Affidavit for public notice

Why are public notices an important part of a democratic society?

They are the third leg in the stool of “open government” they serve to keep the citizens of Michigan informed about the actions of their government.

What are the elements of public notice that make it so valuable to the citizens of our state?

• Permanence of record – newspapers provide a permanent legal record of the actions government officials at every level are taking.
• Archivability – newspapers and libraries across the state retain copies of these records in perpetuity.
• Independence – newspapers provide an independent source that serves as a watchdog of governmental activities.

An important premise found in federal, state, and local governments is that information about government activities must be publicized for people to make well-informed decisions. Public notices provide this sort of transparency and accessibility to citizens who want to know more about government actions. Providing public notice provides the opportunity for the public to influence governing bodies and allows the public to be an active participant in a democratic society.

In a recent Marketing Resource Group Poll results show the public trusts newspapers to provide notice to the public on important matters:

When asked “which would you trust more as the place to find public notices of government activities – on a government website, in a local newspaper or on that newspaper’s website?” 55% of those polled responded they trust their local newspaper and the newspaper’s website while only 25% trust government websites to provide this information.

63% of the respondents felt newspapers were more effective in making government activity known to the public.

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