Media Matters has given me permission to reprint their findings on the abysmal lack of progressive voices in South Dakota newspapers, including that supposed bastion of liberalism, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
With thanks to MM’s Justin Cole, here it is:
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| Black and White and Re(a)d All Over SOUTH DAKOTA
View the Full Report |
When it comes to nationally syndicated columnists, South Dakota’s daily newspapers are dominated by conservatives, leaving progressive voices behind.
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SOUTH DAKOTA MEDIA: Daily Newspapers at a Glance
- In South Dakota, there are 11 daily newspapers with a total circulation of 144,974.
- Conservative syndicated columnists appear a total of 30 times per week in South Dakota newspapers. Centrist columnists appear a total of seven times, while progressive columnists appear a total of 14 times. [1]
- Taking newspaper circulation into account, these columnists have the potential to reach South Dakota readers a total of 874,425 times each week.
SOUTH DAKOTA VOICE: Who Is Being Heard?
- Nationally syndicated conservative columnists account for 57 percent of the column impressions in South Dakota, while nationally syndicated progressive columnists account for only 26 percent of the column impressions. [2]
- Those conservative columnists reach South Dakota readers 266,108 more times than their progressive counterparts.
- The top nationally syndicated columnists published regularly in South Dakota consist of five conservatives, one centrist, and one progressive.
| Newspaper | State | Circulation | Conservatives* | Progressives* |
| Aberdeen American News | SD | 16,467 | 50% | 25% |
| Brookings Register | SD | 1,232 | 57% | 29% |
| Huron Plainsman | SD | 6,250 | 100% | 0% |
| Madison Daily Leader, The | SD | 2,181 | 0% | 0% |
| Mitchell Daily Republic , The | SD | 10,463 | 60% | 20% |
| Pierre Capital Journal | SD | 567 | 33% | 33% |
| Rapid City Journal | SD | 30,721 | 63% | 13% |
| Sioux Falls Argus Leader | SD | 56,379 | 50% | 33% |
| Spearfish/Lead/Deadwood Black Hills Pioneer | SD | 2,987 | 0% | 0% |
| Watertown Public Opinion | SD | 10,995 | 60% | 40% |
| Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan | SD | 6,733 | 50% | 50% |
* These data reflect only regular (at least once a week) conservative and progressive columnists, for the full report go to: www.mediamatters.org/op-ed and to view state-by-state or specific newspaper data go to: http://mediamatters.org/reports/oped/search
| Newspaper | State | Circulation | Occasional Conservatives** | Occasional Progressives** |
| Aberdeen American News | SD | 16,467 | 40% | 30% |
| Brookings Register | SD | 1,232 | 57% | 29% |
| Huron Plainsman | SD | 6,250 | 100% | 0% |
| Madison Daily Leader, The | SD | 2,181 | 0% | 0% |
| Mitchell Daily Republic , The | SD | 10,463 | 62% | 19% |
| Pierre Capital Journal | SD | 567 | 33% | 33% |
| Rapid City Journal | SD | 30,721 | 63% | 13% |
| Sioux Falls Argus Leader | SD | 56,379 | 50% | 32% |
| Spearfish/Lead/Deadwood Black Hills Pioneer | SD | 2,987 | 75% | 25% |
| Watertown Public Opinion | SD | 10,995 | 60% | 40% |
| Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan | SD | 6,733 | 47% | 53% |
* These data reflect only occasional (at least once a month but less than once a week) conservative and progressive columnists, for the full report go to: www.mediamatters.org/op-ed and to view state-by-state or specific newspaper data go to: http://mediamatters.org/reports/oped/search
[1] These figures account for columnists appearing in multiple papers; if a particular columnist is in five separate papers, he or she is counted in these figures five times.
[2] Similar to the advertising term “ad impressions,” “column impressions” counts the number of copies of each column that appears in print.