Lakota Country Times publisher Connie Smith. Photo by Lakota Country Times

The Big Paper With The Small Town Heart
By Jim Kent
For the Lakota Country Times
www.lakotacountrytimes.com

On any given Thursday, Connie Smith can be found traveling across the Pine Ridge Reservation.

No big deal, right? Many people can be found making the same journey on the same day. The difference is that Connie is traveling “all over” the reservation – delivering newspapers.

That, too, wouldn’t be particularly unusual except for the fact that she’s the publisher of the newspaper she delivers: the Lakota Country Times.

No, you’re not likely to find the publishers of most newspapers – large or small – trekking through all kinds of weather and road conditions to take their news to “the front lines” as it were. But Connie actually likes doing it.

She likes the contact it gives her with her readers, the greetings and acknowledgment she receives as she’s recognized by those who buy the paper and the sense of satisfaction it brings to her spirit from seeing the effects of a “job well done."

And, most importantly, it keeps Connie in touch with the people in her community – from all walks of life – allowing her to keep her finger on the pulse of this Lakota nation.

Perhaps that’s what makes the Lakota Country Times different from other newspapers – Native or non-Native, large or small. Or perhaps its Connie’s long-standing goal to pursue the positive stories in her immense community – which also includes the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, instead of recycling the negative news about anything and everything on “the Rez” that seems to always make its way into the mainstream media.

But no matter what the reason, there’s no doubt about the results. In a society ruled by “the worldwide web” and a growing variety of social media outlets this small town newspaper from the heart of Indian Country is tipping the scales when it comes to popularity.

As of this writing, the Lakota Country Times pretty much rules South Dakota when it comes to Facebook “likes” with 207,678 followers. And though that’s only about half the number of fans for national Native publications like Indian Country Today and the Native Times, it’s mega-times higher than any local newspapers in the state.

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By comparison, for example, the Native Sun News – published off-the-reservation in Rapid City – has a mere 13,835 followers. Even the state’s two largest newspapers can’t compare. The Rapid City Journal shows just 25,737 Facebook followers while South Dakota’s East River newspaper comes in with a paltry 12,080.

So, what’s Connie’s secret? What brings people from across the country and around the world to the Lakota Country Times Facebook page day-after-day and on a continually growing basis (as in, 10,000 since last week)?

Part of the explanation is certainly the creation of the LCT mobile app that made its debut last Fall. Much of it has to do with Connie’s hard-working staff. But, in the end, most of it is the result of her philosophy: focusing her newspaper on the positive qualities, people and events that are the Oglala and Rosebud Sioux tribes.

The negative stories? They’re still there and covered. But they’re not who the Lakota people are.

Jim Kent is a freelance writer and radio journalist who currently lives in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Jim can be heard on a variety of radio programs including National Public Radio, South Dakota Public Radio, and National Native News Radio. He is also a columnist for the Rapid City Journal and a guest columnist for the Lakota Country Times. A former editor of The New Lakota Times, and a correspondent with a variety of Native American newspapers, Jim’s commentaries have appeared in national and international publications including U.S. News & World Report, Bergen Record (NJ), Suburban Trends (NJ), New York Daily News, Roanoke Times (VA), The Observer (OR) and American Heritage Magazine.

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