National Newspaper Association Foundation
Promoting news literacy, protecting the First Amendment
and enhancing the capabilities of community newspapers
Legal Standing by Tonda Rush
Tonda Rush is the director of public policy and serves as general counsel to the National Newspaper Association. Email her at tonda@nna.org.
Copyright — the most common reason newspapers contact the NNA Legal Hotline
Apr 1, 2021
A. This is probably the most common legal question for the NNA Legal Hotline and it happened to a member this winter. Here is the usual scenario: Graphics editor was on deadline pressure to fill ...
Federal minimum wage likely on the rise
Mar 1, 2021
The exemption question was raised by many newspapers this year when 20 states increased their minimum wage levels for 2021. The lowest among the 20 is Florida at $8.65. The highest is California at $14.
Section 230: Bringing you up to speed
Feb 1, 2021
Courts developed a doctrine that basically said that if an internet provider manipulated, edited or changed content posted by someone, the provider could be making the content their own and then could ...
PPP loan guidance slow to come
May 28, 2020
Until late April, it was unclear what would happen if the staffing complement could not be restored within the covered period. One publisher described administering the program as “trying to land ...
Congress created the PPP in a matter of days, leaving a lot of questions for managing agencies to resolve
Apr 21, 2020
The Department of Treasury and Small Business Administration have both published rules that fill in some of the blanks. The two agencies are not always totally in sync but if you are willing to visit their ...
Ads for CBD oil are mailable
Jan 1, 2020
Gentle Reader, Can you stand one more column about cannabis ads? The guidance on mailing advertising for such products through USPS is becoming clearer, and I want to revisit this topic once more. First, ...
Publishers evaluate payroll with FLSA salary threshold increase on the horizon
Dec 1, 2019
Q: Please explain again how a nonexempt journalist can be paid a salary. A: Happy to. Now that the new Fair Labor Standards Act salary threshold is set to go into effect next year, a lot of companies ...
Labor Department hasn't provided clarity regarding exemption for newspapers with circulation under 4,000 in Fair Labor Standards Act
Nov 1, 2019
Q: I understand newspapers under 4,000 circulations do not have to apply the Overtime Rule. But what if we have three newspapers whose total circulation is over 4,000? A: Your understanding ...
Publishers should be aware of the shifting legal interpretations of ADA
Nov 1, 2019
Q: I am being told our website might not be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act because visually impaired people cannot read it. Can we be sued? What do we have to do to get into ...
