About Us
About the North Dakota News Cooperative
The North Dakota News Cooperative is a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to providing reliable, independent reporting on issues and events that impact communities across North Dakota.
Our Work at a Glance
Statewide Reporting
In-depth, independent journalism covering key issues across North Dakota.
Free Content Sharing
Distributing stories free of charge to strengthen local community newspapers.
News Literacy
Providing factual, verified information through dedicated fact briefs.
Public Opinion Polls
Tracking complex issues objectively with the statewide North Dakota Poll.
Public Engagement
Diving deeper into local stories via The Backstory podcast.
Founded in 2021, NDNC was created out of concern for the future of local journalism and the growing loss of community news coverage across the state. Our mission is to increase public access to quality journalism, strengthen news literacy, and support an informed citizenry.
We focus exclusively on North Dakota. Our reporting covers issues such as government, rural communities, agriculture, education, health care, tribal affairs, energy, elections, and public policy. In addition to original reporting, NDNC produces statewide projects such as the North Dakota Poll, fact briefs in partnership with Gigafact, and The Backstory podcast.
In July 2022, NDNC hired veteran journalist Michael Standaert as Correspondent to lead much of the organization’s in-depth statewide reporting. In February 2025, the organization hired its first CEO, Sabrina Halvorson, to lead NDNC’s long-term growth, audience development, fundraising, and strategic direction.
Strengthening Community News
NDNC distributes stories free of charge to participating newspapers across the state, helping strengthen local journalism and expand access to reliable reporting in both rural and urban communities.
View Reprint GuidelinesThe organization operates as a North Dakota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is supported through grants, donations, sponsorships, and community support. We are not owned by a national media company, and our work is guided by editorial independence and a commitment to factual, community-centered journalism.
Strong local journalism helps communities stay informed, strengthens civic engagement, and holds institutions accountable. NDNC exists to help ensure North Dakotans continue to have access to trustworthy reporting about the issues shaping their state.
Our Values
The North Dakota News Cooperative believes strong local journalism is essential to informed communities and civic engagement. We are committed to factual, well-sourced reporting that is fair, accurate, and grounded in evidence. Our newsroom maintains editorial independence from donors, sponsors, political organizations, and outside interests.
NDNC exists to help strengthen local journalism across North Dakota by providing reliable reporting on issues that matter to communities throughout the state. We believe trust in journalism requires openness, accountability, and respect for the people and communities we serve.
The North Dakota News Cooperative follows recognized journalism ethics and standards, including guidance from the Society of Professional Journalists and Associated Press style principles.
Staff
Sabrina Halvorson
Sabrina Halvorson joined NDNC in early 2025. She has worked as a journalist since 1994 in print, television and radio broadcasting. She got her start as a journalist in the Central Valley of California, shifted to agriculture reporting and later moved to North Dakota, where from 2018 onward she worked as a broadcaster for the Dakota News Network before becoming the national show host for AgNet Media. She has won a number of awards, including an Edward R. Murrow Award and RTNDA Best Newscast Award, and was named the 2024 Farm Broadcaster of the Year by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.
✉ sabrina@newscoopnd.org
Michael Standaert
Michael Standaert joined NDNC in July 2022. He has worked as a journalist and writer since 1998, first from the Midwest and later from California, Europe and Asia. From early 2007 to early-2022 he was based in China, first Beijing, then Shenzhen, where he served as a correspondent accredited with Bloomberg Industry Group from 2009 onward. Standaert's NDNC article 'Weird' newspaper calls out pipeline protests eight years later earned him recognition from the National Press Club, as it was included in the series that won the 2025 Arthur E. Rowse Award for Excellence in Examining the News Media.
✉ michael@newscoopnd.org
Cecile Wehrman
Cecile Wehrman is the executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association and president of Journal Publishing, Inc., which publishes The Journal in Crosby. A journalist for nearly four decades, she worked in radio, television and newspapers since 1985. Wehrman is also the project leader of Kid Scoop ND, a literacy project delivering a kid-oriented monthly newspaper to elementary students in the state.
✉ director@ndna.comBoard of Directors
Our board of directors brings together trusted leaders from across North Dakota to guide the organization’s strategic vision, protect our editorial independence, and support our mission of community-centered journalism.
Steve Andrist is a third generation newspaper owner who retired in 2020 and served seven years as executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association. He was the owner of The Journal at Crosby and the Tioga Tribune. Steve held many volunteer positions with NDNA, including as a member of the board of directors and serving as president of both the NDNA Board and the NDNA Education Foundation Board. He was inducted into the NDNA Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2021.
✉ stevea@crosbynd.com
Cally (Musland) Peterson is editor of North Dakota Living, the state’s largest-circulated publication and statewide electric cooperative magazine. She has a background on a top-rated radio talk show and worked for The Arc of Bismark, advocating for North Dakotans with disabilities. She knows local journalism has never been more important in rural America. Callie feels a tremendous responsibility to tell the stories of rural people and rural progress.
✉ cpeterson@ndarec.com
Mary Jo Hotzler is the editor of On the Minds of Moms magazine and chief content officer at Forum Communications Company. Working for a family-owned media and technology company that has been bringing trustworthy, quality journalism and business solutions to the upper Midwest since 1978, she understands the importance of journalism in our lives.
✉ mhotzler@forumcomm.com
Tom Gerhardt is the Executive Director of Dakota Media Access in Bismarck, where he leads community-focused media efforts spanning government access television, community programming, and local radio. Prior to this role, Tom serve as the marketing director for ND Assistive, and spent more than two decades in North Dakota television broadcasting, working in Bismarck, Minot, and Grand Forks. His career has also included work in public policy, media relations, and podcast production.
✉ tom@dakotamediaaccess.org
Beth Helfrich has served as the executive director of the North Dakota Broadcasters Association for 25 years. Prior to NDBA, she was the marketing director at Dakota Square Mall in Minot for eight years. Beth currently serves as an honorary commander of the North Dakota Army National Guard, striving to create lasting partnerships between civic and military leadership.
✉ bethh@ndba.org
Robbie Lauf is the Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, where he leads efforts to celebrate the life and enduring legacy of one of America’s most influential presidents. His career spans leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. He has served as a senior advisor to former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, worked in the office of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell, and worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.
Jill Denning Gackle is the former publisher of BHG Inc. Jill and her husband published as many as 11 weekly newspapers and two shoppers from Garrison before retiring in March 2022. Prior to joining BHG, Jill was the executive director of the North Dakota Newspaper Association for nine years. Jill is active in the North Dakota Newspaper Association Education Foundation and remains passionate about the future of newspapers. She was inducted into the NDNA Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2025.
✉ jilldenninggackle@gmail.com
Pam Gulleson is a longtime farmer-rancher from Rutland, North Dakota, with a career spanning public service, public health, and policy leadership. She served in the North Dakota House of Representatives for District 26 from 1993 to 2009, where she was widely recognized for her work on education, workforce development, and rural issues. Gulleson currently serves as a coordinator with the Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota.
Robert W. Harms is a retired lawyer and formerly served as a consultant and owner of The Harms Group, a government affairs firm that specialized in energy development, health care and communications. He served as Governor’s Counsel and senior policy advisor for Governors Schafer and Hoeven for 11 years. He was chairman (2013–2015) of the North Dakota Republican Party and was senior advisor to Doug Burgum during his successful campaign for governor in 2016.
Mike Jacobs spent a lifetime immersed in journalism as the former editor and publisher of the Grand Forks Herald. After the 1997 Grand Forks Flood, the Herald won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and he was named editor of the year by the National Press Foundation. He continues to write a weekly column in North Dakota newspapers and published three books about North Dakota.
✉ mjacbos@polarcomm.comRetired Founding Board Members
The North Dakota News Cooperative recognizes the hard work of all our board members. Though their terms have now ended, we wish to honor board members whose vision and dedication helped start the organization.
Hal Gershman is a Grand Forks business owner who owns Happy Harry’s Bottle Shops and Harry’s Steakhouse. He has served in local government, including on the Grand Forks City Council, where he held leadership positions. In addition to his business and public service work, Gershman has been greatly involved in community and philanthropic efforts supporting education, the arts, historic preservation, and nonprofit organizations.