Pennsylvania Independent News Association Forms

Two dozen Pennsylvania local news brands said on June 2 that they had formed the Pennsylvania Independent News Association, or PiNA, a new Harrisburg-based trade group for digital-first publishers. The coalition said it was created to give independent outlets a collective voice on policy, business sustainability and legal rules that still favor print newspapers. Tom Sofield, PiNA’s president and publisher of LevittownNow.com, said the group was responding to “a period of profound transformation” in the news industry. The launch was announced by member outlets including LevittownNow.com, StateCollege.com, LebTown and Around Ambler. ### Why did these publishers decide to organize now? Tom Sofield said the association was formed because digital publishers “need a seat at the table” as lawmakers and civic groups debate rules that affect local news businesses. PiNA said its purpose is to bring together digital-first local news organizations to strengthen the independent press, modernize laws and policies, and support the long-term sustainability of community news. (levittownnow.com) The June 2 launch notice described PiNA as a statewide organization whose membership stretches from rural communities to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh neighborhoods. PiNA said its member outlets reach millions of Pennsylvanians each month, though the announcement did not provide a combined audited audience figure. ### What is the first policy fight the group wants to take on? (levittownnow.com) PiNA said its immediate focus is Pennsylvania’s public-notice law, which the group said bars digital outlets from publishing legal notices. Public notices are the legally required announcements that governments and other entities use for hearings, bids, zoning actions and other official business. PiNA said it wants qualified digital outlets to be allowed to compete with incumbent print publications for that business. (levittownnow.com) Davis Shaver, PiNA’s secretary and treasurer and the publisher of LebTown, said the coalition is seeking a policy change that would still preserve third-party publication and affidavits of compliance. Shaver said that distinction matters because PiNA opposes shifting notices entirely onto government websites, arguing that self-publication would remove the independent verification function now tied to notice requirements. (levittownnow.com) ### What exactly are PiNA leaders saying about the current system? Davis Shaver said some legacy newspapers have treated their print-only control of public notices “as a profit center.” He said PiNA publishers were ready to compromise on legislation that would work for local governments, publishers and residents, but added that the group no longer wanted to wait for legacy newspaper companies to change on their own. (levittownnow.com) Shaver also said PiNA sees public-notice reform as a way to provide financial relief without eliminating the outside-publication requirement altogether. In the group’s framing, municipalities should be able to choose the publication and medium that best fit their communities, rather than being limited to print incumbents. ### How is the group framing its legislative model? (levittownnow.com) PiNA said its proposed amendment draws from legislation signed into law in Virginia in 2024. The Pennsylvania group did not publish draft bill text in the June 2 launch materials, but it said the Virginia change offered a template for allowing established digital outlets to participate in the legal-notice market. (levittownnow.com) The Harrisburg-based association also said it had already engaged with legislators from across Pennsylvania. PiNA leaders said those conversations had been encouraging and that the group believed its position had broad support, though the launch announcement did not identify specific lawmakers by name. ### Which outlets were publicly tied to the launch? (levittownnow.com) LevittownNow.com, StateCollege.com, LebTown and Around Ambler each published or carried the June 2 announcement about PiNA’s formation. StateCollege.com identified itself as one of the participating brands, while LebTown labeled its version as sponsored content commissioned by the association. (levittownnow.com) The June 2 materials said PiNA represents “two dozen” local news brands across the commonwealth. The association’s public rollout centered on digital-first local publishers, rather than nonprofit statewide outlets or legacy newspaper chains. ### What happens next in Harrisburg? PiNA said on June 2 that it had already begun talks with state legislators and planned to press for public-notice reform in Pennsylvania. (statecollege.com) The group’s public materials point to Harrisburg as the center of that effort, with Sofield serving as president and Shaver as secretary and treasurer as the association begins its first legislative push. (levittownnow.com)