers into your newsroom.

Session 3 – The Public Access Battle – Strategies for More Transparency and Open Doors

Presenter Kris Cundiff - Local Legal Initiative Attorney with the Reporter’s Committee For Freedom Of The Press

Luncheon and Awards to follow at Noon.

For conference information and to register click link here –  2026 Journalism Conference & Awards Luncheon Registration.

Deadline to register September 4^th.

If you have any questions, please email me  sgoldsby@hspa.com or call HSPA at (317) 803-4772.

Looking forward to seeing you on September 25^th!

All newspapers with staff who placed in the 2026 Journalism Contest have been notified via email. If you received a notification, please review the listed names carefully and submit any spelling corrections to sgoldsby@hspa.com as soon as possible.

By Kathy Tretter

Greetings fellow HSPAers. I hope life is going beautifully for you, ad sales are up, readers love what you’re giving them and no legislators are gunning for your paper.

I know it’s a struggle because it’s a struggle for all of us in this fractured media climate. We used to be the kings and queens. Now we’re more often paupers in the ad game and the last one to the table since all traditional media seems to be getting a bad rap.

Please let me introduce myself. My name is Kathy Tretter, I publish two community newspapers about as far south as you can go in Indiana, and right now I am president of the HSPA Foundation.
Except for that last bit I am a total peon. While the title may give me some cachet, being HSPA Foundation president is an unpaid gig that comes with no glory.

So why do I do it? Why do I stay involved with HSPA on either the association or foundation side?

Because being part of an organization where everyone else understands exactly what you are going through can provide resources beyond measure and friendships that will span a lifetime.
I’m living proof of that. I’ve been a member of HSPA for about 36 years now and some of my dearest friends are fellow editors, publishers and reporters met through the association.

It makes it much easier when faced with a situation only a fellow journalist understands. You are my tribe!

I was on the association board for years with a break before joining the foundation. The lessons learned, ideas shared and friendships made over the decades are probably, at least in part, why my two newspapers are still in business.

I know, I know, you are too busy just holding down the fort at your newspaper to get involved.

I’ve heard that one before, sometimes from people in the biz. But to be honest not being involved may be to your detriment. Sometimes we get so busy looking at the next task we can forget the big picture and lose sight of the end goal.

If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of membership, or just want to talk shop, don’t hesitate to reach out. My office number is 812-367-2041. Let’s all work together to make our industry the best it can possibly be.

It is important to know and follow the public notice laws. So, what do newspapers need to do to be compliant with public notice laws in Indiana?

• Be a qualified newspaper. The Indiana Code defines a newspaper. Make sure your paper meets the definition.

An Indiana newspaper must meet all of the following requirements.

• Is daily, semi-weekly, weekly, or tri-weekly;
• Has existed for at least 12 months;
• Has obtained a federal periodical permit;
• 50% of your paper is paid by subscribers;
• Has a circulation of at least 500.
• Has a paid circulation of at least 2% of the population of the county.  (To publish notices affecting county business)

There are additional requirements when there are multiple newspapers in a county

• Is the greater of at least 50% of the paid circulation of largest paper, or 1,500 average daily paid circulation

Once you have established that your paper meets the definition, is recognized by the state as a newspaper, and is legally able to receive and print public notices, it is important to know the laws related to how and where to print notices.

Learn More Here

By Kris Cundiff 

Many journalists seeking information from public officials are all too familiar with the same obstacle: “I’m not allowed to talk to you.”

Blanket policies that prohibit rank-and-file public employees from speaking freely with the press are pervasive across the country. These so-called “gag” policies often require government workers to get permission from higher-ups or the public relations office before speaking with the news media, and they’re meant to control the government’s messaging. But too often, the outcome is obstruction.

Journalists regularly report facing delays or denials when public information officers control access to government employees with direct knowledge of newsworthy issues. When these employees can’t speak freely to reporters, the public loses out on important information.

That’s why my colleagues at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press are helping journalists challenge the constitutionality of these gag policies.

In 2024, Reporters Committee attorney Paula Knudsen Burke, alongside attorneys from the Yale Law School Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, represented journalist Brittany Hailer in a federal lawsuit that forced a Pennsylvania county to scrap such a policy in its jail. That lawsuit is believed to be the first of its kind brought by a journalist, according to the Society of Professional Journalists.

Earlier this year, local officials in Key Biscayne, Florida, agreed to sunset a similar policy after Reporters Committee attorneys brought a First Amendment lawsuit to challenge it on behalf of a nonprofit newsroom.

Now, Burke is representing three news outlets in a federal lawsuit challenging a gag policy at Pennsylvania State University that not only requires members of its board of trustees to get permission from the board before speaking with the news media — it prohibits its trustees from making “negative” or “critical” public statements about university affairs altogether.

The lawsuit argues that the restrictions infringe on journalists’ First Amendment rights to receive information from trustees who would otherwise speak freely with reporters, making it harder for journalists to report news about the state’s largest university.

So far, we’ve seen that when journalists put pressure on government officials to reform these problematic policies, it can spark change. If you suspect that a gag policy is hindering your coverage of public agencies in Indiana, there are a few things you can do.

First, determine the agency’s rules for its employees speaking with the press. When you know exactly what the policy says, it’s easier to navigate it. If the agency has a formal news media policy, you can submit a public records request for it. The Reporters Committee’s Open Government Guide for Indiana is a great resource with everything you need to know about Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act, and SPJ has a sample template for requesting these kinds of policies.

When you have the policy in hand, you should consider a few questions: Who is subject to the policy? Who enforces it? If an employee violates the policy, could they face disciplinary action? These factors could come into play if a government employee invokes the policy as a reason he or she can’t speak with you.

Also, document any difficulties you face in reporting as a result of the policy. If these restrictions are standing in the way of getting straight answers from government officials about neighborhood schools or public safety, the public has a right to know.

Finally, please reach out to me about these government gatekeeping practices — or any other legal questions you face in newsgathering. My email is kcundiff@rcfp.org, and my legal support is always free to journalists.

Kris Cundiff is the Indiana Local Legal Initiative attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. He lives just outside of Indianapolis. 

By Lisa Renze

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to travel to different parts of the state, talking with news editors and publishers about the work their teams are doing for Hoosiers. This essential work is impressive in its scope and frequency, proving again what we’ve all long known — nothing beats trusted local news. 

Free Press Indiana wants to help local outlets provide these critical services, by offering free content that could help newsroom leaders spread their resources a bit further. 

Beginning later this month, FPI News will formally launch statewide with a team of journalists who provide insight and deeper coverage into things affecting all Hoosiers. The team is already digging into issues like what happens to Hoosier roads because of the state’s gas tax holiday? Or providing stories like this one about an outdoor sculpture trail that’s the very definition of a great day trip.  

These stories, and nearly all the other content produced by FPI News and its affiliate publication, Mirror Indy,a hyperlocal outlet based in Indianapolis, are free and available for your use.

Here’s some additional info, in response to questions we’ve received recently: 

• The content is free, period. Use it in print, online, on air, on your social platforms and in newsletters you may generate, or use it in all of those places. If there’s a space we haven’t outlined that you’d like to use something, just shoot me an email and let’s talk. 

• All of the content created by Mirror Indy and FPI News is free to use, and local outlets needn’t make their content available in return. There is no quid pro quo. This isn’t pay to play. If a story works for you and your audience, great! Grab it! 

• All content means the stories, photos, videos and other social media content, and there are rare exceptions to this rule. Our full republishing guidelines can be found here. 

• If you use a story once, it doesn’t mean you have to continue to use Free Press Indiana content. During especially busy seasons, i.e., a staff person is on vacation, a Free Press Indiana story could be just the ticket to making your team’s life a little easier. Great. Use the stories when it makes sense, and don’t when it doesn’t.  

• Our stories are never intended to be competitive to the work your team is doing. You own your community, you know your audience — we’re simply trying to augment the great content you’re already creating to provide you some assistance. 

Please reach out with any questions you may have. 

Thanks for reading. 

 

Lisa Renze

Director of Strategic Partnerships

Free Press Indiana

After nearly 24 years of service, the Indiana Economic Digest has come to a close. Unfortunately, funding is no longer available to continue operating and maintaining the service. The site was retired at the end of June 2026.

Since its launch on August 1, 2002, the Indiana Economic Digest served as a unique resource for tracking business and economic developments across Indiana. Created through a partnership between the Indiana Business Research Center, the Indiana Association of Realtors and the Hoosier State Press Association, the Digest brought together news from local newspapers throughout the state, providing a single source for understanding the stories shaping Indiana's economy.

From business expansions and closings to life sciences, workforce development, education, taxes, housing and community growth, the Digest helped readers discover the news behind the numbers.

Read More Here

During this busy summer season, the monthly peer chat lead by Chris Hardie (publisher of Western Wayne News) will pause.

We will ramp back up in September. More information about the September call will be included in our August newsletter.

Enjoy your summer!