The Maryland Delaware DC Press Association is a trade association that represents print, online, and radio media outlets in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. First formed in 1908, the group has grown to represent dozens of local media outlets and major outlets based in the District of Columbia and Maryland such as the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun. The group conducts lobbying on behalf of media outlets and provides legal services and other resources to members. ^{1 2}

Background

The Maryland Delaware DC Press Association was founded in 1908 as the Maryland Press Association and was incorporated as a tax-exempt trade association in 1948. The association first only admitted weekly newspapers to active membership but began admitting daily papers to its membership in the late 1940s. In 1961 the Maryland Press Association merged with the Delmarva Press Association, an organization that included newspapers in Delaware and the Eastern Shore areas of Maryland and Virginia, to become the Maryland-Delaware Press Association. In 1968, the association included newspapers in Washington, D.C., and again changed its name, becoming the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association. ³

The association consists of two entities in modern times, the association and MDDC Press Service, a for-profit subsidiary that operates the organization’s advertising programs. The group is also tied to the MDDC Press Foundation, a charitable organization that funds scholarships and other programs. ⁴

Membership

Membership in the Maryland Delaware DC Press Association is open to news media organizations, either print, online-only, or broadcast, based in Maryland, the District of Columbia, or Delaware. Individuals and non-media companies can join as affiliate members, and the group also has a category for freelance journalists, allowing freelancers to gain press credentials through the association. ⁵

The “Major Metro Dailies” in the association’s membership include the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, and the News Journal. Among the dozens of local publications in the membership are the Afro-American, Annapolis Times, the Annapolis Capital-Gazette, the Frederick News-Post, Maryland Public Television, Maryland Matters, the Washington Times, and the Washington Business Journal. ⁶

Advocacy Activity

The Maryland Delaware DC Press Association lobbies for positions that benefit newspapers and journalism. The association opposes efforts to circumvent requirements to post public notices in newspapers, ensuring that local papers continue to receive revenue from public notice postings. The association utilizes materials from the News Media Alliance to lobby for preserving public notice listings. ⁷

The association also promotes the use of the Freedom of Information Act and other state public records law requests in journalism and maintains resources concerning FOIA requests at the national and state levels. The association promotes Sunshine Week, an effort to promote the use of open records in journalism. ^{8 9}

The association maintains a list of legislation tracked in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Delaware and mostly tracks legislation concerning public records and the posting of public notices for actions such as foreclosures and public auctions. ¹⁰

1. “What We Do.” MDDC Press Association. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://mddcpress.com/what-we-do/
2. “About Us.” MDDC Press Association. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://mddcpress.com/about-us/
3. “About Us.” MDDC Press Association. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://mddcpress.com/about-us/
4. “About Us.” MDDC Press Association. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://mddcpress.com/about-us/
5. “How to Join.” MDDC Press Association. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://mddcpress.com/how-to-join/
6. “Member List.” MDDC Press Association.2023. Accessed August 26, 2024.  https://mddcpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Member-List-2023.pdf
7. “Public Notices.” MDDC Press Association. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://mddcpress.com/public-notices/
8. “Sunshine Week.” MDDC Press Association. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://mddcpress.com/sunshine-week/
9. “FOIA/PIA.” MDDC Press Association. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://mddcpress.com/foia-pia/
10. “Advocacy.” MDDC Press Association. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://mddcpress.com/advocacy/