diff --git a/checkin_notes b/checkin_notes
index ef2eab40d0..fdc50c91ed 100644
--- a/checkin_notes
+++ b/checkin_notes
@@ -1201,3 +1201,20 @@ David  26 Feb 2011
         trickle_echo.cpp
         validator.cpp
         Makefile.am
+
+David  26 Feb 2011
+    - user web: add a feature allowing project admins to control
+        whether news items are exported as notices.
+        The creator of a news item is shown a "Don't export" or "Export"
+        button on the thread page.
+        By default, news items are exported.
+
+    db/
+        schema.sql
+    html/
+        inc/
+            news.inc
+        user/
+            forum_thread.php
+            notices.php
+            forum_thread_status.php
diff --git a/db/schema.sql b/db/schema.sql
index 00eb09ae91..9ff310a51a 100644
--- a/db/schema.sql
+++ b/db/schema.sql
@@ -407,6 +407,8 @@ create table thread (
     owner               integer     not null,
         -- user ID of creator
     status              integer     not null,
+        -- whether a question has been answered
+        -- News forum: it set, don't export as notice
     title               varchar(254) not null,
     timestamp           integer     not null,
         -- time of last new or modified post
diff --git a/html/inc/news.inc b/html/inc/news.inc
index 112b141651..881d256385 100644
--- a/html/inc/news.inc
+++ b/html/inc/news.inc
@@ -55,6 +55,15 @@ function news_forum() {
     return BoincForum::lookup("parent_type=0 and title = '$forum_name'");
 }
 
+function is_news_forum($forum) {
+    if (defined("NEWS_FORUM_NAME")) {
+        $forum_name = NEWS_FORUM_NAME;
+    } else {
+        $forum_name = "News";
+    }
+    return $forum->parent_type == 0 && ($forum->title === $forum_name);
+}
+
 function show_news($start, $count) {
     $forum = news_forum();
     if (!$forum) {
diff --git a/html/user/forum_thread.php b/html/user/forum_thread.php
index 7fb74d19e6..030185cd2e 100644
--- a/html/user/forum_thread.php
+++ b/html/user/forum_thread.php
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 
 require_once('../inc/util.inc');
 require_once('../inc/forum.inc');
+require_once('../inc/news.inc');
 
 check_get_args(array("id", "sort", "nowrap", "filter"));
 
@@ -122,21 +123,21 @@ if ($forum->parent_type == 0) {
             if ($thread->owner == $logged_in_user->id){
                 if ($thread->replies !=0) {
                     // Show a "this question has been answered" to the author
-                    echo "<div class=\"helpdesk_note\">
-                        <form action=\"forum_thread_status.php\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"id\" value=\"".$thread->id."\">
-                        <input type=\"submit\" value=\"".tra("My question was answered")."\">
-                        </form>
-                        " . tra("If your question has been adequately answered please click here to close it!") . "
-                        </div>"
-                    ;
+                    echo "<p>";
+                    show_button(
+                        "forum_thread_status.php?id=$thread->id&action=set",
+                        tra("My question was answered"),
+                        tra("Click here if your question has been adequately answered") 
+                    );
                 }
             } else {
-                // and a "I also got this question" to everyone else if they havent already told so
-                echo "<div class=\"helpdesk_note\">
-                <form action=\"forum_thread_vote.php\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"id\" value=\"".$thread->id."\">
-                <input type=\"submit\" value=\"".tra("I've also got this question")."\">
-                </form>
-                </div>";
+                // and a "I also got this question" to everyone else
+                echo "<p>";
+                show_button(
+                    "forum_thread_vote.php?id=$thread->id",
+                    tra("I've also got this question"),
+                    tra("I've also got this question")
+                );
             }
         }
     }
@@ -236,6 +237,24 @@ if (is_moderator($logged_in_user, $forum)) {
     );
 }
 
+// let admins decide whether a news item should be exported as notice
+//
+if (is_news_forum($forum) && ($logged_in_user->id == $thread->owner)) {
+    if ($thread->status) {
+        show_button(
+            "forum_thread_status.php?action=clear&id=$thread->id",
+            "Export",
+            "Export this news item as a Notice"
+        );
+    } else {
+        show_button(
+            "forum_thread_status.php?action=set&id=$thread->id",
+            "Don't export",
+            "Don't export this news item as a Notice"
+        );
+    }
+}
+
 // Display a box that allows the user to select sorting of the posts
 echo "</td><td align=\"right\">
     <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"id\" value=\"", $thread->id, "\">" .
diff --git a/html/user/forum_thread_status.php b/html/user/forum_thread_status.php
index b392862585..6b95b84892 100644
--- a/html/user/forum_thread_status.php
+++ b/html/user/forum_thread_status.php
@@ -23,10 +23,12 @@
 
 require_once('../inc/forum.inc');
 
-check_get_args(array("id"));
+check_get_args(array("id", "action"));
 
 $threadid = get_int('id');
 $thread = BoincThread::lookup_id($threadid);
+if (!$thread) error_page("no such thread");
+
 $logged_in_user = get_logged_in_user();
 
 $owner = BoincUser::lookup_id($thread->owner);
diff --git a/html/user/notices.php b/html/user/notices.php
index 537b9bfb44..eb04e35a28 100644
--- a/html/user/notices.php
+++ b/html/user/notices.php
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ $notifies = BoincNotify::enum("userid = $userid $since_clause");
 $forum = news_forum();
 if ($forum) {
     $threads = BoincThread::enum(
-        "forum = $forum->id and hidden=0 $since_clause"
+        "forum = $forum->id and hidden=0 and status=0 $since_clause"
     );
 }