Republishing policy

South Dakota News Watch provides its content for free to its own readers as well as media partners that abide by copyright law and the republishing policy outlined below.

Other organizations also may use our content, which is licensed by Creative Commons under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Media partner overview

As a nonprofit, SDNW relies on individual and organization donations to produce investigative journalism that serves the public, so it encourages wide distribution while ensuring its financial survival. The spirit of these guidelines is to provide media partners with content that complements their own work and helps SDNW build its brand.

To become a media partner: Fill out the form below for each relevant staffer. Please include a newsroom-wide email address to ensure stories continue regardless of staffing. By signing up, you agree to abide by the terms and conditions laid out in our republishing guidelines.

Sign Up for Media Partners Alerts

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What to expect: Every few days, you will start to receive the reader email summary that links to each full story on the website. Media partners will also see a link on the bottom that grants access to the shared Google Drive folder for that story and a rundown of its content. Each folder includes the full story for print or online use, an abridged version or series for print or online use, a broadcast script and voicer as well as graphics, photos, audio and video when available. Media partners also receive planning emails with lines for upcoming stories.

Media partner guidelines

Here are the requirements for use of South Dakota News Watch content under the media partner agreement:

  • Story credit: For use of stories in print and online, use the writer's name and South Dakota News Watch in the byline. For broadcast, verbally credit South Dakota News Watch at least once.
  • Edits: Stories may be edited to shorten or add in local angles, such as from accompanying graphics that have data for your coverage area. If you use the majority of the story, use the author's name and South Dakota News Watch in the byline. If you make significant changes, add "additional reporting by (your name or organization)."
  • Citation: If you use just a quote, paraphrase, graphic, photo or other partial content in your own story, give South Dakota News Watch credit and link to the full story, if online.
  • Tagline: Use the tagline included at the end of each print or online story or this generic version: This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit news organization. Read more in-depth stories at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email every few days to get stories as soon as they're published. Contact: info@sdnewswatch.org.
  • Photos: Only use photos from the media folder and not from the SDNW website because legal rights on some elements do not extend to media partners. Each photo includes a caption. If the full caption can't be used, just credit the image to South Dakota News Watch. Television use of photos or video should include South Dakota News Watch credit in the graphics.
  • Paywalls: Use of South Dakota News Watch content behind a paywall is allowed for media partners that financially support SDNW but is otherwise prohibited.
  • Social media: If you share our stories on social media, please tag SDNW's handles: sdnewswatch for Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X; south-dakota-news-watch for LinkedIn.

Optionally, here are ways to help South Dakota News Watch be able to continue providing content at no cost:

  • Add one of the SDNW logos to your website and a description of the partnership: This story was produced in partnership with South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit news organization. Read more in-depth stories at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email every few days to get stories as soon as they're published. Contact: info@sdnewswatch.org.
  • Financial support: As a nonprofit news organization, South Dakota News Watch depends on donations. If you use any or all of our content, please consider financial support through a one-time or recurring contribution. Thank you!

Contact: info@sdnewswatch or 605-215-6225.