A small Iowa newspaper that exposed a police officer's sexual relationships with a teenage girl is raising money after successfully fighting a libel lawsuit filed by the police officer.

Douglas Burns, vice president of the Carroll Times Herald, said the western Iowa newspaper's investigation and resulting lawsuit cost it thousands of dollars in expenses and lost revenue.

He launched a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $45,000 in less than 24 hours.

"It's very heartening," Burns told the Register on Thursday. "Our industry can sometimes feel like we're under siege, but in this case, it's been heartening to see people — and not just from Iowa — come forward and want accountability journalism."

The lawsuit arose from a July 2017 story by Times Herald reporter Jared Strong (a former Des Moines Register employee) that detailed Carroll police officer Jacob Smith's sexual relationships with teenage girls and women.

Smith resigned from the police department in lieu of termination the same month the article was published. He filed a libel lawsuit the day after the article was published.

In May, District Judge Thomas Bice dismissed the lawsuit, writing the Times Herald's reporting was “accurate and true, and the underlying facts undisputed.”

"It was nerve-wracking and excruciating," Burns said. "If someone hasn't been sued, I wouldn't suggest adding it to your bucket list."

Burns said newspapers sometimes must make financially perilous choices when reporting on powerful institutions.

That's particularly true in Iowa, which does not have protections that allow for early dismissal of lawsuits filed against people exercising their First Amendment rights. Twenty-nine states have passed so called anti-SLAPP laws.

The Times Herald faced pressure from "a host of sources and power centers, many of whom sought to kill the story and then retaliated against the newspaper," the fundraiser states.

"In light of the circumstances of the story, this is really one of those tests," Burns said. "If you don't have the courage to stand up for vulnerable teenagers, then you have no business standing near a printing press."

Burns' family has worked at the Times Herald since 1929. His grandfather James W. Wilson purchased the paper in 1944, and Burns and his mother, Ann Wilson, are the co-owners today.

"This paper is my whole life," said Burns, who sits behind the same desk his grandfather used. "I've given everything I can to the newspaper."

It's a rough time for newspapers. Since 2004, more than 2,000 newspapers have closed in the U.S. The industry implosion has left almost half of the counties in America (1,449) with just one newspaper, which is usually a weekly, according to Penny Abernathy, the author of "The Expanding News Deserts."

The Carroll Times Herald has faced its own challenges. The newspaper once published a print edition five days a week. In April, it cut back to just twice a week.

"We face similar challenges to other papers across the United States," Burns said. "We aren't facing an existential threat, necessarily, but I want to be able to continue the aggressive accountability journalism that has been our brand, and we need support to do that here."

Burns said if the fundraiser surpasses its $140,000 goal, he wants to use the extra money to start a nonprofit.

"If we go over $140,000, it's my intention to set up a nonprofit to support watchdog, government accountability and rural journalism in Iowa with a focus on western Iowa," he said. "I'd love to see this be a catalyst for a nonprofit like that.

"Maybe it spurs a call to action to get that organization built so that type of journalism continues and thrives and reemerges elsewhere."

Gage Miskimen is a news reporter mostly covering West Des Moines, Waukee, and Clive for the Register. Reach him at gmiskimen@dmreg.com or 515-284-8234.

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