Don’t Let HB 1291 Lock Out Digital Journalism
Before the internet, requiring government agencies to publish public notices in the local newspaper made perfect sense.
For decades, this ensured transparency and civic engagement in communities across Pennsylvania. But times have changed. Today, with the decline of print newspapers, that once-useful system has become synonymous with price gouging, poor customer service, and limited accessibility—known mainly to lawyers, municipal officials, and a shrinking base of subscribers.
Now, a bill backed by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA) seeks to update that system for the digital age. On its face, House Bill 1291—introduced by Rep. Robert Freeman and co-sponsored by 21 other lawmakers—appears to modernize the Newspaper Advertising Act. And while the effort to bring public notices online is commendable in principle, HB 1291, in its current form, would do more harm than good. It would stifle competition, entrench outdated monopolies, and ultimately cost Pennsylvania taxpayers.
At the heart of the problem is the bill’s treatment of “digital newspapers.” Rather than encouraging a competitive and inclusive digital landscape, HB 1291 would create a narrowly defined category of digital outlets that are eligible to run public notices—but only if they currently or formerly had a printed edition. This means innovative online-only and free newspapers—like Skook News, which reaches thousands of readers daily in Schuylkill County and beyond—would be locked out of the market solely because we were never ink on paper.
That’s not modernization. That’s protectionism.
PNA and its allies argue that the bill enhances transparency, but this is a smokescreen. In reality, the legislation protects legacy newspapers—many of which are now owned by out-of-state corporations and hedge funds—from meaningful competition. These companies, often cutting staff and shedding local news coverage, would maintain a legal monopoly over public notices simply because they used to print a paper.
What taxpayer would want their local government forced to pay more for a notice just because the cheaper, more accessible digital outlet never had a print edition? PNA says it’s your right to know how your tax dollars are spent. We agree—and we add that it’s also your right to expect those dollars to be spent wisely.
This is not just a Schuylkill County issue. Publishers of free and online-only newspapers across Pennsylvania are sounding the alarm about this attempt to lock them out of a vital public service. The bill would inflate the cost of public notices, reduce public access, and codify a monopoly that no longer reflects the media landscape—or the values of a free market.
If HB 1291 were amended to allow all qualified digital news organizations—regardless of past print status—to compete for public notices, it would usher in a new era of transparency, competition, and cost savings for local governments. That’s the kind of reform Pennsylvanians deserve.
The State House Local Government Committee is expected to consider the bill this month. We urge lawmakers: do not make a costly, decades-long mistake. Don’t grant legacy print outlets an indefinite monopoly simply because they once used ink while others, like Skook News, were born digital.
We encourage our readers who support open competition and smarter government spending to contact their state legislators today. Let them know: Pennsylvanians deserve better than a digital-age monopoly wrapped in an outdated business model.
By J. Reed / Skook News with contributions by Lebtown