South Dakota Newspaper Association and nonprofit news group form partnership, likely first of its kind in the U.S.

David Bordewyk

The South Dakota Newspaper Association announced today that it's entering a two-year partnership with South Dakota News Watch, a two-year-old, independent, nonprofit, public-service journalism organization. Under the agreement, SDNA will take on the day-to-day administrative and fundraising management for SDNW beginning Nov. 1.

This is apparently the first time a state newspaper association has paired up with a nonprofit journalism outfit in this way. As part of the deal, longtime SDNA Executive Director David Bordewyk will add the title of executive director for SDNW.

Letti Lister, board president of SDNA and the publisher and part-owner of the daily Black Hills Pioneer in Spearfish, hailed the move. "Reliable investigative journalism on topics that impact our citizens on a broader state-wide scale is paramount to the success and growth of our state, but it was missing here until South Dakota News Watch launched in February 2018," Lister said. "Information is power, and America needs journalists."