By Gary L. Wood
Yankton Media, Inc.
As another election cycle approaches, many campaigns — by both newcomers and incumbents — are reconsidering how they communicate with voters.
Some view newspaper advertising as outdated. Others assume digital platforms alone can carry their message. In many parts of the country, that thinking may pass as a modern strategy.
In South Dakota, it reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how voters actually engage — and it risks surrendering critical ground in an election.
South Dakota remains, by every meaningful measure, a newspaper state. Regional data consistently shows that roughly 62% of adults read a local newspaper each week, with readership in many rural counties climbing well above 70%. Even more telling, more than eight in 10 South Dakota newspaper readers — whether in print or online — vote in statewide elections. These are not casual readers. They are informed, engaged citizens who consistently show up at the polls.
Local newspapers continue to serve as the center of community life. They are where residents turn for school board decisions, city and county governance, agricultural developments and ballot information. They deliver local news with a level of credibility and trust that other media platforms struggle to match. Campaigns that recognize this are already choosing to work with South Dakota newspapers, understanding that reaching voters here requires more than fleeting impressions — it requires trust.
History offers a clear lesson. When Mike Rounds first ran for governor of South Dakota, he was not widely expected to win. A national publication later described his victory as coming “out of nowhere.” One reason for his success was simple and decisive: his campaign consistently appeared in local newspapers across the state, communicating directly with voters in a medium they trusted. That presence did more than deliver a message — it helped shape the outcome.
Despite that precedent, some candidates today appear willing to move away from newspapers altogether. At the same time, many of these campaigns are spending tens of thousands of dollars on out-of-state — and, in some cases, international — digital and social media platforms, including companies with foreign ownership, while investing nothing in their own hometown newspapers. Every dollar spent there is a dollar leaving South Dakota.
Those are dollars not supporting local jobs. Not supporting local businesses. Not helping sustain the very information network that keeps communities informed and connected.
These are the same community newspapers that pay taxes here, sponsor local events, support schools and civic organizations, and rely on advertising revenue to continue delivering trusted local journalism.
Yet many campaigns are bypassing them entirely.
The contradiction does not end there. Those same campaigns routinely send press releases and opinion columns to local newspapers, seeking coverage and visibility. They clearly understand the credibility and trust these publications hold within the community. Yet they expect that reach and influence without being willing to support the very institutions that provide it.
For voters, and for the long-term health of South Dakota communities, this matters. Responsible candidates recognize that how they campaign reflects how they will govern. Choosing to invest in local media is not just a strategic decision — it is a signal of commitment to the communities they hope to serve.
It also raises a more fundamental question: How can candidates ask South Dakotans for their trust to govern the state while directing their campaign dollars away from the very communities they seek to represent? How can they claim to have the state’s best interests in mind while choosing to invest in companies and platforms that send their money out of state?
For candidates seeking office in 2026, the takeaway is clear. South Dakotans still want direct, credible communication from those asking for their vote. They are not looking for more noise. They are looking for clarity, substance and accountability — and they continue to find it in their local newspapers.
The call to action is simple: Recommit to print. Not as an afterthought, not as a leftover budget item, but as a core strategy for reaching the voters who consistently show up at the polls. South Dakotans read their newspapers. The question is whether the candidates who want to represent them will still be on the page when they turn it.
Gary L. Wood is owner and publisher of Yankton Media, Inc., publishers of the Yankton Press & Dakotan and Vermillion Plain Talk.
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