The State of Local News in South Dakota: Challenges, Innovation, and Opportunities

Introduction

In small towns throughout South Dakota, the local newspaper has long been a ubiquitous feature. In many towns, the local paper is a pillar of the community, often occupying one of its oldest and most historic buildings, and serving as a sign of community vibrancy, entrepreneurialism, and a recording of the ongoing life of the town and the histories of its residents. Years of research across various academic fields have extolled the importance of local newspapers and highlighted the positive impacts they have. Yet, local newspapers are in decline in many towns across the US. A growing body of literature has followed this trend occurring over the last couple decades. Researchers have examined the causes of this change, as well as the widespread consequences it has had.  More recently, a growing collection of academics, entrepreneurs, and both long-tenured and newly-minted journalists have dedicated themselves not only to stemming this decline, but also to innovating new strategies and approaches to make local news viable further into the 21st century.     

This article begins with a general overview of the causes and consequences of declining local newspapers in South Dakota and beyond. Subsequently, its goal is threefold: 1) To describe new spaces for local newspapers in a society seeing a shift away from one’s zip code as a core facet of individual identity. 2) To present some of the new and innovative strategies being used by newspapers to keep local news viable. 3) To propose direct actions available to South Dakota citizens that can contribute to the success of local news. To help accomplish these goals, a survey was sent to representatives of 16 thriving local newspapers in predominantly southeastern and parts of eastern South Dakota. Responses were received from 9 of these newspapers, and their valuable insights form a key component of this article. 

The Loss of Local Newspapers in the US: Causes and Consequences

Over the last 20 years, the US has witnessed the closure of thousands of newspapers, and has thousands of towns without newspapers now that had them at the turn of the century. While this trend has occurred nationwide, newspaper closure is especially prevalent in the Midwest and disproportionately affects small towns. Furthermore, many newspapers still in existence are “ghost newspapers” with a skeleton staff and minimal original content output. (Abernathy 2020, 2018; Lauck 2023). 

The loss of local newspapers in South Dakota and the US has coincided with significant economic and technological changes. Local news has long been considered a “public good” by scholars because it contributes to better decision-making and provides government accountability. Yet, in much of the US, local news has seen a decrease in public funding. Much of the revenue from advertising and subscriptions that local newspapers rely on has declined as well. Advertisers have shifted significantly toward digital and social media, and much of the public relies more on those sites for information. (Abernathy 2020, 2014).

The respondents surveyed for this article report substantial challenges facing their own newspapers, and 7 out of 9 respondents report having worried about their newspaper’s long-term ability to survive. The challenges they report include trouble finding new generations of journalists, loss of advertising, high printing costs, declining readership, competition from social and digital media, lack of content to report on, and increasing unreliability of the postal service. 

The loss of local newspapers in the US has myriad consequences. Newspapers serve as a local government watchdog, and citizens rely on newspapers to inform them about public affairs. The loss of local newspapers weakens democracy: Newspaper decline is followed by lower voter turnout, lower responsiveness among public officials, lower civic engagement, higher polarization, and reduced political competition. (Hayes and Lawless 2021, Abernathy 2020, Sullivan 2020, Rubado and Jennings 2020, Harte, Howells, and Williams 2018, Nielsen 2015). Additionally, the loss of local newspapers weakens community identity and residents’ senses of belonging. Local newspapers are important to building community social ties and social capital, and in facilitating community development. Their loss limits residents’ opportunities to communicate and express feelings about things in their communities, and leads to significant events in local history not being recorded. (Lauck 2023, Muurlink and Marx 2023, Hayes and Lawless 2021, Givens 2012).

Local News in a New Era of Local Identity

Over the last several decades, society has changed in such a way that the town a person was born in, grew up in, and lives in does not always occupy the same core space in their individual identity that it once would have. While hometown attachments are still very strong for many people, this is not the case for everyone. People are also more likely to relocate, form close attachments in online communities, and build meaningful connections with others all around the world. With more people’s lives becoming less locally-bounded, the role that local news has to play in people’s lives is shifting, as are the strategies that newspapers use to resonate with their audiences. (Nielsen 2015).

Many newspapers have now fully embraced digital news and have developed a significant online presence, with many of their readers living away from the town. News sites are now increasingly designed to appeal to readers bound more by their shared interests, experiences, identities, and affiliations than by a shared zip code. There has also been a substantial rise in news that can be considered “hyper-local.” Hyperlocal news organizations cater to local groups organized beyond mere place of residence. For instance, they may cater to specific demographics or interest groups in a town, or those with a shared ideological or project goal. These organizations may thus have a strong focus on political activism and may be temporary by design, or, alternatively, a focus on sharing stories of the everyday lived experiences of their audiences. (Abernathy 2020, Harte, Howells, and Williams 2018).

Some of the newspapers surveyed have strategies in line with those described above, along with a variety of other strategies they have implemented to remain thriving.

Facing Forward: New Strategies for the Success of Local News

Local newspapers in South Dakota have adopted innovative strategies to face significant challenges, and scholars have also proposed a variety of approaches. Some of these concern the structure of the newspapers themselves, while others concern the types of content offered and the role that the newspapers play in their communities.

Abernathy (2020, 2018, 2014) argues for the need for local newspapers to rethink their business models, including structures of ownership and funding. This includes investing in future journalists, tying their business models to the needs of communities, diversifying their revenue sources, building online audiences, and rethinking when to compete vs. collaborate with other news sources. Some of the successful newspapers surveyed for this article have implemented such changes. One respondent consolidated ownership with other small-town newspapers, while another shifted to a largely volunteer-run and community-led organization to avoid closure. Several of the newspapers described the importance of their digital news component. Several also described efforts to counter postal service unreliability, including by offering alternative distribution methods and pre-sorting newspapers.

Finneman, Matthews, and Ferrucci (2024) suggest an alternative model for local newspapers they term the “Press Club.” This model moves away from reliance on advertising and cheap subscriptions and offers memberships, with access to events, newsletters, and tiered benefits to engage more community members. Similarly, one respondent described adding the option to sponsor sections of their newspaper to counter reduced advertising revenue.

Beyond structural changes, scholars have emphasized the importance of local newspapers being embedded in their communities. Local newspapers thrive more when their journalists are active members of the community, and when newspapers are perceived by audiences as community media. Target audiences value feeling like active partners in creating news, and appreciate when newspapers provide insight into journalistic processes and respond to community concerns. This hyperlocal journalism, which may act as a celebration of local life, and/or a forum where potential solutions to local problems are explored, results in more engaged and loyal audiences. (Stroud and Van Duyn 2023, Smith 2019, Harte, Howells, and Williams 2018, Nielsen 2015, Givens 2012). 

Nearly all of the respondents highlighted the strong community support they have as a main reason their newspapers continue to thrive. Several of the newspapers exist specifically because local people stepped up to stop them from closing. Some of them emphasized serving as a “highlight reel” for their communities, with plenty of local stories, events, and pictures, especially those involving local youth. Some also emphasized their efforts to cover local politics.

Direct Actions for Concerned Citizens

There are some practical steps people can take to help their local news thrive. These steps begin with understanding the state of the local news where they live. Scholars at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill created a form for individuals to rate the quality of their local news which, along with instructions, can be found on the US News Deserts website. 

For those who have a local newspaper, even if the quality of the paper is low it is still often the best source of local information available. Many papers continue to rely largely on individual subscriptions. Many also rely on local advertising. Local people are the main customers for many local businesses, and even smaller newspapers in South Dakota often continue to have circulations numbering in the thousands.

Many local papers need community participation. Even those that are not largely volunteer-run and community-led often need volunteers and more reader-submitted content, which has declined around the US (Givens 2012). Several of the respondents surveyed for this article specifically highlighted a desire for more locals to submit featured stories and profiles about local events, human interest, history, and other topics – even the seemingly mundane. Some of the respondents emphasized that these types of reader-submitted stories are the lifeblood of their papers.

For those without a local paper, it is worth recognizing the innovation occurring in how local news organizations are structured and the roles they may play. Whether one is interested in helping create, or transform and sustain, a local news organization, there are increasingly many forms that community journalism may take. Newspapers need not follow traditional models, and some organizations are designed to have relatively short but active lives. Journalism as both a field of study and a career path remains viable for many people despite the challenges it has faced. Some of the programs offered by the SDSU Extension Community Vitality team may be valuable for those involved in developing, transforming, or sustaining a local news organization, including Building Highly Effective Boards, Small Business Basics, and Core Strengths.

Lastly, local newspapers are increasingly in need of further public support, both financially and in recognizing the important role they continue to play in creating healthy, vibrant communities.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Chloe Kocer from The Burke Gazette, Debi Kourt from the Central Dakota Times, Becky Tycz from B&H Publishing, Inc., Carrie Howard from the Sanborn Weekly Journal, and the other five respondents who prefer to remain anonymous.

References & Further Reading

Abernathy, Penelope Muse. News deserts and ghost newspapers: Will local news survive? 
University of North Carolina Press, 2020.

Abernathy, Penelope Muse. Saving community journalism: The path to profitability. UNC Press 
Books, 2014.

Abernathy, Penelope Muse. The expanding news desert. Chapel Hill, NC: Center for Innovation 
and Sustainability in Local Media, School of Media and Journalism, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2018.

Finneman, Teri, Nick Mathews, and Patrick Ferrucci. Reviving Rural News: Transforming the 
Business Model of Community Journalism in the US and Beyond. Taylor & Francis, 2024.

Givens, Deborah T. "Mr. and Mrs. John Doe Announce the Engagement of…: A Study of the 
Decline in Reader-Submitted Content in Four Eastern Kentucky Community Newspapers." Grassroots Editor 53, no. 3-4 (2012): 19-24.

Harte, David, Rachel Howells, and Andy Williams. Hyperlocal journalism: The decline of local 
newspapers and the rise of online community news. Routledge, 2018.

Hayes, Danny, and Jennifer L. Lawless. News hole: The demise of local journalism and political 
engagement. Cambridge University Press, 2021.

Lauck, Jon K. "Introduction: The Shredding of Midwestern Newspapers." Middle West Review 9, 
no. 2 (2023): 1-13.

Muurlink, Olav, and Elizabeth Voneiff Marx. "Out of print: What the pandemic-era newspaper 
crisis in Australia teaches us about the role of rural and regional newspapers in creating sustainable communities." Sustainability 15, no. 6 (2023): 5439.

Nielsen, Rasmus Kleis, ed. Local journalism: The decline of newspapers and the rise of digital 
media. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015.

Rubado, Meghan E., and Jay T. Jennings. "Political consequences of the endangered local 
watchdog: Newspaper decline and mayoral elections in the United States." Urban Affairs Review 56, no. 5 (2020): 1327-1356.

Smith, Christina C. "Identity(ies) explored: How journalists’ self-conceptions influence small-
town news." Journalism Practice 13, no. 5 (2019): 524-536.

Stroud, Natalie Jomini, and Emily Van Duyn. "Curbing the decline of local news by building 
relationships with the audience." Journal of Communication 73, no. 5 (2023): 452-462.

Sullivan, Margaret. Ghosting the news: Local journalism and the crisis of American democracy. 
New York: Columbia Global Reports, 2020.