If you are a South Dakota blogger, former South Dakotan who still blogs about South Dakota, or you blog about South Dakota, and you haven't noticed your feed displayed at right in the SD Citizen Journalists and Blogs aggregator, please email me your RSS feed address to toddepp(at)gmail(dot)com so I can add it. 

I'm still in the process of moving feeds around but I might have missed yours or accidentally deleted it.  I'm hoping to have the most comprehensive feed aggregations of any blogger in SD for SD related blogs and citizen journalism efforts.

You may have noticed some changes in the feeds at right.  I am in the process of separating out the SD Mainstream Media blogs from the SD Citizen Journalist and Blogger blogs.  The feed for the Lake Herman Accordites--our small band of merry local bloggers--remains the same.

As the MSM continues to struggle, I think it is important to point out the distinction.  There are some MSM blogs that I think are "community" and personal in nature and it pains me to put them in the SD MSM listing.  Those would include Take It Outside, Mt. Blogmore, and Politically Speaking.  But I had to draw a line.

On the other hand, I kept South Dakota Magazine in the SD Citizen Journalist and Blogger group as it is largely the voice of its non-out of state owner, Rep.-elect Bernie Hunhoff.

I even added Sibby Online back into the SD Citizen blog feed.  Now Steve, don't make me regret that decision! ;)  (So much for that reprieve from the Sibmeister.)

But I digress.

I also wanted to give greater prominence to non-MSM owned blogs. 

I have a ton of feeds to go through so bear with me as I make the changeover.

I realize that it's ultimately all just one big internet.  But I think a little distinction between what we non-corporate journalists and bloggers do should be set apart from those who are.  It's not a criticism, just a recognition.

This was an awful week for journalism in South Dakota.

First, we learn that long-time Argus Leader Statehouse reporter Terry Woster is being let go because of Gannett’s budget problems.  It may mean the closure of the Argus Pierre bureau.  Never mind one of the state’s most experienced reporters to hit the road.

Second, KSFY-TV unveils probably the cheesiest and stupidest feature I have ever seen on local TV news anywhere—“Wheel of Justice.”

My colleague Pat Powers called it “Wheel of Felons,” which is actually more accurate.  I have never seen a more cringe-worthy five minutes of local TV news in my life.  It was embarrassingly stupid “info-tainment.”  One has to watch it to actually believe it. 

My colleague Dr. David Newquist, the anti-blogger, recently bemoaned in very explicit and elegant terms, the decline of journalism in our state and nation.

But I want to do more than just bitch.  I want to try and solve the problem or at least present a possible solution.

I think us local bloggers and citizen journalists need to step forward and do more.  Actually, I think we need to bring our efforts together and be an alternative (or in some cases, the primary) provider of news and information.

Below is a copy of an email (with some clean-up) that I sent to fellow bloggers across the spectrum in South Dakota.  If you are a blogger or just a citizen concerned about the poor state of journalism in South Dakota and would like to be part of group that works for a solution, let me know.  You can email me at toddepp(at)gmail(dot)com.

There’s a lot of crap in the blogosphere, including on this blog from time to time.  But there’s also getting to be a lot of crap (and a lack of coverage of critical issues) in the Mainstream Media.  Maybe it is time for citizen journalists to save journalism.

Dear Fellow Bloggers:

I’m sitting in front of my computer earlyon a Sunday morning and looking at my feed aggregator of the work we do.  Then I thought about the Argus Leader’s problems.

I think we have an opportunity with the difficulties our brothersin the print media are having.  While many of us have our biases, weare are open about those biases.  We are honest about where we are coming from in our world views.  What I think we are also good at is understanding our communities and the topics we cover.  When I was a practicing journalist, I thought I was pretty knowledgeable.  However, after practicing law, running my own business, and being involved in politics at the local, state, and national levels, I am far better equipped to report on any number of topics because I have practical experience and first hand knowledge as well as I my previous education and training.  Frankly, I think Pat Powers or I would be a better political reporter now than most of the so-called MSM journalists because of what we have done and experienced.  We just also now happen to bring a political bias as well.

At our picnic at Lake Herman this summer, some of us gathered and wondered what was next for us bloggers.  We took some first steps toward working together. 

But as you all know, blogging is time consuming.  Not all of our posts are of interest to many people. Some are just fillers to keep people coming back while we work on those meaningful posts that either scoop the MSM or give our readers insight.  If we could post less often as individuals in order to improve the content of our posts yet have other great content on a site, that would seem to be the best of both worlds.

What I’m suggesting is some sort of newspaper-like approach wherewe put in one place the best of what we do.  Like a good newspaper,there is a diversity of voices.  Some on the Left and Right have done multiple contributor blogs and sites.  I’d like to take that concept a step further and make it something across the political spectrum.  That way, readers can compare and contrast in one spot.

I also realize that most of us bloggers, myself included, are very independent individuals.  Our individual voice is important to us.  I’m not suggesting that change a bit.  There would be no editing for content or ideas.  (Perhaps we could do some editing for spelling,grammar, and style, ala the AP Stylebook.  Studies show that bad grammar and spelling hurts a blog’s credibility as much as factual inaccuracies.)  We could even keep our individual blogs.  But I’m thinking that eventually, you’d want to transition to the uber-site.

Think of the talent just in this email: Artists, book reviewers, gardeners, sports nuts, former journalists, business people,cartoonists, lawyers, people of faith, people of skepticism, photographers, political wonks, writers, people who know our individual communities, and so much more.

I have no idea what would be the best platform for something like this that we can just basically set it up and forget it.  I’ll leave that to those of you who are more technologically advanced than I am. I also think this could provide an opportunity to sell advertising and actually make some money from our efforts. 

There is an opportunity here, I believe, to have more impact on our readers’ lives and provide them with useful news, views, and information. 

Yeah, I’m probably a hopeless optimist.  But what the heck?

Mull it over and let me know what you think.

Best regards,

Todd D. Epp
SD Watch http://www.southdakotawatch.net

I don't know if it is a great day for citizen journalism or a bad day for professional journalism.

With just a little bit of digging in the right places, a cartoonist and arist--Scott Ehrisman of SoDacola blog fame--has apparently uncovered one of the linkages in Gov. Mike Rounds' force-feeding of a high school laptop program on our state (and despite cries from his own fellow Republicans in the legislature).

As the old Watergate adage goes, "follow the money." Scott did. And this is what he discovered (reprinted with permission):

As I suspected the owner of the company that has the servicing contract for the school laptop program made individual contributions to Rounds’ governor campaigns in 2000 and twice in 2006:

SDSOS.org Finance reports

The owner of this company also sat on the advisory committee that helped organize the program:

SD Dept. of Education press release

Is there anything illegal about this. NO, not at all. But it does make one suspicious why Rounds has been pushing to save this program? Doesn’t it? But when has he ever been concerned about ethics? His secretary of education says it is about the kids. Is it really about the kids?

I’m wondering how long it will take for our supposed 4^th Estate to connect the dots?

This is a brilliant piece of citizen journalism. Scott had a hunch, followed it, researched it through public records, and came up with a pretty darn interesting result. (Sibby and Pat Powers have also done some excellent citizen reporting as well, to acknowledge my buddies on the Right.)

Which leads to perhaps an even broader question: why didn't the South Dakota Press do what Scott did?

All this took was a little bit of Scott's time, a computer, and an internet connection. Time, computers, and the internet are all things our friends in the media have.

All they would have to do to advance the story would be to solicit a response from the Rounds Administration and the contributor. Then talk to someone in the world of open government and maybe a Democratic legislator.

Boom! Done. A great lead story.

I fear for my former profession of professional journalism. There is so much laziness.

Let me digress for just a moment to make my point.

Saturday I was at Sioux Falls Ford getting my oil changed and my tires rotated. It took an hour or so. In the waiting room, between bags of popcorn and raspberry slushies, I watched CNN Headline News. Guess where about half of their news was coming from? Citizen journalists who had sent in videos and photos of tornodos, fires, and the 4th of July.

It was satisfying to see citizens reporting. But where were the pros? And this was CNN, mind you, not poor, understaffed KDLT.

Scott, great job and great reporting. Notice it's pretty much "just the facts, ma'm." And shame on our state and local media for not having the gumption, ya-yas, and enterprise to do what a cartoonist did.

Technorati Tags: laptops, Mike Rounds, South Dakota legislature, open government, citizen journalism, MSM, media

I’ve become a huge fan of Twitter.

Twitter is basically public instant messaging to as many people as you can get to follow you.  I have 630 followers.  It can also be used as a private network of only people you approve of as well.

I follow and have followers from around the USA and the world—Iraq, Iran, Cuba, Palestine, Israel, Germany, Singapore, Australia, China, Taiwan, India, Vietnam, Pakistan, Canada, England, Germany to name just the counties that I can think of off the top of my head.

I’ve used Twitter to report on a Bruce Springsteen concert and the S.D. Democratic Party Convention.  I use Twitters to promote my blog posts.  I sometimes post my own short observations about life and what I’m doing.  That’s what most people do.  It’s sometimes my “mini-blog.”

I think I’ve just scratched the surface of the power of Twitter.  Others have used it to report on breaking news, get out of jail, sell stuff, and even write poetry and pithy thoughts.

But one of the more interesting things I’ve discovered is to follow the Twitters of people who are in Iraq.  I don’t follow any Iraqi nationals only because I can’t read Arabic.  But I do follow American soldiers and marines, journalists, and others who are actually “on the ground.”

Historians have made much of the letters written by and between our servicemen and women and their loved ones.  But with Twitter, the “letters” (actually bursts of 140 characters) are accessible to anyone with a Twitter account.

I gleaned a few such accounts.  They range from the boredom of everyday life, to missing loved ones, to action reports, to messages approaching poetry.  It is obviously not the same as being there but it is at least a sliver of actuality from a place the United States has invested so much of its blood and treasure. 

Enjoy. 

So bored been at work for 2 hours and ready to leave 3 months ago (A US Marine)

organizing my pics in facebook. about 20 hours ago  (A US Marine)

Sitting in my Pod(can hardly be called a barracks) sweating of course it is Iraq, bout to go to sleep 2 days ago (A US Soldier)

This photo made me miss America. http://tinyurl.com/4oodhg 3 days ago (A NY Times Repoter)

kuwaiti drivers are insane. apparently, in this country it’s okay to drive as fast as you want, as long as you have your high beams on. 2 days ago (A US Soldier)

@DailyDwelling Sunday Morning’s are always better, when my sermon is done:) about 1 month ago (A US Army Chaplain)

Planning another op… Wondering why some soldiers cry so much. 6 days ago (Also has a wonderful blog with heart wrenching photos from Iraq and Afghanistan. Read: http://jeremyclawson.blogspot.com/) (A US Soldier)

i’m online. have you sent the packages yet? just wondering. i love you! can’t wait to talk to you! *kisses* about 9 hours ago (A US Soldier)

Can’t wait to meet her for real… She is so much fun in cyber space! 16 days ago (A US Soldier)

unless its you are bleeding out your eyes, dont wake me up at 4am for some dumb shit like a mole you want looked at. i hate people 26 days ago  (A US Army Medic)

Less than two months to go!!! whoohooo!!! =) 4 days ago (A US Military Contractor)

SH*T IS GOING DOWN! warning warning warning! Iraqi prayers are being played and hodgies are driving up and down shooting us 12:39 AM July 04, 2008 from web (A US Soldier)

In Qatar on a 4 day R&R pass about 1 month ago (A US Marine)

I got dressed up in civilian clothes for the first time in months. No real reason, and they’re all wrinkly… but it makes me smile :-) 15 days ago (A US Soldier)

I think Im going to get a Tat 4 days ago (A US Soldier)

Hot, sweaty, tired, but off duty. 01:47 AM June 16, 2008 from web (A US Soldier)

Photo: More than 1,200 U.S. troops re-enlist in Baghdad, July 4, 2008, during a ceremony in the Al Faw Palace rotunda led by Multinational Force-Iraq Commander Army Gen. David Petraeus.  (US Dept. of Defense)

I'm still pushing this citizen journalism thing over on my S.D. Fridge Door site. If you have photos or video or a story to tell about the Ricco Fire in the Black Hills (and you already haven't given it to the Rapid City Journal and their fine community journalism effort), please email your contributions to me at toddepp5531@msn.com.

Also, if anyone plans to attend the always popular Sioux Falls JazzFest this weekend at Yankton Trail Park and you'd like to contribute your photos, videos, stories, or reviews, send them on to me as well.  I don't plan on going as I have a boat load of work to do this weekend on the law practice and around the house.

Also, any other contributions you have are also welcome.  So far, I have some active folks in the Aberdeen area and in the Hills, plus me here in Harrisburg, the garden spot of Lincoln County.

Major tip of the hat to Bill Harlan and the Rapid City Journal's "Fire Blog" on the Ricco wildfire.

It is a marvelous use of the medium and is a cross of newspapering, TV, and radio.  It has details like a newspaper yet is multi-media and breaking like electronic media.  It is also using citizen journalist material.  Bravo on a fine, trend-setting effort.

Now, if only the Argus Leader were so innovative.  The RCJ effort headed by Harlan is a major "Must Read."