No, the title of this post is not just a slogan. It might be law after tonight's Council meeting. The Wisconsin State Journal was the only paper that put forth a bid to become the city's "official newspaper," which means it will be paid to publish the Council proceedings and legal notices.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that under the contract, The Wisconsin State Journal is designated as the official newspaper of the City of Madison and will publish the proceedings of the Common Council, ordinances, orders and other official legal notices.
Is the State Journal already the city's official paper? I have made a few calls in vain but I figured one of my clever readers would know anyway.
Is this what distinguishes a real newspaper from any old pamphlet or rag? That it can be counted on to print official business by court order?
State law, which requires the city to designate one paper as its official keeper of records, reveals the extent to which our government relies on corporatism for many basic services. Rather than hire a town crier or establish its own newsletters, the government contracts out to a newspaper that (elderly) people actually read.
