Minnesota weekly newspapers seek to survive

It has been more than two months now since two weekly newspapers in rural Minnesota made the national news by initiating a GoFundMe campaign to try to raise enough money to keep the lights on and the presses running.

The announced goal on April 29 was to amass $50,000. As of June 30, just 22 people had stepped up to make contributions totaling $1,740. Sadly, the campaign is not off to a stellar start. A single contribution of $1,000 in the lone bright spot.

Rick Bussler is the owner and publisher of the Dodge County Independent, based in Kasson, Minn., a city with about 6,000 inhabitants, and the Steele County Times, based in Blooming Prairie, Minn., which has about 2,000 residents. Combined, the two papers have a circulation of about 3,600. (Dodge and Steele counties are adjoining counties in southeastern Minnesota.)

Bussler’s GoFundMe plea is titled “Journalism Matters: Now More Than Ever.” The text begins: “It’s another small-town graduation day. Seniors are dressed in their caps and gowns, the valedictorian and salutatorian are getting ready to give their big speeches, and a student who struggled for 13 years of school is about to cross the stage.”

“With all this going on there’s something missing, though. There’s no one there taking photos for the local newspaper…documenting the biggest day of many kids’ lives. Why? Because the local newspaper that the town knew for more than 100 years no longer exists.”

The appeal continued: “Our goal through our GoFundMe campaign is to bring awareness to people that local newspapers, like ours, are…important to the lives of the local communities and that newspapers are keepsakes and are our history for generations to come.”

Mary Lynn Smith of the Star-Tribune, published in Minneapolis, covered the GoFundMe launch and interviewed Annie Anderson, advertising director at the Independent. She said: “Small-town papers keep people engaged in the schools, sports and local events and ensure that city and county officials are held accountable. If the community wants a newspaper, they need to step it up and be part of the solution.”

Linda Ha, reporting for KTTC, a television station based in Rochester, Minn., interviewed Bussler, who said on camera: “We are struggling. We are on life support.”

Bussler told Ha that several factors are at play, including the rising cost of newsprint, a decline in advertising sales and smaller subscription bases. “We’re down to a skeleton crew already,” Bussler said, “and it’s tough to keep going.”

Dagnabbit all. Is community journalism on its last leg?

That thought worries Hannah Yang, a reporter at the Austin (Minn.) Daily Herald. She reached out to Alex Malm, editor of the Independent. He’s also the chief reporter, the guy who covers city council and school board meetings in Kasson.

Malm told Yang that he “loves journalism and loves small towns.” She said Malm has “found the affinity of writing stories about the people around him.”

“This newspaper means a lot to me,” Malm said, “and the community means a lot to me, too. Who is going to cover this stuff if the newspaper is gone?” Yes, who indeed?

Yang has her own opinions on this subject of community journalism, and she shares them willingly with her readers. “Losing a community newspaper has its effects in the towns it serves,” Yang commented. “Studies also indicate that a lack of local media coverage is associated with less informed voters, lower voter turnouts and less engaged local politicians.”

“We know that the people we write about are our neighbors, business partners and friends. We are members of the community, too. We care about the successes and hardships that people experience. Their voices deserve to be heard, and we’re usually the first ones there to share their stories.”

“That’s something that small town newspapers have that bigger news outlets cannot replicate from a distance, because they don’t know the full scope of the community the way small newspapers do.”

Yang suggested: “If our newspaper were to disappear, where will you go for the most accurate, important source of news specifically catered to Austin and surrounding towns? Would you wait for a larger news outlet to come by and maybe report on a story that the Austin Daily Herald could’ve had within a day or two?”

“You may be left waiting. Many larger news organizations depend on smaller newspapers for coverage ideas. If we’re gone, it’s almost certain no one will know what’s happening in Austin. No one will hear about the everyday amazing things that happen here, rather only about something bad that may happen on occasion, if it’s big enough to catch the attention of a big news outlet. You deserve accurate representation of the community you live in by the reporters who are based in your town.”

“I implore you,” Yang wrote, “please do not take for granted the valuable resource you have in Austin. There are so many stories in Austin and surrounding communities happening, and you, as readers, deserve to have those told and shared.”

“Until then, expect us working in the newsroom and continuing to put out the best paper we can every single day. That’s no exaggeration. That’s a fact.”

Have you been noticing and counting the parallels? The very fabric of our lives would be so very weirdly different if we were left “news-less at the Crystal Coast” in Carteret County, North Carolina, U.S.A.