Press "Enter" to skip to content

“Patrolling the Prairie” Exemplifies Quality Newspaper Journalism; What Topic Next?

By twuecker on 2013.10.29

Last updated on 2013.10.30

This blog isn't afraid to critique its print media friends, but it also has no problem pointing out exceptional reporting (the kind of reporting that makes me at least a little bit envious of those who devote their careers to this work). John Hult and Steve Young's recent Argus Leader series, "Patrolling the Prairie," is exceptional reporting, a project that proves the lasting value of the local newspaper as an information medium and inspires me to think about the other topics in our state that might benefit from such thoughtful coverage.

In an interview on Dakota Midday on South Dakota Public Radio, John Hult (with whom I shared space on the masthead when we both worked as editors at SDSU's Collegian) explains how a collection of otherwise unconnected stories he covered for the crime beat led to questions about the bigger picture of law enforcement in the state of South Dakota. This is the way good reporting should work—it's about both the story of the moment (the controversy over the resignation of the Tea police chief, the challenge of finding a police chief in Freeman, the tragic death of a Sheriff's deputy in Turner County) and the broader context behind those stories.

Compared to a broadcast media world that thrives on a 24-hour news cycle (leaving little room for contextualizing in the rush to get the next new piece of a "developing story") and a blogosphere often focused on making folks scroll as little as possible, the old-fashioned newspaper might provide the best venue for this high-quality in-depth reporting.

Professionals like Young and Hult have not only the resources and reputation of a formal news organization to help them gather the context-building information contained in pieces like "Patrolling the Prairie," but also the time and space of a printed page to show and tell their story.

Some USA Today devotees out there might grumble that nobody's going to read an article that requires turning pages or stopping to read for 10 minutes straight, and you might be right. But, you know what? I've read every word of the series so far (the final installment comes in Wednesday's edition), and I'm a better member of the South Dakota community for having been challenged to think about the big questions of how to find and retain good officers in public safety roles, how shrinking municipal budgets change the landscape of patrols, and what public safety really means in rural South Dakota.

A well-reported series like "Patrolling the Prairie" may not reach crowds of people like a break-in press conference in primetime TV, but it makes an impact on those who do read it. Hopefully those readers will, in turn, use the articles they've read to inform—and even direct—the public discourse around them.

Even a series like Hult and Young's can't get to every single available detail; it seems to me there's a lot left unsaid about the jurisdictional complications of law enforcement on tribal lands or the city-county relationships that leave places like Douglas County without municipal police forces and 434 square miles of county to cover for just one part-time and two full-time staff members in the Sheriff's Office.* But news outlets aren't (or at least shouldn't be) done helping media consumers bring the big picture into focus. Clearly, Young and Hult are good at it and have the support of their organization to spend time on it. But that doesn't mean they're the only ones who can do it.

So, what's the next topic that deserves the multi-part-series treatment, either on a newspaper page or on this very blog? Where else might we be seeing the trees of individual news items but missing the forest they make up?

Education?

Modern agriculture?

Small business versus global conglomerates?

Health and medicine?

Put your ideas in the comments below. There's no guarantee that a part-time blogger like myself will be the one to break through the big issue, but there's also no guarantee I—or Cory or John or Steve or some particularly intrepid reader—won't.

*Update 09:17 CDT: Today's articles from Young and Hult do work to fill the gaps I pointed out in reporting. Young talks to law enforcement officers and citizens in Martin, a community where tribal jurisdictions intersperse with state and local ones. Hult's profile of Hand County addresses, at least in part, the dynamics of municipalities relying on county and state officers for patrols.

Published in media and South Dakota

twuecker

If one’s home is defined exclusively by physical location, then I’m only about half South Dakotan. I was born in Kansas and lived there until my family moved to South Dakota when I was six. I spent the last 9 years living as a Mount Rushmore State expatriate, first in Minnesota and then in Ohio. However, for as long as I’ve been able to answer for myself when asked the question “Where are you from?”, the answer has always been “I’m from South Dakota.” To my way of thinking, home is more than where you reside. Home is where you long to be in the quiet moments when nothing else is on your mind; it’s who you care about and why you pay attention to a particular news item or milestone; it’s how you view the vast array of environments you encounter and what lens you use to see the world around you. Within that broader interpretation, South Dakota is—and always will be—my home. At this particular point in time and for the foreseeable future, South Dakota is also my physical home. I live in Brookings, where I work as a higher education administrator. My family still lives just down the road in Madison, and I’m fortunate to spend as much free time as possible on a family acreage in the Black Hills. I earned my bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from SDSU, and this blog gives me a chance to more fully incorporate that interest and experience into my life. Coursework in state and local government or newswriting and reporting doesn’t inherently make me a more valuable contributor to the blogosphere than anyone who reads, writes for, or comments on these pages. I do hope, however, that this background gives me an eye for what might make an interesting topic and an ability to present the topic in a way that encourages thought and conversation. I readily associate myself with the identity of the Madville Times as “liberal media” for this great state. I am a registered Democrat and have campaigned for more than my fair share of progressive candidates in local, statewide, and national races. I don’t agree with everything said by individuals using the same “liberal,” “Democrat,” or “progressive” labels I use, but I find that my own views align more often than not with such folks and are more likely to align with them than with individuals who label themselves as “conservative,” “Republican,” or “traditional.” It’s important for all readers to understand that the labels I choose to use and the opinions I choose to express as a Madville Times author are solely reflective of me as an individual. Nothing I write here should be interpreted as the opinion of my employer (the South Dakota Board of Regents acting through the Administration of South Dakota State University) or of any group with which I affiliate myself personally or professionally. Likewise, my contributions carry only my personal authority and reputation as a private citizen and member of the greater South Dakota community—the same authority available to any Madville Times contributor. Nothing I write, unless explicitly stated, carries any added authority or reputation from individuals or organizations willing to associate themselves with me. All that said, I think it’s time for you, Dear Reader, to stop reading about me and start reading about the countless topics of greater importance contained within this site. I look forward to our discussions, debates, and discoveries!