By David Bordewyk
South Dakota NewsMedia Association
I have read so many stories and opinion pieces about the decline of newspapers and community journalism that sometimes I worry if even I am losing faith in my profession.
And then I met up with a bunch of South Dakota journalists for a few days last week.
And my faith was renewed plenty.
I have just returned from the 142nd convention of the South Dakota NewsMedia Association Convention and I am happy to report community journalism is alive and well in South Dakota.
The energy and passion demonstrated by the 100-plus South Dakota journalists who gathered in Aberdeen last week was authentic and it was contagious. It warmed my heart and made me proud. Proud to be in a profession that matters dearly these days.
I attended my first newspaper convention in 1979 to pick up an award for a photograph of mine published in The Corsica Globe. I was hooked. I have been to many conventions since that time, having worked at SDNA since 1995. And I’ve enjoyed them all. However, I witnessed something truly special this year.
Journalists of all ages and backgrounds coming together to learn from one another and just as importantly, to encourage, support and believe in one another. All things desperately needed in today’s often contentious civic arena where journalists work.
In attendance were individuals of all ages and backgrounds. From college students to publishers and editors who have been in the business for decades. Also, attendees who knew little about the profession until they took over the local newspaper because they couldn’t imagine their community without one.
During the opening lunch, I asked those who were first-time convention attendees to stand. Half of the room stood up. Young and old alike.
At that same lunch, we honored two journalists under the age of 30 for their exemplary work. Wren Murphy is a reporter at the Madison Daily Leader doing award-winning work that is making a difference for the community and audience served by that newspaper. Amelia Schafer covers the Indigenous affairs beat for the Rapid City Journal. Her six-month investigation and reporting about 38 unmarked graves at a former Indian boarding school resonated with readers and gained nationwide attention.
On Friday night, we inducted Debbie Hemmer into the South Dakota Newspaper Hall of Fame. Debbie worked at the Grant County Review in Milbank for more than four decades, eventually becoming co-owner. Her hard work and dedication over the years has helped the Review to continue its tradition as one of South Dakota’s best and largest community newspapers.
Also at the convention, we handed out more than 250 awards for excellence in community journalism. Awards for reporting and writing, commentary, photography, design, advertising and much more.
The Dakota Scout won the 2024 SDNA Freedom of Information Award for its dogged reporting and legal challenges to obtain information about former Gov. Kristi Noem’s government credit card spending. The Aberdeen Insider is among South Dakota’s newest newspapers and won its first general excellence award – one of the highest awards we give. These are just two examples of the great work that South Dakota’s news media organizations are doing and what we celebrated during our time together in Aberdeen last week.
I firmly believe the statewide surveys we commission every few years to gauge what South Dakotans think about local newspapers and local news media organizations are spot on.
Last year, the survey we commissioned found that more than 7 in 10 South Dakotans believe having a local newspaper or news media outlet to serve their community is very important, and more than 8 in 10 adults in our state read a newspaper every month.
Spending time last week with South Dakota journalists from across the state reaffirmed those survey results for me. These journalists are dedicated to their work and to the communities served by their newspapers and news organizations. They know better than anyone that the success and sustainability of local journalism is dependent on the support of readers, advertisers and others.
Their passion is inspiring. Their work matters. Because without journalism, democracy suffers.
Finally, here is my hot tip for the week. A three-year-old colt named “Journalism” is the 3-1 favorite to win this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.
Bet on journalism. Every time.
David Bordewyk is executive director of the South Dakota NewsMedia Association, which represents the state’s newspapers and digital news outlets.
Editor’s Response:
So, back in 1995 my Dad was the President of the Association. This year marks 30 years of having Dave on the job for SD Newspapers. My Dad and the board at the time hired Dave to be our Association’s chief executive officer, and it was the best and most important vote dad might have cast during his tenure. My dad, who is in a bad way health wise because of his 15-year battle with Parkinson’s, still came briefly to this convention.
Convention time is busy time for Dave, but he took time out of his very busy schedule that day to come and sit and chat with my 76-year-old dad, and they talked about good times, good friends and good colleagues. What is the measure of a man, well one might be to measure how he treats animals, the young, and the old and infirm. Sad to say, my dad’s best days are behind him, but Dave treated him with great kindness, dignity, respect and the true warmth of friendship. Not only has Dave spent the last 30 years serving the Free Press well, he truly cares about his fellow man and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Just ask our family friend Jon Hunter, former publisher of the Madison Daily Leader, who recently lost his son. Jon said it at the convention, and I quote him here, “Who would have known that when we voted to give the kid from Corsica a shot, that I would gain one of the best friends I’ve had in my life.”
All I want to say here, is thank you Dave. We’re lucky to have you working for the free press, and by extension, the people of South Dakota. I too sometimes worry about my profession, and am in danger of losing my faith. But the talent and the drive of my fellow South Dakota journalists renews that faith. And I know I can always rely on your sheer competence to help us get our job done!
-Garrick
