Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
Whether it’s zoning changes, hearings on school budgets and tax rates, property sales and foreclosure notices, or name changes and other court proceedings, public notices give Missourians a chance to see what’s happening in their communities.
The Missouri Press Association has long fought to protect the public’s access to this information and to ensure newspapers remain a place where these notices can be found. It’s a fight worth having because the public’s right to know shouldn’t depend on whether someone knows where to look.
A January 2026 study by researchers affiliated with Texas A&M University, the Yale School of Management and INSEAD examined how moving public notices from newspapers to government websites affected citizen engagement in Florida. The 50-page study, “Newspaper Notice as a Government Transparency Mechanism: Evidence from Florida,” focused on a state law that took effect Jan. 1, 2023. The law eliminated the requirement for local governments to publish notices in newspapers and allowed them to post required notices exclusively on county-operated websites.
Analyzing statewide data from 2020 through 2024, the researchers examined public notice filings, county website traffic, public meeting transcripts and commercial building permits. They found the shift to government websites was associated with reduced public participation, including fewer speakers at public meetings. They also found an increase in commercial building permits, a pattern consistent with less public opposition to proposed projects.
The researchers also tested the argument that residents would simply turn to county websites to find notices previously published in newspapers. Their analysis found no measurable increase in traffic to county public notice websites after the law took effect, suggesting residents did not substantially shift their attention to the new online sources.
“We now have independent data confirming what many communities have long understood,” said Carolyn Nolte, president and CEO of the Florida Press Association. “When public notices leave newspapers, fewer people see them. This study quantifies that impact.”
Missouri newspapers publish a wide range of public notices that help residents keep track of government decisions, public spending, property matters and legal proceedings. Some are routine announcements, while others can have a direct impact on a person’s taxes, property or neighborhood.
In one month alone (July 2026), 157 Missouri newspapers uploaded 17,271 notices to mopublicnotices.com, giving Missourians free, searchable access to thousands of announcements that help them stay informed, protect their interests and hold government accountable.
To further illustrate the importance of public notices remaining in newspapers, on Sept. 30 the Laclede County Record published a notice of a trustee’s sale scheduled for Oct. 26, involving property tied to the Ice Cream Factory plant. Publisher Amanda Mendez, a newcomer to Lebanon, said public reaction to the legal notice provided a particularly compelling example of why such notices must remain in newspapers.
“The conversation EXPLODED,” wrote Mendez in her Oct. 7 column. “The City of Lebanon issued a statement addressing it. Other media outlets picked up coverage. As someone at the beginning point of understanding the heart and minds of this community, it was extremely helpful to me to read through the comments, listen to readers, and hear the chatter on the street.
“Suddenly – we all had something to talk about, and that would not have happened without the notice appearing in the paper. Imagine how much attention the same information would have received sitting quietly in the court records or on a tab of a government website.
“Instead, like a pill hidden in peanut butter, the public received the information in a familiar, well-established information delivery system: the local newspaper. Kudos to those in the community who picked it out and began conversations, and kudos to everyone who participated. That kind of interest in civic life makes me so overjoyed to be here.”
The reaction in Lebanon is a reminder that public notices do more than satisfy a legal requirement. They can spark conversations, bring important issues to light and give residents an opportunity to weigh in on matters affecting their communities.
That is why the MPA continues to advocate for keeping public notices in newspapers and oppose any legislation that would shift them to government websites. When legals disappear from newspapers, the information may still exist, but the public’s opportunity to discover it can disappear, too.
