SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Six Twin Cities newspapers, including two that have been operating for more than 160 years, will cease operation at the end of the month.
Southwest News Media confirmed the Chaska Herald, Chanhassen Villager and Jordan Independent will print their final editions on Thursday, April 25, while the Shakopee Valley News, Prior Lake American and Savage Pacer's final publication will be Saturday, April 27. The Southwest Saturday will also print its final edition on Saturday, April 27.
Reporter Noah Mitchell was hired at the Chanhassen Villager on March 18. He had just published his first article when he says his colleagues learned the news on Thursday.
"There was no warning, there was no heads up, there was no indication that this was coming," said Mitchell. "It was like a three- to five-minute meeting, just because, you know, there’s not much to say."
Mitchell is also the copy editor chief at the Minnesota Daily, the campus newspaper of the University of Minnesota, where he graduated in December. He says despite the harsh realities of the industry, he has faith in the future of local journalism and plans to look for another job.
"I think it’s a really important job for how our society functions," said Mitchell. "It feels all the more important to try and do good reporting and tell stories the right way so you can really understand what’s going on."
The news comes at a time when the Medill School of Journalism recently released its 2023 report on The State of Local News. It found that since 2005, the country has lost almost 2,900 newspapers.
It also wrote:
There are 204 counties without any local news outlet and 1,562 counties served with only one remaining local news source, invariably a weekly newspaper. For the first time, this year’s report places 228 of those single-news source counties on a “Watch List” — at high risk of losing its last remaining local news outlet. Most of these watch list counties are located in high poverty areas in the South or the Midwest, and many serve communities with significant Black, Hispanic or Native American populations.
"Many newspapers throughout the country have been challenged during the past decade or longer by changing lifestyle habits, especially by the dramatic shift in advertising revenue from local print publications to digital options such as Google, Facebook and Amazon," Southwest News Media posted on its website.
According to the post, the Shakopee Valley News and Chaska Herald have each operated for more than 160 years, while the Jordan Independent has been around for 140 years. A handful of other publications outside the metro, including newspapers in Hutchinson and Litchfield, will also cease operation at the end of the month.
"The COVID-19 pandemic took a significant toll on newspaper businesses as well, with advertising revenue falling 25% to 50%," the post reads. "Local advertising revenue is the primary revenue source for most weekly newspapers. Hundreds of newspapers across the country have closed or downsized, reduced their publication schedules and made other cost-cutting measures. Industry experts estimate more than a quarter of all newspapers published in the U.S. have ceased operation in the past two decades."
According to Southwest News Media, it was acquired in 2020 by MediaNews Group, which also owns the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
"You either have a paper for your town or you don’t, and losing that is just a massive loss for those communities," said Mitchell.
Sister newspapers in Hutchinson and Litchfield will also end publication the last week in April, and services provided by its affiliate printing plant, Crow River Press, will also cease.
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