In this morning's Lansing State Journal (LSJ) an editorial stated that "public access TV is a policy dinosaur". Obviously the League and our communities disagree with the LSJ and view PEG as an important community resource.
What I found most interesting in the editorial, however, were the points raised. The League has been pushing legislation that would allow communities to post legal notices online, and the bills are opposed by the Michigan Press Association (MPA).
A line in the editorial says, "Why have a city TV channel, if you can provide taxpayers access to public meetings via the city's website?" Great question, LSJ, great question. Recent polls show the majority of Americans are getting their news from either television or the Internet.
The editorial goes on to say, "Why provide public dollars to community groups when they can tout their offerings via a YouTube video and a website?" This is another great point made by the LSJ, and gives me pause to wonder why then the MPA is so opposed to using 21st century technologies to provide information to the public in the most cost-effective and transparent way possible.
We agree with the LSJ that we need to protect taxpayer dollars, and posting online is a terrific way to do it. Sounds like there's at least some agreement that it's time for communities to post legal notices online.
Samantha Harkins works for the Michigan Municipal League handling energy & technology issues. She can be reached at 517-908-0306 or email at sharkins@mml.org
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