The Dakota Scout moves into new territories with closure of Brookings, Flandreau newspapers
Coverage to include city and county governments and community affairs
The Dakota Scout is expanding into Brookings County following the sudden closure of the city’s 134-year-old newspaper.
The Sioux Falls-based newspaper announced Thursday it will begin distributing its weekly print edition in Brookings starting Friday, with coverage to include Brookings city and county governments, community affairs and ongoing developments in the region.
The move the day after News Media Corp. (NMC), the Illinois-based parent company of The Brookings Register, began informing staff that it was shutting down operations at all its South Dakota publications, including The Register, The Daily Plainsman in Huron, The Moody County Enterprise in Flandreau, and The Redfield Press.
“The communities of eastern South Dakota deserve vibrant, robust newspapers shining a spotlight on the happenings that affect residents’ wallets and quality of life,” said Joe Sneve, co-founder of The Dakota Scout, which launched in Sioux Falls in 2022 and has grown into one of the state’s most widely read political and government-focused outlets.
The Scout had already been distributing in Flandreau — another community impacted by NMC’s collapse — and will now include Brookings as part of its coverage area.
The Register, which had published continuously since 1890, announced its closure Thursday in a statement from Managing Editor Josh Linehan. He described the paper’s final days as marked by confusion, corporate silence and deep disappointment.
“It’s a sad day today at The Register,” Linehan wrote. “We were not officially told until today at 1 p.m. — long after many of you found out. Just another sad little twist along a path I don’t want to recount right now.”
In a heartfelt message to readers, Linehan thanked staff, recalled growing up with The Register, and mourned the loss of a paper that he called essential to the civic fabric of the Brookings community.
“This is not a time to abandon the news. Especially not for the modern-day Babel of social media,” he wrote. “We simply have to do better, and that starts with a place for community conversation.”
The shutdown follows financial struggles within News Media Corp. that culminated in the immediate termination of operations and employee benefits on Aug. 6. Employees were notified in a letter signed by CEO JJ Tompkins, citing revenue losses, industry downturns, and the failure of a recent attempt to sell the company.
In total, five South Dakota newspapers were affected. NMC owned roughly 150 publications across the Midwest and Wyoming.
The expansion by The Dakota Scout into Brookings mirrors similar developments across the country, where startup and independent newspapers have stepped in to fill the void left by legacy outlets forced to shutter under financial pressure or corporate mismanagement.
“Community journalism doesn’t die unless we let it,” Sneve said. “We’re stepping in where we’re needed.”
Thank you for helping to fill this gap in coverage. Truly heartbreaking to see what's happening in Brookings.
Yay you, local guys make good