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Arkansas’s open-meetings requirement remains in effect Guest Column:
Improving relations with city hall a twoway street By Jim Pumarlo
Arkansas Press Association
Publisher Weekly Vol. 15 | No. 12 | Thursday, March 19, 2020 | Serving Press and State Since 1873
Newspaper industry responds to coronavirus threat The Arkansas Press Association this week asked Gov. Asa Hutchinson to designate newspapers as essential businesses in the event the state or local governments in Arkansas implement restrictions on commerce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The APA joins other state newspaper associations across the country and the News Media Alliance in urging government officials to permit newspapers and their employees to continue to have restrictionfree ability to report the news and keep the public up to date. Journalists are critical for providing important health information in a time of crisis and for conveying to readers the steps taken by the government to keep the pandemic at bay. The APA requested Hutchinson list news publishers as essential businesses in any order or proclamation that would shut
down other, “nonessential” businesses. In other states where such orders have already been enacted, newspapers have been identified as essential, along with grocery stores, pharmacies and other businesses critical to public welfare.
recognize news publishing and reporting as ‘essential’ to public health and welfare. We also ask that you encourage state and local officials to make the same designation. Distribution of quality news and information is absolutely central to all efforts to get beyond the crisis.” Pence is head of the President’s Task Force on the Coronavirus. APA Executive Director Ashley Wimberley said the association is actively monitoring the government’s response to the crisis and will update members about any orders, postal restrictions or other changes in the days to come.
The News Media Alliance, in a letter to Vice President Mike Pence asked that “in any action by the Administration to limit commercial activity, the government
Meanwhile, both the News Media Alliance (newsmediaalliance.org) and National Newspaper Association (nna.org) have resources available for newspaper publishers on their websites.
Roby Brock of Talk Business & Politics jokingly sprays disinfectant before the start of the 2020 Arkansas Press Association Better Newspaper Advertising Awards on Thursday. The ceremony was streamed on the internet after concerns about COVID-19 prompted last week’s luncheon to be postponed. (See full story on page 2)