The fast pitch: Ring the Blog Tip Jar!
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The slower pitch: Why would you donate your hard-earned money to support my crazy habit of getting up every morning (and I mean every morning) to write about South Dakota?
Because that crazy habit produces the some of the most reliable, informative, entertaining, and often original journalism and commentary about South Dakota politics. Every dollar you invest in Dakota Free Press helps me spend more time and resources on that journalism.
Let me focus on “original.”
This June I’ve written 33 articles constituting what I’d call original journalism—not just a press release or a posting of a couple blockquotes and a zinger, but an essay based on original research, primary evidence, and factual explanation in addition to my analysis and commentary. June was, of course, a busy month, with lots of primary election results to analyze, impeachment documents and the historic case and vote itself, and the sudden criminalization of abortion and delegitimization of women’s equal citizenship in South Dakota. (I’ll put a full list of original Dakota Free Press journalism from the last couple months below.)
For examples, see just one day: June 21, the day of the Senate impeachment trial. I posted three original articles during the trial, reporting on the opening arguments and two keenly important prosecution points based on evidence and testimony presented to the Senate. Within an hour and half of the final votes, I composed and published a comprehensive report on the Senate’s historic conviction, removal from office, and disqualification from candidacy of the Attorney General. And I produced all that lasting, linkable, commentable text for you loyal blog readers while live-tweeting most of the trial all day long to 3,000+ Twitter followers.
That’s real journalistic work, and in this case it recorded real South Dakota history, an unprecedented event with big legal and political implications in this election year and for as long South Dakota has a Legislative branch with the power to impeach.
I enjoy doing this valuable work. Evidently, you enjoy reading it. I hope you value this work enough to support it with your cash.
Thank you for reading Dakota Free Press. Thank you for sharing it with your friends. Thank you for commenting, publicly and privately. That support—thousands of you reading, sharing, and talking about what you learn on Dakota Free Press—matters more than any dollar donation. But every dollar you donate helps me reach more people and do more good work for South Dakota.
So Ring the Blog Tip Jar and send your donation securely and confidentially through PayPal! If you don’t trust electronic payments, give me a shout via the DFP Contact form and we’ll talk paper payment. Please and thank you!
*****
Original Journalism on Dakota Free Press, May–June 2022
- May 5: Barnett Misreads Law, Resists Placing Libertarian Nominees on Ballot
- May 5: Manhart Voted in Wisconsin in 2021, Thus Ineligible to Run for South Dakota House in 2022
- May 7: Mail and Date Not a Problem, Map Is: Secretary of State Will Certify Libertarian Candidates, Minus Two Misdistricted Senate Hopefuls
- May 12: Noem Bolts Early from Herbster Wake, Avoids Awkward Stage Moment with Lewandowski
- May 13: Noem’s Advisor Seidel Leaked CDC Draft Covid Recommendations for Smithfield to Corporate Exec
- May 17: Hansen’s Woman-Hating, Government-Loving Agenda: Ban Abortion, Abortion Pills, Abortion Ads, Abortion Travel, Abortion Reimbursement by Employers
- May 17: Novstrup Collects Signatures from Wrong District for Manhart
- May 18: GOAC Appendix: Noem’s Daughter Got Special Treatment in Appraiser Certification Process
- May 19: LRC Appears to Lose First Pick for Code Counsel; E-Board Offers Job to Former LRC Lawyer Loesevitz
- May 19: Hansen: Post-Roe, South Dakota Will Treat Abortion as Homicide
- May 20: DOJ Audit: SF Non-Profit “Call to Freedom” Fails to Meet Multiple Conditions of Federal Grants
- May 23: Proposed VA Hospital Changes Promise More Access, Less Cost
- May 24: Hospitals, NEA, Fairness Project Spend More Money Fighting Amendment C Than Jon and Lee’s Rich Friends Spend Supporting Minority Rule
- May 24: Noem Gets $106K+ from Four Out-of-State GOPs That Hosted Her Speeches
- May 24: Libertarian Quint 100% South Dakota-Funded! Smith, Haugaard Close; Noem Still Gets Most Campaign Cash Elsewhere
- May 25: Noem Backs Breitling, 5 Other GOP Legislative Candidates with PAC Cash
- May 25: Schoenbeck’s List: Pro-Tem Funds 15 Candidates in Senate, 22 in House
- May 26: Rohl, Olson, Big Aberdeen Money Join Schoenbeck in Drive to Boot Novstrup from Senate
- May 26: Odenbach’s List: Spearfish Lawyer Donates $26,250 to 39 Candidates to Counter Schoenbeck’s Doodle-Whacking
- May 30: Frankenstein Seeks Delay for Manhart’s Response; SOS Barnett Dodges with Erroneous Technicalities; Both Ignore Facts of Manhart’s Illegal Candidacy
- June 1: Secretary of State Forgets Campaign Finance Law He Enforced in 2020, Causes Non-Compliance by 22 Legislative Candidates
- June 3: Noem Swamping Haugaard in Final-Primary-Push Fundraising
- June 3: Ravnsborg Submits No Witness List or Documents to Senate for Impeachment Trial; Prosecution Plans Eight Witnesses, Numerous Photos, Examples of Officials Punished for Misconduct
- June 5: Document Format, Content Suggest Phil or Janet Jensen Recorded Senate GOP Caucus Call, Leaked Transcript
- June 6: Landowners Want PUC to Reject or Delay Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Application Due to Route Uncertainty
- June 7: 20 Senators, 19 Representatives Face No November Election
- June 8: Voters Reject Amendment C! Minority Rule Loses Even Among Schoenbeck and Hansen’s Fellow Republicans
- June 8: Codington County, District 5 Resoundingly Reject Schoenbeck’s Amendment C Yet Reëlect Schoenbeck to Senate
- June 8: 65 of 66 Counties Vote Against Amendment C; Fifth-Strongest Ballot Measure Rejection Since 2010
- June 8: 4 out of 12 of Noem’s Legislative Endorsees Survive GOP Primary
- June 9: Manhart Ends Illegal Candidacy, Denies Crime as “Negativity and Misinformation”, Times Withdrawal to Allow GOP Replacement on Ballot
- June 9: Whack-a-Doodles Resist: Schoenbeck Purge Doesn’t Produce Big Results
- June 9: SDGOP Miscounts Democratic Votes; SD Dem Primary Turnout More Likely 23% or Better, Not 2.8%
- June 10: Pischke Touts Catholic Priest’s “Unofficial Endorsement”
- June 15: Patriot Ripple Effect Slightly Better at Influencing Legislative Races Than County and Convention Contests
- June 15: South Dakota Budget $48.7M in the Black Through May
- June 17: Impeachment Not a Clear Deciding Factor for Republican Voters in Legislative Primaries
- June 18: Ravnsborg Submits Four PDFs for Impeachment Defense
- June 20: Nemec, Raschke, Baruth Crush Litigious Incumbents in Dakota Energy Board Election
- June 20: Impeachment Prosecutors to Cite Basic Cop Ethics to Motivate Conviction of Ravnsborg
- June 21: Senate Opens Impeachment Trial, Hears Opening Arguments in Ravnsborg Case
- June 21: SDHP Officer Testifies: Trendlines Show Wind Didn’t Move Ravnsborg Crash Debris; Deadly Impact Occurred on Shoulder
- June 21: ND Investigator: Long, Slow Stop Suggest Ravnsborg Knew He’d Hit a Man, Considered Fleeing the Scene
- June 21: Senate Convicts, Removes, and Disqualifies Ravnsborg from Office
- June 22: Impeachment Expert Garber Flops in Defense of Ravnsborg
- June 22: Ravnsborg Still Fraudulently Calling Self Attorney General, Maintaining Campaign Fundraising Page Online
- June 22: Noem’s Best Picks for Interim Attorney General: Tracy? Vargo? Jackley? Seiler?
- June 23: Dusty Right: Gas-Tax Holiday Bad. Dusty Wrong: We Need to Reduce Demand, Not Increase Supply of Fossil Fuel
- June 24: Alito Court Overturns Roe; Abortion Illegal in South Dakota
- June 25: Smith Votes Pro-Choice 93%; Can That Score Draw More Voters Than Sutton 2018?
- June 26: Noem’s New State “Life” Website Not Entirely Helpful for Pregnant Women
- June 27: RCJ Wins Open Records Case: Court Improperly Sealed Cammack DUI Arrest/Plea Record
- June 27: Weighted Vote Hews Closely to SDGOP Delegate Headcount; Natvig Needed to Flip 7 Jackley Voters to Win
I just did! Thanks for all your great work.
Cory makes a truly boring state as interesting as it can be, without lying.
Your 5 May 2022 blogging probably cost young Mr. Barnett the title. So when Ms. Monae does heinous things that harm the Democrat party more than Mr. Barnett would have, you have only yourownself to blame. I’m just sayin…
Grudz…the Dakota Free Press cannot predict the future as you purport to be able to do. The DFP has the duty, which it fulfills very well, to report political news and opinion which would otherwise not be reported by other media outlets in the state. Cory and the DFP can only report the truth, which Cory strives to do. That the truth be told and a broad range of opinion be reported without compromise or censorship is Cory’s only task.
That’s a very impressive body of work, not only in volume, but, most importantly, also in terms of real news content and extraordinary analysis. The South Dakota public of all political stripes would be very well served if reading your reports was part of their daily diet of information. I hope this has been financially viable for you, Cory, and that you can develop that wider audience.
My gripe with “that Sioux Falls newspaper” is that organization has the money to provide deeper, more informative content. But it doesn’t. Instead, subscribers are paying for minimal, lazy (I hate to call it) reporting that keeps the blinders on the readers to avoid any significant analysis (which would offend crybaby advertisers and coffee klatches of self-important businessmen/humbugs). And to think it had been considered the flagship newspaper in South Dakota.
Keep on keepin’ on, Cory! Glad to pony up.
Grudz, I think the June 1 blog post on Barnett’s failure to enforce campaign finance law likely had more to do with Republican delegates’ wrath than my May 5 post on Barnett’s incorrect delay in approving mostly harmless Libertarian candidates. My May 5 post on the evidence that Manhart was an illegal immigrant not eligible to run for District 1 House did not implicate Barnett’s performance of his duties; his willingness to certify an illegal Republican candidate for the ballot should have endeared him to the right-wing radicals.
96, thank you for your support! I will continue to crank out quantity and quality that I hope will at least keep me in competition with the more deeply pocketed media outlets in informing the public about South Dakota politics.
P. Aitch, that’s about as concise a mission statement as I could ask for: inform, make it interesting, and don’t lie.
According to information on another blog where the owner is actually residing in South Dakota….haven’t you been a resident of Lincoln, Nebraska, and an employee of the Dep of Ed of Neb for about a year?
Our Lady of the Arroyo and her man finished grocery shopping and in the parking lot was a beautiful Sprinter RV with Pennington County, South Dakota plates so I went over to the driver’s window, said hi and asked him how things are in Rapid City and the driver said, “oh, I live in Santa Fe but have a post office box in South Dakota so I don’t have to pay New Mexico income tax.”
Personally? I have have been more embarrassed to call South Dakota my home state.
*have never been*
Pat Powers is not so much residing in South Dakota so much as suckling at her udder.