Ending the requirement that legal ads be published by news outlets would harm democracy and journalism

Ending the requirement that legal ads be published by news outlets would harm democracy and journalism

SINCE COLONIAL TIMES, state and local governments have been required to publish legal advertisements in newspapers about official proclamations, court citations, vital records, and the like. Also known as public notices, these agate-size ads inform the community of important public business — and provide the press with a crucial revenue stream. Now, though, that system is under threat in Massachusetts. Two bills would allow legal ads to be publi…