Seeking out an oasis in a news desert: How do you get your news?

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

I feel like reading a newspaper is the equivalent of listening to music on vinyl. Not only is it analog, it’s an experience. I might be a little biased, but there's something about the rustling of the pages and the scent of ink mixed with your morning coffee. It provides a community conversation. It keeps everyone on the same page and can potentially quell (or at least slow down) the small town rumor mill. It offers an air of transparency for county papers as they show they cover school board, county, city meetings and legal notices.

According to the Local News Initiative, which is based out of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, close to half of the counties in the U.S. have just a single newspaper and over 200 American counties have no local newspaper. On a North Dakota level, two counties in North Dakota don’t have a local news source (Sioux and Slope County, in case you’re wondering) and 31 counties out of our 52 counties have one paper for the county, which is good but puts the county at risk of being a news desert. Cass County, North Dakota’s largest populated county, has two papers listed, not including HPR, which serves the whole state.

In reviewing this data, it makes one think that if local news is not accessible, how does this affect a person's relationship with not only local media but media as a whole? Sources become hearsay and the rumor mill has a tendency to work overtime. So what is news and what isn’t? Who do we believe?

I don’t know about your neighborhood, but in my stretch of prairie, copies of the Epoch Times showed up in rural mailboxes unsolicited during this last election. I speak from experience; it made an excellent liner in the catbox. In case you’re unaware, this is a far-right publication that has ties to the Falun Gong new religious movement.

I’m not sure if this makes matters better or worse, but according to the Pew Research Center, 54% of Americans get their news from social media, which can be a double edged sword. It’s not uncommon to have community Facebook groups to stay in the loop of what’s going on communitywise, you’ll have access to community events, whatever kind of school sportsball feats have been recorded or even to alert you that there’s a stray pig running through town (weirder things have happened in Lehr and even weirder things happen when you follow the Jamestown rants and raves page).

I suggest seeking out independent media organizations in various states and maybe avoid the dude in his Ray-bans ranting in his Silverado unless it’s for entertainment and even that is questionable. It’s all a matter of discretion, which is extra worrisome considering a large percentage of Americans can’t discern opinion pieces from news pieces in their local papers.

My advice when you come across something particularly triggering, worrisome and all around questionable? Say it out loud — does this seem like something realistic? Okay, scratch that… to be completely honest, with this newscycle nothing really makes sense. I suggest you check multiple reputable news sources, fact check your memes if they’re current events based and don’t feed the propaganda machine.

According to The National Literacy Institute, in 2024 adults in America had a 79% literacy rate. Additionally, 54% of adults read below a sixth grade level with 20% reading below a fifth grade level.

Did you know the U.S. ranks 36th in literacy? This re-establishes the idiocy behind book bans and dismantling the Department of Education…but I digress. Our late great good friend Tony Bender had a hat that read, “Make America Smart Again.” Is that easier said than done? Is my idealism off the charts again? Help us Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re our only hope…

Are news deserts and low literacy rates one of the factors that lead us to this Trumpster fire? How do you get your news? High Plains Reader wants to know. Drop us a line at sabrina@hpr1.com.

Rest easy, Modern Man

At press time, we found out we lost a dear friend of the Reader. Modern Man was a multidisciplinary artist and all-around legend among beings. His work spanned film, music and visual art. He even wrote a few books. His wheels were always spinning and he had this fantastic, electric, chaotic energy that was absolutely contagious. Art and expression were a way of life for Modern. Rest easy, friend.