Journalism matters — just ask city officials

Some people feel local journalism is dead. Some feel it’s not important. Some feel Facebook and Twitter are good substitutes.

But last week, while one of our reporters was working on a storyfor the Dodge County Independent, another blatant example of the importance of local journalism emerged.

Alex Malm, who previously served aseditor of the DCI, and recently returned as a reporter, was working on a follow-up story about whether the City of Kasson would pursue a municipal cannabis shop.

He asked City Administrator TimIbisch about the topic, and Ibisch forwarded a document reviewed by the City Council, which came from city administration.

While reviewing the documentation, Malm saw a familiar byline: his own.

An article was included in the agenda packet, which was then discussed during a meeting.One may think: Well, it makes sense for the documentation to include a story from a local newspaper.

But this story came from the Savage Pacer, one of eightMinnesota community newspapers thatowner Alden GlobalCapital recently closed.

Turns out the Kasson City Council read the article and made its decision not to pursue a municipal cannabis store, at least for now.

“Thanks for the write up from Savage, it certainly helped the Council to decide not to pursue it,” Ibischsaid.

Asked what he meant, he responded: “They read the write-up about Savage and thought that it sounded far too involved for a municipality of our size. It was a thorough write-up.”

The agenda packet included two other items, a short article about Osseo potentially pursuing a store and an example of what the City of Wayzata was working on.

Consider this for a moment: What if the Savage Pacer had closed a couple months sooner, and the article wasn’t written? Would the city council have had enough information to make a thoughtful and well-vetted decision?

This is a perfect example of why local journalism is important. Sure, people can go on Facebook and spout off unverifiable—and many times inaccurate—information, but it’s clear from this examplethat local leadersstill rely on local news to present the facts in an unbiased way as they consider critical decisions for their communities.

We hope you will continue to support local journalism and encourage your friends and family to do the same. It’s important—just ask your elected officials!