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Owner gives newspaper away for free to fight Russian forces in Ukraine

Lee Zion has been in charge of the Lafayette Nicollet Ledger for four years and has since named his replacement, giving it all up to fight Russian forces in Ukraine.

LAFAYETTE, Minn. — A Minnesota man is planning to go to Ukraine in an effort to help fight Russian forces, but before he can do that, he has to quit his job.

Lee Zion writes for a small town newspaper — one he also just happens to own — and he's giving it away for free.

The paper serves people who live in and around Lafayette, a town some 80 miles southwest of Minneapolis with about 500 people.

Zion moved there four years ago when he first bought the paper, still writing most of what's in it with the help of a few "stringers."

"I put in what sometimes feels like 100-hour work weeks," said Zion, who calls the work relevant. "They can't find out what's going on right here in their home town, not unless they open up a newspaper."

Except now, it's the news overseas that has Zion willing to give it all up.

"For one reason and one reason only, and that is to go to Ukraine," said Zion. 

For 100 days, Russian forces have now invaded Ukraine — a place Zion has no ties to, just a deep desire to help.

"If they want me as a teacher, I'll be a teacher, if they want me as a soldier, I'll be a soldier, if they want me assisting in evacuation orders, I'll do that," said Zion. "I can't do any of this yet until I get things lined up on this end."

He has plans to reach out to the Ukrainian Embassy, but first he had to sell the 118-year-old paper. When he didn't have much luck, Zion decided to advertise that he would give it away and garnered more interest.

"Right away," said Robert Lawson. "Because it seems like a perfect fit for me."

Lawson is from the area and a self-professed entrepreneur and journalist. He has written for several daily newspapers over the years and now owns a digital media company.

"These communities still need news, they still need information," Lawson said. "How we go about doing that might have to change."

"If he can create something that will have a huge presence online, and make it easier for people to get in touch, that will increase readership and will bring revenue in, and this paper — started in 1904 — will continue until maybe 2104 and beyond," said Zion. 

It's a fight to stay alive, both in the digital world and while at war, that Zion says is why he is giving interviews — not to draw attention to himself, but to inspire others to join that fight.

"It’s so that other people can see this and think, 'Wow, this guy's giving all this up to go to Ukraine and get that thought in other people's heads... that this is something they could do," said Zion.

He has plans to deliver the news for another month and then Lawson is expected to take over the paper on July 1. 

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