Last updated on 2020-01-01
Blogging originated as an exercise in curation, not creation. We bloggers read or hear some piece of news and log it on the Web (remember the etymology!). Bloggers curate information, highlighting and archiving for themselves and their readers items worth noticing, remembering, and discussing.
But on Dakota Free Press, year after year, you also get plenty of original journalism. Here are just a few of the original stories that I produced for you in 2019:
Kristi Noem’s Nepotism: It took the mainstream press until December to catch up with my coverage of the plum Capitol jobs and raises Governor Kristi Noem has given to her daughter Kennedy and her new son-in-law Kyle Peters. I was on that beat back in January, reporting on the moral contortions to which Republican legislators resorted to justify this naked nepotism. Expect this story to get bigger play now that the Governor is proposing no raises for teachers or state workers in her austerity budget.
Crackerbarrels in Aberdeen: Some local media post video from our Legislative crackerbarrels online; I offered video and in-depth coverage of three Aberdeen crackerbarrels last winter (see January 26 and February 2). The final crackerbarrel alone, on March 2, provided fodder for original blog posts on the food tax, candidate petition requirements, industrial hemp, mandatory clergy reporting, civics education, Senator Susan Wismer’s (D-1/Britton) sharp wit, Rep. Carl Perry’s (R-3/Aberdeen) wide-ranging policy wonkery, and Senator Al Novstrup’s (R-3/Aberdeen) lazy intellect. That’s eight stories, with video, from one two-hour Legislative event. Show me any other media outlet in this state that provides that much information about what your legislators say. As rookie Representative Perry acknowledged at the first crackerbarrel, intensive original coverage like that keeps legislators accountable, “and that’s good.”
Al Novstrup’s Vacation: My District 3 Senator isn’t just intellectually lazy. In January I learned from some Twitter-photo sleuthing that Novstrup took three days off from our short and intense Legislative Session to enjoy a conference in sunny Texas with his fellow go-kart impresarios. Fresh off the airplane to subzero South Dakota, Novstrup told the second crackerbarrel crowd, “We’re hard at it.”
Speaker Haugaard’s Sally (or should that be Is a Sally?): My keen reporting on the Legislature has earned me the attention and trust of a variety of sources in Pierre who know they can count on me to tell Legislative stories right. That’s why in mid-January my inbox lit up with multiple sources telling me about a remarkable abuse of by Speaker of the House Steven Haugaard (R-10/Sioux Falls). In the first few days of his speakerdom, Haugaard banned South Dakota Municipal League lobbyist Yvonne Taylor from the House floor in retaliation for criticism of the Legislature she published back in May 2018. Taylor fought back, taking Haugaard to court and mopping the floor with him.
Grumpy Governor Gets Back at Girls Stater: In June I learned that Governor Noem retaliated against Girls State attendee Madison Howard of Sioux Falls for posting a photo online of Noem smiling behind Howard’s pro-impeachment coffee mug. Hours after she posted that photo, a friend of the Governor’s teenage son claiming to be privy to discussions among the Governor’s staff warned Howard the Governor’s staff would press charges. Then that evening, Girls State staff, indicating that “the Governor’s office did not want that picture posted,” revoked Howard’s nomination for Girls Nation and dismissed her from Girls State.
Cory in Court: Mingling journalism and jurisprudence, I’ve provided firsthand courtroom coverage of my two lawsuits against the state. In May, I provided this 5,485-word eyewitness account of my first trip to federal court, to fight G. Mark Mickelson’s unconstitutional ban on contributions to ballot question campaigns from your cousin in Florida. I then reported, with understandable enthusiasm and detail not found in any mainstream press report, Judge Charles Kornmann’s ruling in my favor (and in favor of the big money players who sent Marty Jackley to sit at the plaintiffs’ table with me and my attorney Jim Leach!). I returned to court this month with a lawsuit against Rep. Jon Hansen’s circulator registry and badging requirements and the state’s 12-month deadline for initiative petitions, and so far I’ve reported on the real harassment Hansen’s registry and badges would foster and the failure of the state to show any need for such an early deadline for initiative petitions.
Factchecking Pro-Rounds Propaganda: After overturning Republican efforts to ban out-of-state money from ballot question campaigns, I analyzed a summer ad paid for by out-of-state interests touting Republican Senator Mike Rounds as an economic savior. The American Chemistry Council (DuPoint, Chevron Phillips, ExxonMobil, etc.) claimed that our junior Senator had made America an “economic powerhouse” again. After noting that catchy term’s vagueness, I didn’t just spout off like Archie Bunker or Donald Trump; I assembled a variety of resources to put that claim in global historical perspective that you just don’t get from any other South Dakota media sources with a direct interest in covering statements of and about our members of Congress.
Mayor Schaunaman’s Conflicts of Interest: Kristi Noem wasn’t the only South Dakota politician taking cues from Trump on using government for her personal benefit. Aberdeen’s rookie Mayor Travis Schaunaman decided in August to use his column in the local newspaper to promote his ad company’s bid to rebrand Aberdeen. The good news is that that blatant abuse of office led the Chamber of Commerce to postpone acting on his bid and led the city council to adopt a tougher conflict-of-interest policy that makes it illegal for Schaunaman to pull a stunt like that again. The bad news is that Mayor Schaunaman has stopped writing anything for the local paper.
Ravnsborg Report on McGowan: I don’t just write about Republican foibles. In October I analyzed Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg’s swiftly prepared report on Minnehaha County State’s Attorney Aaron McGowan. While AG Ravnsborg said he found no evidence of a felony or misdemeanor and no firm legal ground on which Governor Noem could carry out her threat to oust the Democrat from office, he did report statements from McGowan’s staff about inappropriate comments, drunkenness, and creepy behavior toward a female staffer. Governor Noem publicized this report days after receiving it. Eight weeks later, McGowan resigned, with a $35,000 farewell payment from Minnehaha County.
LRC Analysis of Online Sales Tax: In November, the Legislative Research Council gave the Legislative Executive Board an Issue Memorandum titled “Sales Tax Reduction from Remote Sales.” Since last year, when the judicially activist Supreme Court overturned precedent and approved our plan to force out-of-state online vendors to collect South Dakota sales tax,we’ve been waiting for an influx of revenue from all of us betrayers of Main Street to make our cup runneth over and trigger the Partridge Amendment, the 2016 provision that saved Governor Daugaard’s still-not-fully-successful sales-tax-for-teacher-pay plan by promising to walk our state sales tax rate back from 4.5% toward the pre-Daugaard 4%. The LRC’s issue memo says we’ll probably keep waiting. The LRC says we can’t reliably calculate how much of that Amazon/Wayfair/Rebels Market Steampunk cash is really new sales tax revenue and how much is simply offset by declines in in-state brick-and-mortar retail. The LRC also reminds us that the Partridge Amendment still doesn’t make clear the mechanism by which any sales tax reduction is supposed to be calculated or enacted. Not many people noticed that issue memo in November, but it should figure prominently in tax and budget conversations among legislators in the 2020 Session.
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As you can see, I don’t just curate; I create. I’m happy to bring you such original South Dakota journalism among the 1,287 total blog works of commentary, analysis, and humor I’ve published this year and the thousands more I’ve written under the Dakota Free Press and Madville Times mastheads since 2005. With your support (ring that Blog Tip Jar!), I’ll continue to crank out the most original, informative, honestly liberal yet doggedly independent journalism in South Dakota. Happy New Year!
Thanks for the 411, Cory. I’ve been looking for a Beetlejuice striped pirate jacket and your endorsement of Rebel’s Market steered my wagon down the road to steampunk nirvana.
And, oh yeah. Thanks for the good journalism again this cycle. Pierre quakes in the thought of a Heidelberger/Murphy alliance.
Cory, you constantly amaze me with your skill and efforts on this blog. Thanks for all your hard work in 2019! I look forward to a very interesting 2020 on DFP.
Cory, I just received the partial refund of my donation to SD Voice for its efforts to place an issue on the ballot in the face of G Marky’s unconscionable restrictions.
I shall destroy the check and am informing you that you may consider the amount to be a donation to your creative juju.
Signed: Bob Newland
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I hereby challenge the coward Grudznick to give you a significant sum in return for your allowing it to repeatedly soil your carpet.
“It is better to study than act too quickly; but it is best to be ready to act intelligently when the appropriate opportunity arises… Speak up. Learn to talk clearly and forcefully in public. Speak simply and not too long at a time, without over-emotion, always from sound preparation and knowledge. Be a nuisance where it counts, but don’t be a bore at any time… Do your part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action…. Be depressed, discouraged and disappointed at failure and the disheartening effects of ignorance, greed, corruption and bad politics — but never give up.”
― Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Thanks for being and doing all of the above, Cory.
Another pretty much wasted year under wingnut oppression has passed and, even still, Master continues fighting the dark forces of wingnuttery.
Someone once opined”a child shall lead them.” Who knew thast child would be a 72 year old spoiled brat with temper tantrums and millions of non ytoo smart followers ready to change its diapers.
I hope beyond hope 2020 will bring South Dakota and the USA relief from all clewless nutjob pols everywhere. Many thanks,Cory, and here’s to yer health for a long life of carrying the standard for Democrats.
Kristi Noem is the result of a one-party political system that has had no challenges, inspires nobody, and defines success as staying in power without any goals outside the “club.” Her first week, month, 100 days and year in office achieved nothing other than some bad backfires and embarrassing failures.
Sadly, there is precious little evidence that South Dakotans care or bother to pay attention. No surprise since two of every three registered voters will vote to re-elect Trump. Garbage in. Garbage out.
Thanks Cory, for the excellent journalism you reliably provided in 2019, and the opportunity for us commenters to hash out policies, thoughts, ideas and feelings. Your service is a gift to us and to South Dakota. Here’s hoping you have a wonderful and winning 2020. 👍👍👍
Nice going, Cory. Continued success in 2020 and beyond.
In a world where news and journalism is being trashed, cut, ignored, and generally derided in favor of “what I want to hear” echo chambers, we need you more and more every day, Cory!
Bloggers BS like crazy. This is fine Cory churns it out no one else. For some reason I began reading about Rosa Luxemburg. For sure an interesting person complicated by history and how she grew up within it. Described as a Libertarian Communist she didn’t accept all the edicts, was deemed dangerous (a heretic to the cause) and put to death in 1919 at the still intellectually tender age of 47.
Cory,
I’ll repeat what I’ve said before. Blogging is hard work and you’re indefatigable. Thanks for another year of great content and best wishes for 2020.
Mr. camper is righter than right.
Read this blog for entertainment, or read Mr. PP’s blog for entertainment, or read Mr. Sibby’s blog to get yourself righteously riled up, it’s all French Math. Any blogging about news stories, which are already bogus, is doubly bogus as hearsay of hearsay of twisted information. Any original “reporting” of journalistic endeavors is triply bogus, because you have people who know even less making up even more and pontificating with hate in their souls and subjective bias blinding their cyclops eye. The dominating forces of the Out-of-State-Name-Callers that live on the South Dakota blogs provide the only real entertainment value, when grudznick gets their goats.
Happy New Year, and on January 25, for all you Trumpians out there, we do begin the Year of the Rat. grudznick resolves to eat even more quality “A” breakfasts this year, and step up the enthusiasm during the Opening Rants at the regular Sunday breakfast meetings of the Conservatives with Common Sense.
All your goats are belong to us.
Hap, bloggers do BS like crazy. Pat Powers is a prime example.
However, I fail to see examples of said BS in my writing.
Bob, I have duly noted your destruction of that refund check in my campaign finance records and retain that amount in the SD Voice account for future creative ballot question activities. Thank you for your service to democracy!
Porter! I’m happy to connect you with fancy threads. Let me know if you order anything and if it’s good material; I may order some vests!
Otter, I can’t say I always live up to Marjorie Stoneman Douglas’s standards (don’t go long or over-emote? hee hee!), but I’ll keep striving in her direction. Thank you for a quote that should inspire us all to never give up.
Bear, Mike, Debbo, John T, Eve, Kal Lis, thank you all for reading and providing intelligent comments. The effort you all make to keep the comment section well-informed is a vital part of everyone’s civic education here.
Kal Lis is right: blogging done right, like all forms of responsible civic engagement, is hard work. It takes time to look up information, read articles all the way to the end, and check sources. It takes time to make a hyperlink—not much, maybe seven keystrokes, but more time than just writing a claim and not offering any supporting evidence. It takes time to pause over a phrase and think of a better way to say it. It takes time to pause at the end of an essay, glance back at the intro, and think of a way to tie it to the conclusion that will help readers remember what you’ve said. It takes time to resist the initial impulse to dismiss someone as a mere knucklehead, go find more information, and then come back with proof that the knucklehead has erred (though it takes less and less time for such efforts with Donald Trump, since his errors are constant and obvious).
Good blogging, good journalism, and good civic engagement in general take a lot more time and sustained effort than clicking Like or Retweet on catchy headlines from an already filtered social media stream. Civics starts with quiet, contemplative reading and listening. It should then lead to thoughtful writing and speaking. There’s my mission, to do that myself and to get everyone else to do it with me.