Report South Dakota Focus Fund
Reliable, fact-based, local journalism has never been more important. Help us make sure it never goes away.
Local news is a public good – a service that may not always be profitable but has great importance to the communities it serves. As local newsrooms continue to disappear across the country – particularly in rural states – SDPB’s local news coverage stands out. From livestreaming the state legislature to in-depth reporting and analysis on what’s happening across our state, the SDPB news team keeps South Dakotans informed and engaged. And studies show that a strong, independent local news presence has broad societal and civic benefits, including higher voter turnout and higher civic engagement, to name a few.
According to the Local News Initiative, there are more than 1,500 counties across the U.S. – with a combined 55 million residents – that have no or only one source of local news. An additional 275+ counties sit on the “watch list” of areas likely to lose their few remaining news resources and become new deserts. Rural states like South Dakota are some of the most vulnerable when it comes to access to reliable news and information.
But in a state that has been deemed a news desert by Rebuild Local News, SDPB is a beacon. As a leader in the South Dakota news landscape, SDPB’s journalism team travels across the entire state to cover the stories that won’t get the most clicks but need to be told.
“I believe everyone has a story to tell, and it is with great joy that throughout my career in public media I get to find and share those stories. Sometimes the stories are bigger and take more time to get all the pieces in place to paint a complete picture. And that’s why listener support is so essential. Gifts to the Report South Dakota Focus Fund give our journalists the time and resources to travel and meet people where they are so we see along with them the story that needs to be told. Journalism done well takes time and resources – it takes equipment, from AA batteries to expensive cameras and lights. It takes training and conversation and editing to make sure we get it right. It takes staff with life experiences to best tell the stories South Dakotans deserve. Thank you for supporting and trusting SDPB to share these essential stories. They wouldn’t be possible with your partnership.”
– Cara Hetland, Director of Journalism
900+
Hours of legislative coverage livestreamed
1.6 million
Social media impressions on SDPB News
65,000+
Hours of local news video content viewed
