LION Publishers, a nonprofit organization representing local news websites, is hiring an employee to oversee its public policy program. The employee will lead advocacy efforts that may include seeking changes to allow such websites to publish notices as an alternative to local newspapers.

“Our members have told us they’re interested in qualifying to publish notices, among other types of policy changes,” LION Executive Director Chris Krewson told PNRC.

Legislation that would have allowed news websites to publish notices as an alternative to local newspapers has been introduced in several states over the past few years, including Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, New York, Illinois, Maryland and Connecticut. Most of those bills were promoted by individual news-website publishers; none had passed until the Virginia Press Association backed a rigorous version of the legislation earlier this year.

LION announced in October that it is hiring an Associate Director of Policy & Advocacy who “has experience tracking policy developments, especially at the state level, and organizing successful online calls to action for relevant stakeholders.” In the announcement, LION contrasted its plans with the current lobbying efforts on behalf of the news industry, which it says are “funded by large hedge fund backed newspapers that have not adapted to a digital ecosystem.”

LION was founded in 2010 and now has over 550 members in the U.S. and Canada. Those member websites generate median annual revenue of $138,182, according to the organization’s 2024 membership data.

In 2019, the IRS approved LION’s application for status as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, which limits its ability to engage in direct lobbying on behalf of its members. The group collected more than $7 million in support and revenue in 2023, according to its latest audited financial statements.