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Gaines outlines goals for year as APA Board President

Recently inducted APA President Eliza Gaines, publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and other newspapers in Arkansas and two other states, recently outlined her goals for her one-year term.

“We have to be proactive in protecting our FOIA and legal notice laws,” said Gaines. “I’m eager to get a head-start on strategies for the 2025 legislative session. I also think that as the voice of the industry, we have a responsibility to better educate Arkansans—especially non-readers—on the importance of having a local, reliable news source in their community.

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“Another goal is sharing the success stories of newspapers -- big and small -- across the country that have found a path to sustainability.”

Gaines, who has served on the APA Board of Directors since 2017, and also serves on the boards of the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation and

America’s Newspapers, was installed as APA’s 145th president on July 21 during the Honors Banquet at the annual APA Convention, with a historic 16 Past Presidents on hand for the Gavel Passing. She is the 10th woman to serve in the role. Her election also marks the first time that three women have served as the president in three consecutive years, as she succeeds Past President Ellen Kreth of the Madison County Record in Huntsville and Immediate Past President Lori Freeze of the Stone County Leader in Mountain View.

“I’m honored to represent an association that is still going strong after 150 years and whose motto is ‘Free Press, Free People,’” said Gaines. “I’ve seen firsthand the association’s commitment to government transparency and the sustainability of newspapers across the state.”

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