The Twin Cities’ community newspapers are struggling to survive
As more and more dailies shed staff or fold, community papers are an even more important and often overlooked part of the media landscape — and just as endangered.
Media
Authentic coverage: Nine months in, Sahan Journal reports with nuance on Minnesota’s immigrants and refugees
During the pandemic, a report on Somali workers at an Amazon warehouse in Eagan was aided by Mukhtar Ibrahim’s ability to interview them in their native language.
COVID-19 is a huge story for newspapers across Minnesota. For some, it could also be their undoing.
The massive decline in print advertising brought on by the coronavirus crisis is “going to separate the haves and the have-nots,” said Star Tribune Publisher Michael J. Klingensmith.
What happened when a group of Twin Cities investors tried to buy the Pioneer Press — and what it says about the future of the paper
From mid-2016 until early 2018, a consortium of Twin Cities investors negotiated to buy the Pioneer Press from Alden Global Capital, the hedge fund that owns the paper. It didn’t go well.
Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law: Know your rights
During a meeting to discuss Minneapolis’ $200 million Upper Harbor Terminal project last month, a confrontation between the meeting’s leaders and members of the media made clear: Not everyone knows about Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law.
News outlets challenge PolyMet’s attempt to block recordings of court hearing
The Star Tribune and MinnPost argue the public has “inherent interest” in learning about how the case is resolved and that such recordings would provide greater transparency and ensure accurate reporting.
The Minnesota Reformer has launched. So what the hell is the Minnesota Reformer?
Launched Tuesday, the Reformer is the 15th entry in the States Newsroom network, a national nonprofit based dedicated to in-depth statehouse coverage.
35 years of ‘Almanac’: An oral history of how TPT’s iconic show got started, and survived
It was “a strange time for the news, nationally,” says Jim Russell, KTCA news director at the time of ‘Almanac’s debut. “‘Just the facts, ma’am,’ wasn’t cutting it. … So we ended up trying to cater to those people who cared about the news.”
Lillie no longer: Suburban newspaper group dies quietly after 82 years
When North St. Paul-based Lillie Suburban Newspapers “serving the St. Paul suburbs since 1937” abruptly shut down at the end of September, it almost passed without notice.
Eight months into retirement, a Q&A with Mark Rosen
Rosen talks TV news biz, college vs. professional sports and his relationship with Tom Barnard.
Pay to sway: more Minnesota newspapers charging to publish political endorsement letters
Press Publications, which owns 18 newspapers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, is now charging $25 to publish letters that endorse or oppose a candidate or ballot measure — a policy that has become increasingly common.
‘The People’s Station’: KMOJ-FM broadcasts for the Minnesota African-American community and beyond
KMOJ connects in a way that only community radio can, providing as it does a listening experience wherein the deejays speak directly to you, the listener, complete with the freedom to voice their opinions about life and the news of the day.
What the Gannett-GateHouse merger means for Minnesota
Both chains have a limited presence in the state.
Gabe Schneider joins MinnPost as Washington correspondent
Schneider comes to MinnPost after working as a reporting fellow for the nonprofit Texas Tribune.
Remembering the Twin Cities Reader, 22 years after its death
The Reader’s staff was collectively fired in mid-March 1997 because an out-of-town owner had recently acquired our direct competitor, City Pages. The same outfit bought the Reader just to shut it down.
After 50 years at WCCO, Mark Rosen signs off
Rosen brought no schtick, no gimmicks, no catch-phrases to his work for WCCO. He always came across as a decent guy with a passion for Minnesota sports, which is exactly what he’s always been.
Political ad spending tops $71 million in Minnesota
This is the first year that political advertising can be quantified across radio, broadcast and cable television without visiting individual stations.
Limiting children’s screen time linked to better cognitive skills
When limited screen time is coupled with a good night’s sleep — at least nine hours a night — children tend to score even better on cognitive tests, the study also found.
Violence against the media isn’t new — history shows why it largely disappeared and has now returned
Violent acts against the media are as old as our nation. Perhaps Americans are just not accustomed to seeing the violence because most of them grew up in the second half of the 20th century.
A brief history of the brief history of the new-State-Fair-food media frenzy
Starting around 2008, the fair media team realized that they were sitting on some valuable information. Hence the birth of the annual new food rollout.
