Happy Monday! Megan here.

It's Democracy Day! Sioux Falls Simplified is joining news outlets nationwide to recognize the importance of maintaining our democracy – and, in particular, the critical role local news plays in making that possible.

So, what does democracy day mean to Sioux Falls Simplified?

Quite a bit. I got into the journalism industry because I believe democracy works best when elected officials are held accountable to the public they represent.

  • One of the primary jobs of journalists is to hold power to account.
    • We sit through the public meetings while you're at work or cooking dinner.
    • We request public records to (as the youth say) get the receipts.
    • We make the call, show up at the press conference, knock on the doors, ask the hard questions, whatever we can to ensure that the people in power are doing what they said they'd do.
Ok, yeah, I wanna support this

But it's not just about tracking the politicians.

It's also about creating community and a shared sense of place.

Over the last four and a half years of running this scrappy, hyperlocal news outlet, I've come to a new level of appreciation for what it takes to build community. And, as much as I hate to admit it, it's not always simple.

  • Frankly, it's incredibly easy to isolate, to get sucked into the social media echo chambers. It's incredibly easy to keep to yourself and just focus on your own problems without seeing the broader societal context.
  • It takes a little bit more work to get to know your neighbors, to drive downtown to shop local rather than clicking "add to cart," to go check out the local parks, to go support the local artists.

But that extra little bit of work makes all the difference.

That extra little bit of work in staying informed about your local elected leaders? That makes a big difference too.

Ok, but I'm so busy/tired/sad about the news. Where do I even start?

I hear you. I'm with you.

Start small. Start simple.

Start by brushing up on how local government works.

Start by sharing this newsletter with a friend.

Start by chipping in to support your local journalists. Consider me your local news friend who will do the hard work so you can get the simplest version of what you need to know.

I support you AND democracy

I couldn't do this work without you. Thank you! It's extremely cool to support local news.

All the best,

Megan Raposa