A few months ago I cited a 2018 Pew Research Center survey that found about three-quarters of the general public was unaware of the economic struggles of local news organizations.
I didn't include myself in this category. However, I was completely surprised on September 6 when I heard a 5 p.m. KCCI newscast alert listeners to stay tuned for a story interview with two Dayton, Iowa, women who were stepping up to save the local newspaper.
What? I live only a few miles from Dayton, and it's one of my local newspaper subscriptions. I knew that the paper was purchased in August 2022 by Nelson Media of St. Ansgar, but I had been reassured to read that Nelson Media "believed in small towns and small town newspapers". However, only six months later, the newspaper was put up for sale, with the stated objective to sell it to a local resident. No explanation was given, but a key local reporter had left for a job with better hours and pay, and no doubt he had been a major linchpin.
But the owner pledged that the newspaper would continue in this town of 177 residents--no worries. When I received a renewal letter earlier this summer, I promptly sent my $50 payment for a year's subscription.
However, it appears that not many others did. In fact, I learned later that the number of subscribers had shriveled to 45 from a couple hundred-plus. On September 3, the owner of Nelson Media informed employees that he was shutting down the newspaper. This was just days before the biggest event in town: the 86th annual Dayton Rodeo.
Courtney Sogard had been hired there a year earlier. In addition to writing for the paper, she was working to archive the town's original newspaper, The Dayton Review, launched in 1877. Her plan was to store the digital files at the Dayton Museum. "If our paper was closed, it would be the end of any historical newspaper archive," she said. "I had a desire to keep it going."
Another staff writer, Justine Johnson Hemmestad, also was devastated. "We just couldn't let it go," she said. She and her husband Shawn purchased the paper from Nelson Media for $1, with an agreement to assume its unpaid printing bills. The two women didn't miss a beat. The following week's edition, September 7, was published on schedule  – 48 hours later.
Challenges Abound
Then the hard work began. The local connection to the community had been broken. Bringing back former subscribers is an immediate priority. The new owners dropped the $2.00 per issue price, reinstating it to 75¢. Many former subscribers also had been unhappy seeing incorrect attributions of quotes and photo captions.
"The worst debacle was the headline mix-up about the Lehigh mayor," Sogard said. A front-page story featuring the retirement of the mayor in nearby Lehigh appeared with the headline, "Lytton Mayor Retires." Lytton is a town in an adjoining county, where Nelson Media launched another newspaper last year.
Nelson also had instituted an upfront payment system for advertisers, a change from a one-year contract. The paper lost its public notices from City of Dayton, the City of Lehigh, and the school to an out-of-town paper. "Chris Nelson didn't nurture relationships, or make any attempt to meet people in town," Sogard said.
Justine and Shawn Hemmestad, new owners of the newspaper. Photo credit: The Leader
Staffing also is an urgent challenge. Hemmestad has an M.A. in English literature. She has published three novels, and is included in 19 anthologies, including Chicken Soup for the Soul. "It will take us time, and we appreciate people's patience as we work through it," she said. "But we have the desire and drive to get it done."
Sogard, who has a secondary education degree, works as the librarian in Dayton and the nearby town of Harcourt. In addition to articles, she also wrote a column, The Liberal Librarian. "I haven't had time to do it since I'm managing editor now," she said.
One ace in the hole is a letter of support from the former owner and editor, and founder of The Leader, Kendra Breitspecher. She also agreed to bring back her award-winning column, Coffee Break. But as she wrote in her letter of support, her teaching job takes her out of town during the week, with only every other weekend spent in Dayton.
A part-time employee Danielle Potkonak, will handle graphic design and pagination.
An effort also is underway to recruit high school students at Southeast Valley in Gowrie to take photos and write articles about athletics and other school events. "It would be a work experience program, or extra credit for the students," Sogard said.
Nelson Media eliminated "lifetime" subscriptions granted by the original owner. Sogard said they will honor these with e-subscriptions. "But lifetime subs aren't in our business model," she said. "We want to walk the talk," she said. "We don't want to offer empty promises. We want to live up to what we say what we'll do."
Since purchasing The Leader, Hemmestad said she's been contacted by The Stuart Herald, another struggling newspaper working to avoid imminent closure. "Small town newspapers help citizens stay involved in local politics -- it's a perfect fit," she said. "Without it, people in Dayton and other small communities would be out of touch."
Nuts & Bolts of Local Life
One timely example illustrates this point. The local school district held a special election to renew its Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL ) on Sept. 12. This is a tax that school districts use to pay for buses, computers, building repairs and construction; it must be renewed every 10 years. Notice of this vote was published in The Leader. The school sent information home with students, and the superintendent posted an informative video on the district's Facebook. Meetings were scheduled in four of the school district's nine towns. However, these meetings were sparsely attended.
The district's rate is $1 per $1,000 assessed value of property, and a "Yes" vote would assure continuous funding without a tax increase. This rate actually is lower than its neighboring school districts.
However, The Leader was in transition to new ownership, and no additional coverage was possible. Misinformation by word-of-mouth and social media filled the vacuum. Some residents of Boone County misunderstood it as a tax increase. Information sent home with students didn't reach them, since their children are open-enrolled. No meeting was held here.
As a result, the measure passed in Webster County with 174 "Yes" votes and 14 "No" votes. Calhoun County had 16 "Yes" votes and seven "no" votes. In Boone County, where I live, the vote was nine "yes" and 57 "No" votes. But the PPEL requires only a simple majority, and it passed 199-78.
National News Sucks Oxygen
News today has become nationalized, crowding out local news. Between 2017 and 2022, unfavorable ratings for the national news media increased markedly, according to Pew Research. A 2023 Gallup and Knight Foundation survey revealed that almost half said the national news media intentionally misled, misinformed, or tried to persuade the pubic to accept a specific point of view.
Yet in 2021, Pew research found that local community newspapers were perceived as more reliable and trustworthy.
Another challenge looms on the horizon for this Iowa newspaper and hundreds of others. During the last session, Iowa legislators introduced a bill creating a new state website to publish public notices, and eliminating the requirement for cities, schools, and other entities to publish public notices in newspapers. Without income from legal notices, many Iowa newspapers would close shop. Watch for this unsuccessful effort to be revived next year.
Nothing Small about Small Town News
"Small Town News" was a popular segment on the Late Show with David Letterman. He loved to poke fun at news published in small town newspapers.
You still can see old "Small Town News" segments  on YouTube. Here's one from the Clarence Bee, Buffalo, New York with the headline Man with dead squirrel is suspicious. "The Erie County sheriff's deputy is investigating an incident of a person seen running east on main street, not wearing any shirt or shoes, and carrying a dead squirrel."
From South Dakota, the Baltic Beacon. "Whoever stole the radar detector out of the Delorean on Sunday night by the church, please reconsider as it belongs to Guest Pastor Mark Jerstad."
We all can laugh. But I checked, and it doesn't seem that The Baltic Beacon still publishes.
And what happened on August 11 in Marion, Kansas, when its newspaper and the home of its editor were raided by law enforcement who seized phones and computers, isn't the least bit funny. This newspaper in a town of 1,892 simply was doing its job of keeping public officials and businesses accountable. In other words, journalists were speaking truth to power. The raid  violated the newspaper's First Amendment rights, and still is under investigation. Sadly, the publisher's 98-year-old mother died the day after they raided the house where she lived with her son.
Keepin' It Close to Home
The Leader will need strong support from the community to succeed. I plan to contribute now and then. My article and photos of Pilot Mound's new pickleball court and the 4-H club who helped make it happen, appears in this week's edition. But I also recommended the Iowa Capital Dispatch as a resource to The Leader. Its articles can be republished online or in print, with proper attribution, and a link to its website: iowacapitaldispatch.com
The Western Iowa News Foundation also offers a new business model: http:www.westerniowajournalismfoundation.com/contact us.
I believe local news offers a common denominator with the potential to bring us together. So do the Hemmestads, who have two children enrolled in the local school, and five older ones who graduated there. "We're grateful to raise our family in a small community, where people are more connected," Justine said. "We want to write about topics close to the hearts of small communities."
Local newspapers provide a community service. They offer a unifying platform for diverse individuals. Those of us in rural communities and small towns have much in common. During these chaotic times, we need to pay attention, and keep our focus on the local angle.
Thank you for telling The Leader’s story. Good on the Hemmestad’s!
Thanks for sharing this story. Local newspapers are critical in so many ways.