If “top stories” are defined by the amount of conversation they generate, then the following table shows the top stories of 2021. Here are the 59 Dakota Free Press posts from 2021 that drew 40 comments or more:
| Post Title |
Date |
Comments |
| Schoenbeck Blasts Trump Traitors Who Stormed Capitol, Calls Effort to Overturn Electoral College Vote Attempted Coup |
1/8 |
94 |
| Mortenson, Peterson, Smith File Articles of Impeachment Against Ravnsborg; Noem Ready to Bury Killer Attorney General |
2/23 |
87 |
| Trump Dumps Lewandowski Again; Seidel Wonders Why Noem Doesn’t Disavow “Horrible” “Bum” |
9/30 |
76 |
| Party of Bullies: Noem, SDGOP Proudly Vulgar and Vile |
10/24 |
75 |
| Ravnsborg Kills Man, Gets Misdemeanor Charges for Phoning and Swerving |
2/18 |
74 |
| Rapid City Board Sees More Covid Coming, Steers Right Toward It |
8/24 |
74 |
| George Washington Saved Revolution with Quarantine, Inoculation Mandate |
7/10 |
70 |
| Nesiba: Transgender Ban Could Deprive Sioux Falls of Amazon Jobs |
3/13 |
66 |
| Trust Task Force Prof Writing Hard to Defuse Pandora Papers, Defend Rich, Deflect Criticism |
10/10 |
66 |
| Judge Kills Legal Pot in South Dakota: Amendment A Tackled Too Many Subjects, Had to Go Through Constitutional Convention |
2/9 |
62 |
| Noem’s Bill Does Not Ban Critical Race Theory |
12/20 |
62 |
| Johnson Joins Majority in Support of Investigating January 6 Capitol Insurrection |
5/20 |
61 |
| Unable to Refute Misdemeanor Charges, Ravnsborg Accuses Man He Killed of Drug Abuse and Suicide |
7/10 |
61 |
| Most Vaccine Refusers Deserve Scorn, Not Respect |
7/26 |
61 |
| Noem Defends Domestic Terrorism Against Teachers and School Boards |
10/6 |
61 |
| Protect Yourself and Your Neighbors: mRNA Vaccines Reduce Risk of Coronavirus Infection by 91% |
6/9 |
59 |
| Supreme Court Delaying Amendment A Ruling Past Expected Enactment Date |
6/25 |
59 |
| CRT: Individual Identity Forged by Choice, Not Locked by Categories Imposed by Others |
6/29 |
59 |
| As U.S. Holds Kabul Airport to Evacuate Afghans, Campaigner Noem Rejects Refugees |
8/18 |
59 |
| Dusty Johnson Fails to Uphold Oath to Protect Constitution, Says Trump Should Get Pass on Impeachment |
1/14 |
57 |
| On Sale Now: South Dakota National Guard! |
6/30 |
57 |
| South Dakota Abandons Coronavirus Vaccine Leadership, Now Lags National Rate |
7/30 |
57 |
| White GOP Leaders Cancel Bordeaux, Deem Lakota Legislator “Racist” |
6/10 |
56 |
| Support for Requiring Coronavirus Vaccines Grows Nationwide, Just Below 50% in South Dakota |
8/5 |
56 |
| Rounds Equivocates on Supporting Will of the People, Claims “Open Mind” to Conspiracy Theories and Election Theft |
1/6 |
55 |
| U.S. Marshals Face Contempt for Disrupting Court After Refusing Judge’s Order to Disclose Coronavirus Vaccination Status |
5/31 |
55 |
| Covid, Intubation Change USD Student’s Mind on Vaccine |
8/28 |
54 |
| Sanford Data Show Unvaccinated Driving Coronavirus Surge and Strain on Hospitals |
9/15 |
54 |
| American Stupidity, Selfishness Bring Back Coronavirus and CDC Mask Recommendation |
7/27 |
53 |
| Noem Blames Your Teachers for January 6 Insurrection |
1/16 |
52 |
| GET YOUR SHOTS!!! DOH Confirms Delta Variant of Coronavirus in South Dakota |
6/30 |
52 |
| Legislature Approves 35-District Map; 3 Lean Dem; 2 Have Lakota Majorities |
11/10 |
52 |
| Noem Flunks Grammar and Composition in Improvised School-Prayer Comment |
7/21 |
50 |
| Kristi Keeps Secrets, While Mark Tells the Truth—2022 Primary Campaign Slogan? |
2/14 |
49 |
| Heinert to Leave Senate After 2022, Work on Saving Buffalo and Native Culture |
12/17 |
49 |
| Libertà! Fauci Free to Do His Job |
1/21 |
48 |
| More Voters Lean Democratic; GOP Must Count on War and Voter Suppression for Popularity |
4/20 |
48 |
| 27 SD Republican Legislators Call on Congress to Steal Election for Loser Trump |
1/1 |
47 |
| Team Noem Not Inclined to Remove Calls for Violent Insurrection from Social Media Account |
1/7 |
47 |
| Anti-Mask Activist Said His Freedom Outweighs Our Health; Widow Begs for Our Money |
8/31 |
47 |
| Where Do You Fit? NYT Offers 35-Criterion Quiz to Pick Preferable Cities |
11/27 |
47 |
| 6 Pretty Good Ideas for Beating Kristi Noem in 2022 |
6/21 |
46 |
| Noem Visits Michigan, Florida, California? and Vegas, Where Lewandowski Hits on Married GOP Donor |
9/29 |
46 |
| Bust the Trusts: South Dakota Providing Financial Haven to Destroyers of Good Government |
10/4 |
46 |
| Senator Rounds Says Interior Secretary Haaland Doesn’t Understand Tribal Authority |
3/17 |
45 |
| Goodwin Wants to Tentuple Production of Socialist Slave-Labor Governor’s Houses |
7/6 |
45 |
| One Less Excuse: FDA Fully Approves Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine |
8/23 |
45 |
| Rank Speculation: Delay in Manslaughter Prosecution While Ravnsborg Pursues Promotion and Pension? |
2/14 |
44 |
| Pants on Fire: Noem Has Never Supported Medical Marijuana |
6/29 |
44 |
| More Aberdeen Truck Vulgarity Speaks Accidental Truth |
9/11 |
44 |
| Noem Needs Bodyguards at Sioux Falls Middle School |
11/20 |
44 |
| Rectifying Racist Vulgarity on the Mean Streets of Aberdeen |
5/8 |
43 |
| Sanford Doctor Aids and Abets Anti-Vaccine Misinformers in Sioux Falls |
8/1 |
43 |
| Rethinking Priorities, Not Big Unemployment Checks, Driving Worker Shortage |
6/20 |
42 |
| New Noem Nepotism: Governor Fires Appraisal Chief Who Delayed Daughter’s License, Pays $200K to Shut Her Up |
9/27 |
42 |
| Noem Celebrates Women’s Day by Bullying Transgender Girls |
3/8 |
41 |
| Yankton, Spearfish Papers Say Ravnsborg Must Resign |
9/7 |
41 |
| Attack on Abortion Rights Part of Push for White Patriarchal Theocracy |
9/21 |
41 |
| State Blames Paint Shortage for Lack of Bids for Brown County Road Restriping Project |
5/30 |
40 |
The Trumpist insurrection; the ongoing vulgarity, bullying, and lies Trump’s supporters are using to stoke another insurrection; the science, history, and ignorant, sociopathic, and destructive politicization of the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines; the criminal trial and the beginning of the impeachment of killer Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg; the GOP’s distraction of the year, “critical race theory“, and their continuing inability to understand racism; the Pandora Papers’ inconvenient reminder of South Dakota’s complicity in global corruption; the SDGOP’s continuing war against initiative and referendum; the pimping-out of South Dakota’s National Guard; Lee Schoenbeck’s redistricting triumph; and Kristi Noem’s travels, her problematic relationship with sexual harasser Corey Lewandowski, and her rank nepotism—that’s much of what Dakota Free Press readers wanted to talk about the most.
What prompts folks to make public comments isn’t always the same as what gets people’s attention. Let’s compare the 59 most-commented 2021 DFP stories listed above with the 58 most-viewed DFP stories (I cut off this list at 2,000 views):
| Post |
Date |
Views |
| New Noem Nepotism: Governor Fires Appraisal Chief Who Delayed Daughter’s License, Pays $200K to Shut Her Up |
9/27 |
7,161 |
| Ohio Bikers Don’t Let Sickness Keep Them from Riding to Sturgis, Socializing, Standing for Freedom |
8/26 |
6,395 |
| Party of Bullies: Noem, SDGOP Proudly Vulgar and Vile |
10/24 |
6,119 |
| Governor Suspends Federal Trucking Rules: Drivers No Longer Need Licenses, Drug Tests, Functional Trucks… |
7/18 |
6,128 |
| Noem Needs Bodyguards at Sioux Falls Middle School |
11/20 |
5,574 |
| SD Senate Majority Leader on Probation After Pleading Down from DUI Charge |
10/5 |
5,239 |
| Lindell Claims Sioux Falls Totally Booked for Insurrection Fest; Priceline Disagrees |
7/12 |
5,115 |
| South Dakota, Wyoming Lonely Exceptions to Widespread Welcome for Afghan Refugees |
9/1 |
4,995 |
| Lindell’s Lies Laid Bare by Cyber Experts: No Evidence of Stolen Election |
8/12 |
4,768 |
| Sanford Doctor Aids and Abets Anti-Vaccine Misinformers in Sioux Falls |
8/1 |
4,551 |
| Noem’s Kin Rake in over $600K in Coronavirus Relief Funds |
3/2 |
4,518 |
| Lumber Prices Drop as Supply and Demand Rebalance |
7/5 |
4,093 |
| MN Rep Wants to Merge Rural Minnesota with South Dakota |
3/26 |
4,047 |
| “America’s Governor”: Noem Wears Mask at CPAC, Lewandowski Peddles Posters |
3/1 |
3,349 |
| Fort Thompson Driver Goes to Federal Prison for Killing Pedestrian |
8/18 |
3,345 |
| Noem Visits Michigan, Florida, California… and Vegas, Where Lewandowski Hits on Married GOP Donor |
9/29 |
3,239 |
| Voters, There Seems to Have Been an Error… |
10/22 |
3,064 |
| Noem Attacks Fellow Republican for Sponsoring Open Records Legislation |
1/29 |
3,031 |
| U.S. Marshals Face Contempt for Disrupting Court After Refusing Judge’s Order to Disclose Coronavirus Vaccination Status |
5/31 |
3,028 |
| Police Report: Noem Told Lewandowski to “Stop Touching” GOP Donor Odom at Vegas Event |
10/3 |
2,976 |
| Noem Spends Marijuana Implementation Money on Image Rehab |
10/19 |
2,980 |
| Noem Blames Your Teachers for January 6 Insurrection |
1/16 |
2,958 |
| Mortenson, Peterson, Smith File Articles of Impeachment Against Ravnsborg; Noem Ready to Bury Killer Attorney General |
2/23 |
2,939 |
| Amtrak Willing to Come to South Dakota, But We Refuse to Invest |
4/5 |
2,785 |
| Noem and Heidelberger, Together Again? Time for Governor to Talk to Dakota Free Press! |
9/26 |
2,753 |
| SB 86 Gives Secretary of State Judicial Power to Preëmptively Declare Amendments Unconstitutional, Block Public Vote |
1/24 |
2,729 |
| Noem Denies Rallygoers Pot Freedom |
8/12 |
2,694 |
| 6 Pretty Good Ideas for Beating Kristi Noem in 2022 |
6/21 |
2,570 |
| Noem’s Daughter Quits Appraising, Joins Labor Secretary in Smokescreen Attack on Press and GOAC |
11/17 |
2,541 |
| Noem’s Misdirected Anti-CRT Bill Actually Tells O’Gorman to Knock Off the Jesus Talk |
12/22 |
2,511 |
| Noem DOE Finds Too Many Indians, Too Much Inquiry, Not Enough Rah-Rah-Founders-and-Kristi! in Social Studies Standards |
8/9 |
2,510 |
| Noem Returns to Vegas! |
12/2 |
2,428 |
| Noem Puts Daughter’s Personal Contact Info on Fundraiser Invitation |
12/12 |
2,418 |
| Unlike Ravnsborg, Inattentive Aberdeen Driver Kills Groton Motorcyclist, Immediately Faces Manslaughter Charge |
6/9 |
2,406 |
| Friends of Guard Protest Noem’s Guard-Pimping with Billboard |
7/11 |
2,400 |
| National Press Finds Noem Using State Plane for Political Travel, NYC Parade and Shopping Trip |
2/15 |
2,350 |
| Noem Cash Cry Ignores Facts and South Dakota |
6/11 |
2,311 |
| Trump Dumps Lewandowski Again; Seidel Wonders Why Noem Doesn’t Disavow “Horrible” “Bum” |
9/30 |
2,296 |
| Week Before Ravnsborg Impeachment, Hyde County Sheriff Volek Dies |
11/3 |
2,284 |
| On Sale Now: South Dakota National Guard! |
6/30 |
2,273 |
| White GOP Leaders Cancel Bordeaux, Deem Lakota Legislator “Racist” |
6/10 |
2,272 |
| Ravnsborg Missed Chance to Block Release of Investigation Videos Because Defense Attorney Was Out of State |
2/26 |
2,269 |
| Nesiba: Transgender Ban Could Deprive Sioux Falls of Amazon Jobs |
3/13 |
2,206 |
| Try Not to Burn Down South Dakota on July 4 |
7/4 |
2,188 |
| Mickelson Schools Noem on Real Civics Education |
1/13 |
2,177 |
| GF&P Plans 400-Acre, $9.9M Shooting Complex North of Rapid City |
8/1 |
2,158 |
| Pot vs. Dope: SF Billboard Notes Marijuana Got More Votes Than Kristi Noem |
7/15 |
2,161 |
| Dark Money Laundry Opens Front in Sioux Falls Law Office |
2/8 |
2,159 |
| Sanford Doctor Cites Wife’s False Googling to Justify Protesting Covid Vaccine |
9/15 |
2,145 |
| Fiscal Conservative Noem Buys $4,000 Rugs, Sauna for Gov’s Mansion |
11/30 |
2,128 |
| Five Lies Noem Tells in Two Sentences About Rushmore Fireworks Rejection |
6/5 |
2,115 |
| Huron Bully Gets Wish, Wins Supreme Court Case Against State and Exaggerated Terrorism Charge |
7/9 |
2,087 |
| Sioux Falls Unmasks, Coronavirus Cases Jump 53% |
3/27 |
2,071 |
| Political Bullying Begets School Bullying: Aberdeen Punks Harass, Vandalize at School |
5/8 |
2,066 |
| Unable to Refute Misdemeanor Charges, Ravnsborg Accuses Man He Killed of Drug Abuse and Suicide |
7/10 |
2,057 |
| Bust the Trusts: South Dakota Providing Financial Haven to Destroyers of Good Government |
10/4 |
2,044 |
| Be Honest and True, Kristi: Where Are the Radical Leftists and Lying Schools in South Dakota? |
9/22 |
2,038 |
| Ravnsborg Kills Man, Gets Misdemeanor Charges for Phoning and Swerving |
2/18 |
2,036 |
Only 12 posts made both lists, drawing 40+ comments and 2,000+ views:
| Post |
Date |
Views |
Comments |
| Mortenson, Peterson, Smith File Articles of Impeachment Against Ravnsborg; Noem Ready to Bury Killer Attorney General |
2/23 |
2,939 |
87 |
| Party of Bullies: Noem, SDGOP Proudly Vulgar and Vile |
10/24 |
6,119 |
75 |
| Ravnsborg Kills Man, Gets Misdemeanor Charges for Phoning and Swerving |
2/18 |
2,036 |
74 |
| Nesiba: Transgender Ban Could Deprive Sioux Falls of Amazon Jobs |
3/13 |
2,206 |
66 |
| Unable to Refute Misdemeanor Charges, Ravnsborg Accuses Man He Killed of Drug Abuse and Suicide |
7/10 |
2,057 |
61 |
| On Sale Now: South Dakota National Guard! |
6/30 |
2,273 |
57 |
| Noem Blames Your Teachers for January 6 Insurrection |
1/16 |
2,958 |
52 |
| 6 Pretty Good Ideas for Beating Kristi Noem in 2022 |
6/21 |
2,570 |
46 |
| Bust the Trusts: South Dakota Providing Financial Haven to Destroyers of Good Government |
10/4 |
2,044 |
46 |
| Noem Needs Bodyguards at Sioux Falls Middle School |
11/20 |
5,574 |
44 |
| Sanford Doctor Aids and Abets Anti-Vaccine Misinformers in Sioux Falls |
8/1 |
4,551 |
43 |
| New Noem Nepotism: Governor Fires Appraisal Chief Who Delayed Daughter’s License, Pays $200K to Shut Her Up |
9/27 |
7,161 |
42 |
So what doesn’t get people talking? Out of 1,209 articles posted in 2021, 26 posts drew just one lonely comment each:
Some of my favorite wonky topics—redistricting, economic statistics, environmental science, and election-nerd issues like petition laws and ballot questions—don’t stir the comment pot. Notice also that not one of those single-comment stories mentions Kristi Noem in the headline.
Meanwhile, the Google Juice keeps flowing to old stories about Kristi Noem and her family. Five pre-2021 stories about South Dakota’s starlet Governor drew more than 2,000 views:
Those spank-bankers won’t find the naked pictures they are hoping for, but someday Noem’s brittle intervention in Girls State 2019 is going to pop up in a campaign ad—Fairness for girls? Not if they criticize Kristi Noem!