FARGO 鈥� Andrew and Jeremy Young were devastated in the summer of 2022.
About a week after The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead published a story about their ordeal, a pregnant South Dakota woman who read their story chose the Fargo couple to raise her daughter.
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The woman contacted the adoption agency to say the Youngs鈥� story had given her assurance about adoption, which she wasn鈥檛 comfortable with previously.
This is just one example of the way stories from local newspapers can make a difference. From holding elected bodies accountable to shining a light on the need for support in low-income communities, local journalists are uniquely positioned to influence change by bringing issues to the public's attention.
Government transparency
When The Dickinson Press asked Billings County commissioners for they were met with no answers.
after The Press and citizens expressed concern.
He found the commission met to discuss public business about a controversial bridge project without notice, violating open meeting laws.
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The Alexandria Echo Press that would have required staff get written authorization to speak to the media.
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Following an editorial that encouraged the Minnesota county to reconsider,
The revised policy that did not require written permission to give an interview unanimously passed.
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A North Dakota legislator introduced after reading an article in The Forum.
That story explored the question of why those candidates
when others vying for public office must disclose that information.
is still being considered by the Senate.
Proper memorials
the city of Grand Forks completed a plaque to honor a man who was lynched in the city after the Grand Forks Herald wrote about the absence of a memorial for him.
Charles Thurber was a Black man who was dragged from a courthouse jail cell and hanged from a Red River railroad bridge by a mob of Grand Forks residents on Oct. 24, 1882. In October of 2020,
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When the Pine Ridge Cemetery Board in Pine River, Minn., found three veterans' graves without headstones, to identify who was buried in one of the plots, as well as the birth and death dates for another.
After the newspaper put out a call for help, and All three veterans received new headstones.
Deeper investigations
A reporter for Forum News Service wrote about a Montevideo man's death that was ruled a suicide despite his family's assertion that it was a murder. He reported threats because of his work as a confidential informant to at least four people, who then told that to police on the day he died.
No attempt was made by law enforcement to contact the people Refugio Rodriguez believed were after him.
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Two months after the first story about Rodriguez's death was published, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension began reviewing the police investigation of the case.
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it was apparently the first time North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley heard about the sale.
Because of North Dakota's staunch anti-corporate farming laws, Wrigley began looking into the $13.5 million sale.
Health care
An investigation by reporters at the Rochester Post-Bulletin despite giving misleading medical advice. Weeks later,
Under HF 289, organizations would need to only share "medically accurate information" to receive money through the grant program.
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When Sanford Health decided to close the Good Samaritan Society in Mott, North Dakota, both the city and reporters for The Dickinson Press took note that On top of that, Sanford opted to include a clause in the sale contract that stipulated it could not be used for health care services in the future.
A week later, after the story prompted public outcry and caught the attention of Gov. Doug Burgum, and remove the restriction on it being used for health care purposes.
Low-income advocacy
Nonprofit hospitals are required to provide charity care, free or discounted care, to low-income patients. A reporter in Rochester, Minnesota, found the Mayo Clinic's charity care spending dropped by almost half between 2020 and 2021, while their revenue grew.
Further investigation revealed After the Post-Bulletin published those findings,
On March 9, ensuring patients who are entitled to the assistance receive it.
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After an apartment building in Bemidji, Minn., was condemned, tenants in neighboring buildings, many of whom relied on Section 8 vouchers to pay rent, began to worry about their own housing stability.
Even though the buildings were in disrepair, many residents felt it was their only option because of limited affordable housing in the city, according to a report from the Bemidji Pioneer.
At a meeting shortly after that story published, Bemidji City Council members discussed a new rental ordinance and the importance of ensuring housing while holding property owners accountable.
Less than a week later, the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe purchased the buildings in question with the intention of creating a sober living community.
The stories included here are by no means a comprehensive list but are instead a small sample of the ways local news can help create change in communities.
Whether it's inspiring or the minor and major impacts of local journalism can be found in homes, communities and legislatures across the region.
Send us your feedback at trustweek@forumcomm.com.
The Trust Project
