Publisher Wants to Give Away Newspaper, Travel to Ukraine

LAFAYETTE, Minn. (AP) — The owner of a rural weekly newspaper in southern Minnesota is looking to give his publication away so he can travel to Ukraine.

Minnesota Public Radio reported Thursday that Lafayette-Nicollet Ledger owner and publisher Lee Zion is willing to dig trenches, teach school or fight in Ukraine. Before he leaves, he wants to give the newspaper away for free.

Zion produces the newspaper by himself, reporting, editing and laying out pages for about 500 subscribers and wants to make sure a person committed to local journalism takes over. He says the towns he covers would suffer if the newspaper disappeared.

“The biggest piece of advice is the only way to do this job is to commit to local news,” Zion said. “People can find out what’s happening in the Ukraine instantly by clicking a button, but they can’t find out what’s happening here. People want to know what’s happening here.”

Zion says several people have reached out to him and expressed interest in owning the weekly.

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