The MJC Newsletter: Pride in Minnesota | | |
Hey, all – The Star Tribune laying off 15% of its workforce and looking to restructure was a tough blow this month to Minnesota journalists. But as I walked the sculpture trail in a park near my home (the most Minnesota thing ever), I thought of how a recent study found Minnesota was the No. 1 state in quality of life (complete study here, executive summary here). In particular, we ranked very high on citizenship and democracy (2), social capital (4) and education (4). To me, that points to the strength and diversity of our journalism institutions.
Another recent study found that robust local news, especially in rural areas, helps reduce loneliness, and yet another found that local governments in areas without a news outlet pay more in borrowing costs to the tune of $1.1 billion a year.
As an MJC study said two years ago, “it's been clear that the state – at least, anecdotally – resides in an unusual space in the story of local news in the U.S.: While we’re by no means immune to the financial and logistical pressures facing journalism across the country, we have a flourishing landscape of startups and long-established news organizations.”
All of which points to the importance of the work you’re all doing to the health of Minnesota. As Joe Spear said in his speech at the MN SPJ banquet as he was given the lifetime achievement award, “All of us are more powerful than one of us. No retreat, no surrender.”
In other words, sisu!**
— Regina
| | |
Safe City Night, Rochester @Maya Giron / Post Bulletin
If your email is clipped, click the link at the bottom to read it all. And connect with us on LinkedIn for updates throughout the month.
The MJC is: Matt Carlson, interim director, Gayle (G.G.) Golden, associate director of student educational initiatives, Regina McCombs, associate director of outreach and training and Meg Martin, associate director of pretty much everything. Our director, Ben Toff, is on sabbatical this year.
| |
Last week: Imagining the future with Wallace House Center for Journalists
The MJC co-hosted a gathering on Monday in Minneapolis with the Wallace House Center for Journalists. In partnership with Sahan Journal and Minnesota Public Radio, it was an opportunity for Minnesota journalists to come together, catch up and think out loud about possibilities in their careers.
Wallace House director Lynette Clemetson introduced the Knight-Wallace Fellowships, and the program’s brand-new Great Lakes Local News Fellowship, which is aimed at journalists in the Great Lakes states who are building, developing or evolving journalism in the region.
| | |
Wallace House meeting. Judy Griesedieck
It was a lovely gathering of folks from across career spans, across newsrooms, across roles and across Minnesota. The energy crackled, and lots of ideas sparked throughout the evening (and if we can help connect the dots on any of those ideas, let us know). Thank you to all who joined!
And if you weren’t able to make it, but want to learn more about the Wallace House and its fellowship opportunities, you can sign up for their mailings.
| |
Early July: See you at SRCCON?
Yet again, Open News will be hosting its annual SRCCON (pronounced “Source Con”) gathering of journalists on the U of M campus in Minneapolis.
This year’s event will be held on July 8 and 9, with events before and after the conference.
New to SRCCON? Organizers describe it as “a peer-led conference … for journalists who want to transform their work, their organizations and their communities.” It’s open to journalists and newsroom-adjacent folks from across organizations, and it’s a purposefully designed experience that lives outside of a traditional conference format. It’s more about gathering and creating than panels and networking.
(Browse the full schedule, including a pre-session on media resilience post-Metro Surge, a trip to a Twins-vs-Guardians game and a volunteering session at the Lyndale Park rose garden. )
-
Available to volunteer? Get a free ticket by volunteering to help at the event. Email John Hernandez at john@opennews.org to let him know you’re interested. (Feel free to tell him you heard about it from the MJC!)
A few of us on the MJC team will be there — if you’re going, please say hi! Shout-out to Sahan Journal’s Cynthia Tu, Chao Xiong and Mohamed Ibrahim, Project Optimist’s Nora Hertel, Minnesota Women’s Press’ Mikki Morrisette, all of whom will be leading sessions. (Have we missed anyone? Let us know!) Meg will be helping facilitate a session, alongside the IWMF, on risk assessments and safety planning for newsrooms.
Coming up: Digital security and Sidebars
If you haven’t already, sign up for alerts about our next round of digital security training sessions and in-person workshops –and let us know about the topics you want us to be sure to cover.
In July, we’re planning to resume the Sidebars sessions — low-key, drop-in hangout opportunities for journalists in the Twin Cities — a partnership among the MJC, MNSPJ, AAJA-MN and NABJ-MN. Share your suggestions for future gatherings, and let us know if you’d like to be alerted about the next ones!
— Meg
Many of these efforts have come from the suggestions or input of our colleagues around the state. We always want to hear from you! If you want to get involved in the planning, know of a great trainer or resource we should connect with, or have suggestions for topics, approaches or tools, please email Meg at martinme@umn.edu.
| | Other training and events | | |
The MJC’s curated training and events calendar has opportunities to learn something new. Here are a few highlights (all times Central):
Virtual training opportunities
-
Social video for journalists, a 6-week interactive, in-depth course on social video production from ONA, will help you curate your voice for video, write scripts for social audiences, dive deep into lighting, camera, and mic specs, learn how to edit engaging content and understand platform habits. Runs July 27 through Aug. 31. Registration deadline: July 20.
-
Reporting on Families Impacted by Incarceration, a three-part training series from the Poynter Institute. Journalists who attend all three sessions will be eligible to apply for one of five reporting grants of up to $10,000. Begins Aug. 4.
-
Reimagining News Audiences: The Role of Visuals in Developing Connection, Trust, and Growth with your Community from Catchlight. Incorporating visuals isn't just aesthetic, it's strategic. Explore how nonprofit newsrooms are using visual storytelling to build trust and grow audiences, even when capacity and dollars are limited. July 16.
In-person events
-
Tuesday, June 30: Tiny Desk Contest On the Road, Minneapolis (NPR)
- Sunday, July 26: Twin Cities Unity Cookout, Roseville (MNSPJ, NABJ-MN, AAJA-MN)
Find more on our curated calendar — which you can subscribe to or share. And let us know what else to add by responding to this email.
| | |
ThreeSixty Journalism still needs volunteers for their summer workshops for high school students. Volunteer shifts include a 30-minute training and free parking at the University of St. Thomas in St Paul.
You can help with the July Multimedia Storytelling Institute, where students produce a reported story on a community health issue for TV, print and social media. You could also help as an interview coach on July 9 from noon until 2 p.m.; as a writing coach July 15 from 9 a.m. until noon; or as a video editor on July 16 from noon until 2:30 p.m. More details and signups on their website.
ThreeSixty is also looking for writing and editing coaches for its College Essay Workshop on August 11 and 13. More information here.
| | |
This month, we were a little more flexible with our “Minnesota and border cities only” job listings, since we know there are more folks out there looking.
And if you hear of, or know of opportunities that might arise in your newsroom or elsewhere — short-term or long-term — and would like to share them with colleagues affected by the Star Tribune layoffs, please share them directly, or email Strib reporter Mara Klecker, who is gathering opportunities for affected Guild members. And send them to us for next month’s newsletter!
American Academy of Neurology is hiring a senior managing editor, digital, based in Minneapolis.
APMG/MPR is looking for a manager of media production and operations.
Aitkin Independent needs a part-time reporter.
AMPERS is looking for contract news producers for North Star Stories.
Bemidji Pioneer is seeking a news reporter.
Caledonia Argus has an opening for an associate editor.
Dickinson (N.D.) Press needs an editor.
Fox 9 is hiring for a streaming host producer.
Grand Forks Herald needs a public safety reporter (hybrid remote).
Grand Rapids Herald-Review is looking for a community editor.
Hudson Star-Observer is hiring a reporter.
KAAL-TV in Rochester is looking for a multimedia journalist and a newscast producer.
KARE 11 needs a morning meteorologist, a photojournalist/editor and an AM news producer.
KEYC in Mankato has openings for a digital content producer/news anchor and a multimedia journalist.
KBJR-TV in Duluth needs a morning news anchor.
KSFL-TV in Sioux Falls, S.D., is looking for a news anchor.
KSTP-TV needs a news reporter.
KTTC in Rochester is hiring a morning multimedia journalist and a digital content producer/news anchor.
KVLY is looking for a multimedia journalist.
La Crosse Tribune needs a general assignment reporter to cover general assignment news.
Maple River Messenger seeks a new publisher/owner. Owner financing may be available.
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal is hiring a new editor in chief.
MinnPost is looking for an executive director.
Morrison County Record (Little Falls) needs a reporter.
Owatonna People's Press is hiring a news reporter.
Renville County Register is seeking a writer/copy editor.
St. Cloud Live needs a reporter.
St Cloud Times is looking for a politics/watchdog/crime reporter.
Timberjay needs an editor/general manager. Questions? Curious? Contact Marshall Helmberger.
WCCO Radio is looking for a morning news anchor/host and digital content producer.
WDAY in Fargo is looking for a videographer and a TV news producer.
Interesting remote jobs
The Association of Health Care Journalists is seeking a full-time journalist-in-residence to serve as both a reporter and an editorial coach for health journalists nationwide.
CatchLight needs a part-time local visual editor.
Civic News Company is looking for a senior national reporter for its VoteBeat initiative.
Heartland Signal is hiring a state politics reporter.
More Perfect Union is looking for freelance videographers, a freelance producer for sports coverage, vertical video producer, video production fellow and a social media producer.
Open Campus is hiring an engagement reporter focused on rural communities and their workforces.
The Progressive is looking for an associate editor (via Rebecca Aguilar’s monthly job listings).
Propublica has an opening for an interactive story designer.
USA Today Network needs a news data automation and AI workflow lead.
Freelance opportunities
Al Jazeera is looking for freelance reporting on business and economics: stories on farming, manufacturing, housing, technology (data centers), among other topics, and how President Trump's domestic and foreign policies may be impacting businesses and people on the ground and how that may play out in the November elections. For pitches or to brainstorm ideas, reach out to Megha Bahree, Americas business editor.
Condé Nast Traveler is looking for pitches for their Best Places to Go in 2027 listing. Be sure there’s a news peg! Guidelines are here; the pitch call is at the bottom of the page. Pitch deadline July 1.
Fellowships, grants and other opportunities
The Stanley Greene Foundation is considering applications from early-career visual storytellers for the 2026-27 Emerging Photographers Grant, with a $10,000 cash award. Deadline: July 1.
Upstream Minnesota launches the Upstream Creative Writers/Grassroots Journalism Residency: Writing About Natural Places, Stewards, and the Spaces We Care For, a new 9-month remote residency opportunity for writers, poets, storytellers, and grassroots journalists in three regions of Minnesota: East St Paul, Fergus Fall and the Iron Range. Deadline: July 6.
IWMF is considering applications for the Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism. Grants average around $5,000 for reporting and publishing compelling human stories, wherever they are found. Applicants must be female or nonbinary print journalists, working alone or heading a multimedia team. Deadline: July 12.
Press Forward Minnesota is accepting applications for the next cohort of its Host Committee and Grantmaking Committee, who will provide directional guidance and help set priorities and strategies for Press Forward Minnesota. Deadline: July 13.
News Founders Workshop, a two-day, off-the-record workshop that will provide the space, guidance and resources for news leaders to figure out the next step for their organizations and themselves at the Reynolds Journalism Institute in Columbia, Mo. Sessions will include succession planning, transitioning to a new role (inside or outside your org), founders syndrome and burnout, financial readiness, merging with another org that aligns with your values and mission, and more. Dates: November 13-14, 2026. Deadline: July 17.
The Center for Just Journalism is accepting applications for its Building a Better Breaking News Beat cohort, a training and mentorship program for journalists who cover urgent and unfolding events involving crime, public safety, and the criminal legal system. Deadline: July 18.
The USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism is now accepting applications to their 2026 Data Fellowship, offering journalists an opportunity to get training in “interviewing the data” as if it were a human source. The five-month program equips fellows with the tools to find and obtain data and perform analyses that can yield new investigative insights. Participants receive one-on-one mentoring to produce a major investigative or explanatory health reporting project or a series of individual data-driven health stories. Deadline: July 22.
The Journalists in Aging Fellows Program supports U.S. journalists covering aging issues. Fellows attend the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, receive mentorship, and produce stories on aging’s social, health, and policy impacts. Deadline: July 24.
ProPublica Local Reporting Network editor Tracy Jan says they’re particularly interested in collaborating with a newsroom in Minnesota on year-long investigative projects as part of their 50 State Initiative. Proposals shouldn’t ask whether something is going wrong, but rather have a clear hypothesis about what is happening. If your reporting project is chosen, ProPublica will contribute editing and reporting resources, plus funding for salary and health benefits to help support a reporter on the project for a year. Freelance reporters are also eligible. Find FAQs and sample proposals, on the “How to Apply” page. If anyone has questions, wants guidance on drafting a project proposal or just to bat around potential ideas, email Tracy at tracy.jan@propublica.org. Deadline for October cohort: July 27.
Twin Cities PBS is inviting filmmakers, journalists, educators, and storytellers to share nonfiction ideas on the people, places, and issues shaping Minnesota’s future. They will award up to five $10,000 research and development grants supporting documentary, digital, educational, and multiplatform projects focused on agriculture, natural resources, health, and economic development. Deadline: July 31.
SPJ Foundation Grant for Press Freedom Initiatives invites applications from journalists, media professionals and organizations working to strengthen press freedom, support newsroom resilience and advance public trust in credible journalism. The 2026 grant cycle will prioritize initiatives that advocate for journalists and journalism, defend press freedom, promote media literacy and help build public trust in credible news. Deadline: August 13.
The Jacki and Jeff Karsh Journalism Fellowship aims to equip journalists to report with depth, rigor, and clarity on Jewish issues in the United States and around the world. Fellows participate in three intensive retreats — in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. — engaging with leading journalists, scholars, policymakers, and innovators across the arts, media, and business. Deadline: September 1.
Public Tech Media Lab, UW Madison - Media and Community Fellows status is open to journalists, technologists, community partners, and practitioners whose work and interests engage with the intersections of media, technology, and democracy. The Public Tech Media Lab provides opportunities for members to collaborate on questions and projects related to the role of public interest technologies in media and journalism.
CatchLight is awarding up to six grants to local newsrooms producing solutions-driven visual journalism on mental health. This initiative offers both financial support and visual editorial guidance to help newsrooms deepen their coverage, enhance storytelling impact, leverage visuals for community engagement and center the lived experiences of local communities, issues and perspectives often underrepresented.
Awards and contests
The Rory Peck Trust Awards, specifically for freelance journalists, recognising the talent and dedication of freelance journalists, photojournalists and filmmakers working in news and current affairs worldwide. Deadline: July 10.
The Pamela Tobey Award for Excellence in Visual Storytelling recognizes visual storytelling that pushes the boundaries of storytelling beyond text and rewards creative uses of data visualization, interactivity, photography, videography, audio, illustration, and other emerging tools. Successful entries will utilize several modern and/or emerging tools to design innovative storytelling for digital audiences. Deadline: July 20.
Looking for something more? Check out our calendar of training opportunities and newsroom events.
| | |
Larry Fitzgerald Sr., a longtime sports columnist at the Minneapolis Spokesman-Recorder and radio host, died June 1. He was 71. Fitzgerald — or “Fitz,” as he was known — was a presence in Twin Cities sports journalism for nearly five decades, writing the column “Fitz Beat” for the Spokesman-Recorder and broadcasting on radio outlets. He co-hosted The Dennis Green Show for five years on KMOJ with Green, who was the Minnesota Vikings’ first Black head coach.
Fitzgerald was also remembered by colleagues for his advocacy on behalf of Black athletes and coaches and for his prolific, impactful sports commentary that was well known among teams and journalists.
In 2009, Fitzgerald became the first sports reporter to cover his son playing in the Super Bowl. That son, Larry Fitzgerald Jr., will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 8 of this year after a 17-year career with the Arizona Cardinals.
“My father was a man of strength, love and encouragement.” Larry Jr. posted on Facebook. “He believed in us and pushed us to pursue every opportunity with conviction, he was the rock of our family.”
| | | |
Joe Oden, whose photography during the Vietnam War led to a lifelong photojournalism career at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, died May 18 of liver cancer. He was 81.
Oden, who was born in Canada and graduated from St. Paul Central High School, served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam as a photographer for military newspapers that included the Stars and Stripes, the Fire Base 173, and the Army Reporter.
He was on staff at the Pioneer Press for 36 years and was described by colleagues as having a knack for being on the scene when news happened.
Deborah Howell, the paper’s editor in 1990, said Oden did his job “with no fuss and without expecting any special notice” and was “hardworking, consistent and considerate— traits that are not always held in high enough esteem in normally contentious newsrooms.”
| |
Beverly Mindrum Johnson, 92, died from complications of Lewy body dementia on May 27. Mindrum was an editor and a reporter at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Dispatch & Pioneer Press. While still in high school, after a break working as a lumberjack, she worked for the Aitkin Independent Age newspaper. She went on to the University of Minnesota, where she was editor-in-chief at the Minnesota Daily and graduated with a degree in journalism. She was later inducted into the Minnesota Daily Hall of Distinction.
She met her husband, Robert J.R. Johnson, while on assignment. He was reporting for the Pioneer Press and she for the Star Tribune. In the late 1960s, she moved to the Pioneer Press, where she worked as a reporter, then as an editor. Molly Guthrey writes about her impact as a mentor for young reporters in a lovely remembrance.
And, like many a journalist, her son says she wrote most of her own obituary.
| | | |
Karl Gehrke, the host of Jazz Nightly on South Dakota Public Broadcasting, whose career spanned 40 years in public media as a journalist, arts advocate, creative storyteller and host, died on June 9 after living with cancer. He was 64. Gehrke spent part of his early career at Minnesota Public Radio’s Worthington bureau as a reporter and Morning Edition host. He went on to work at SDPB for more than three decades and began hosting the station’s Jazz Nightly music show in 2015. He had joined the station as an arts advocate in 1991 and during his career hosted the shows Dakota Midday, Big Band Spotlight and Extended Play while also contributing as an arts reporter, a special project producer and a “champion of local musicians,” according to an SDPB release.
SDPB Executive Director Julie Overgaard said Gehrke was “truly one of the kindest, albeit soft-spoken, thoughtful, caring people I’d had the honor of working with. He had almost no ego for how incredibly talented he was. Just a quiet man, a very humble man, but went about his life with purpose and found absolute joy in the work he was doing.”
| | | |
The biggest journalism news this month, of course, is that twenty-four union jobs have been eliminated at the Star Tribune. The Star Tribune Guild responded that this was an attack on the staff that had just won a Pulitzer Prize, held a rally and created a hardship fund for impacted employees. We've seen some folks post about being part of the layoff and buyout, and will write more about it next month. If you've been affected and are willing to have us include you in the writeup, please email Regina. We’re thinking of you all!
We also know we missed a few retirements (and other departures) over the past year, several of which we learned about at the MNSPJ Page One Awards last week: Jim Anderson, multiplatform editor, Star Tribune; Kevin Bertels, high school sports team leader, Star Tribune; Martha Buns, designer, Star Tribune; Kevin Duchschere, team leader for west and east suburbs, Star Tribune; Pat Grice, news assistant, Star Tribune; Bill Hammond, features copy desk chief, Star Tribune; Phil Miller, Minnesota Twins and MLB reporter, Star Tribune; Kraig Odden, night city editor, Pioneer Press; Chad Roberts, business section slot editor, Star Tribune; Laura Stanke, marketing art director, Star Tribune; Jeff Stricker, assistant features editor, Star Tribune; Mick Timmons, rack room assistant, Star Tribune; John Walker, district manager, Star Tribune; Brian Wicker, copy editor, Star Tribune; and Jerry Zgoda, sportswriter, Star Tribune. Minnesota newsrooms lost decades of experience this year!
One name the SPJ folks missed, and we did, too, was Dana Thiede, digital content coordinator at KARE 11. Turns out this was by design, since Dana didn’t want any fuss — so he headed out the door on Dec. 31 without anyone but his manager knowing he was leaving. Consider this your cake and party, Dana, and happy boat time to you!
Last week, SPNN (Saint Paul Neighborhood Network) had an open house and journalist panel. And they also celebrated the retirement of Steve Brunsberg, operations and production manager.
Tony Peterson has been promoted to chief photographer at WCCO-TV. Lewis Karpel, the previous photo chief, has gone to Medtronic.
Sabrina Salguero Del Cid is the new digital producer at KSTP, after two years at KBJR.
Matthew Freeman is headed to WDAY in Fargo as multimedia journalist and fill-in anchor from Lakeland PBS.
Recent University of Minnesota-Duluth alumnae Maria Vollom (Fox 21) and Ella Schoeberl (Northern News Now) landed behind anchor desks before they even picked up their diplomas.
Briana Bierschbach is going back to reporting from editing at the Star Tribune, and will be writing the political column Hot Dish on Mondays and Thursdays. Read more from her return to the field here.
Roseanne Pereira is the new writer for Keep It Local, City Cast’s weekly newsletter.
Selah Jacoway heads to Northern News Now in Duluth as a multimedia journalist and anchor.
Lauren Theisen is the new news producer at KARE 11 on their Saturday morning newscast, as well as assisting with the early evening shows throughout the week.
Emilie Munson is the Star Tribune’s new investigative reporter.
Holly Marie Moore heads back to the Mankato Free Press as night editor.
Sarah Drake just started as motion graphic designer at Twin Cities PBS.
Have updates to share in the next MJC newsletter? Tell us! Reply to this email — or send along your notes to Regina at rmccombs@umn.edu.
And more
It’s award season! So many awards for great local work.
At the MN SPJ awards ceremony, Mary Ann Grossman was celebrated for 65 years at the Pioneer Press, and Jon Bream for 50 years at the Star Tribune. Other milestones: It’s the 50th anniversary of KAXE, and the fifth anniversary of The Center for Broadcast Journalism, Eden Prairie Local News, Racket and Project Optimist.
We won’t recreate the entire awards list, but want to mention some of the special awards. Georgia Fort received the Peter S. Popovich Award for advocating for press freedom and Joe Spear of the Mankato Free Press was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. A.J. Lagoe, Kelly Dietz, Gary Knox and David Peterlinz of KARE-TV won the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism in Minnesota for “KARE 11 Investigates: Housing Hustle.” Reid Forgrave, Minnesota Star Tribune, was named Journalist of the Year, Madison McVan, Minnesota Reformer, was named Young Journalist of the Year. A new award this year, the Student Journalist of the Year is Anshu Patel, a fifth-year graduate student studying social psychology, for her in-depth and investigative work at the Minnesota Daily (We’re also very proud of recent Hubbard School grad Alexandra DeYoe, who earned an honorable mention. The judges called Alex “a journalist whose reporting combines thoughtful rigor with exceptional storytelling”). For Best Beat Reporting, Jeff Day of the Minnesota Star Tribune, and Best Use of Public Records went to Walker Orenstein, Jana Hollingsworth and Eva Herscowitz of the Minnesota Star Tribune for The Data Center Juggernaut.
Education Writers of America awards went to Becky Dernbach, Sahan Journal, for small newsroom feature, and to APM Reports “Sold a Story,” Emily Hanford, Christopher Peak, Curtis Gilbert, Andy Kruse, Kate Martin, Olivia Chilkoti, Carmela Guaglianone, Chris Julin, Derek Ramirez, Tom Scheck and Jane Helmke for best podcast.
Society for Features Journalism awarded Laura Yuen, Star Tribune, second place for general commentary portfolio, and Rohan Preston, Star Tribune, honorable mention for arts and culture criticism portfolio.
The Edward R. Murrow Awards for Region 4 are packed with Minnesota winners: KARE 11 for TV Large Market Continuing Coverage, Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Excellence in Video, Excellence in Writing (Boyd Huppert), Feature Reporting, Hard News, News Series, Sports Reporting and Investigative Reporting. KMSP for News Documentary, Hmong in Minnesota: 50 Years of Resilience. WDAY for Excellence in Writing. WCCO Radio for Breaking News Coverage, Continuing Coverage and Newscast. MPR News for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Excellence in Innovation, Feature Reporting, Sports Reporting and Overall Excellence. KAXE.org for Multimedia News Coverage and WTIP for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Public Media Journalists Association awarded Minnesota Public Radio first place for breaking news, second place for series and for sports feature. KAXE/KBXE received first place for health/medical feature and investigative reporting, second place for breaking news, continuing coverage, education feature, science/technology feature and sports feature.
Elizabeth Flores of The Minnesota Star Tribune won first place in the 2025 Associated Press Sports Editors contest in the action photo category. Other APSE winners: Star Tribune for Top 10 Print and Digital Portfolios, excellence in video and podcasts. Individual winners at the Star Tribune include explanatory writing, seventh to Ben Goessling, high school beat writing, third place to Cassidy Hettesheimer, long feature fourth place to Chip Scoggins, and ninth place in projects to Chip Scoggins, Jim Paulsen and MaryJo Webster. The Duluth News Tribune placed in the digital Top 10, excellence in video, and top six in special sections, and Reagan Hoverman placed first in explanatory writing. Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald won fourth in explanatory writing and projects, and fifth in team/locality beat writing and columns,
Lee Svitak Dean and Tom Wallace received special recognition from The Advocates for Human Rights for their work on the book "Kitchens of Hope: Immigrants Share Stories of Resilience and Recipes from Home.”
Minnesota State University-Moorhead won an SPJ Mark of Excellence national award for Best Collegiate All-Around Television News Magazine.
And in other news from the Minnesota journalism community…
The Pioneer Press management is in contract negotiations with the Newspaper Guild.
Lavender Magazine announces it is ending on Fourth of July, Pioneer Press and July 4, 1776—July 4, 2026, Lavender Magazine
Retired Star Tribune editor Suki Dardarian sues the Pentagon, alleging the Pentagon has eroded “[Stripes’] longstanding editorial independence and First Amendment protections.” And: Plaintiffs sue Pentagon, allege illegal limits on Stars and Stripes, Stars and Stripes
They’re still writing about all your hard work nationally. Lessons learned from photojournalists: Navigating Hostile Terrain at Home, Nieman Reports, and For Minneapolis reporters, Operation Metro Surge was a reckoning, Poynter
The new NABJ-MN board is: President, Aaliyah Demry, KTTC; vice president of broadcast, Georgia Fort, Center of Broadcast Journalism; vice president of print, Jasmine McBride, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder; vice president of public relations, Darryl Sellers, freelance public relations; parliamentarian, Robin Washington, WPR and contributing columnist, Star Tribune; co-treasurer, Sheree Curry, communications director at the University St. Thomas; co-treasurer, Nicole Norfleet, Star Tribune; co-secretary, Azhae’la Hanson, North News; and co-secretary, Talia McWright, Pioneer Press.
AAJA-MN wins chapter of the year at AAJA
RCFP FOIA lawsuit seeks records related to arrests of independent journalists Don Lemon, Georgia Fort, and Shane Bollman: “The lawsuit is RCFP’s latest effort to bring transparency to cases in which the Trump administration appears to have ignored press freedom guardrails.”
You Could Get Paid to Take Notes. CityCast Twin Cities talks to Mikki Morrissette of Minnesota Women’s Press and Jackie Renzetti of MinnPost about how they’re making local journalism accessible to all.
-
Related: MN Women’s Press asks readers about their priorities as they transition to a consumer-owned media co-op.
The film Final Press premiered this month in D.C., “documenting the final printing run of The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Heritage Center, it captures the end of more than 150 years of in-state newspaper production.”
Former television journalists Kris Patrow and her husband Dave Ogle have written Deadline, a book about what happened after Dave had a cardiac arrest at home, and Kris struggled to keep him alive until paramedics arrived.
Witness helped KARE anchor Julie Nelson, husband get to medics after they were hurt in boat crash, Star Tribune and KARE 11’s Julie Nelson taking time off, recovering from boating accident, Pioneer Press
Minneapolis hosted the Building Trans Power Conference, an invite-only gathering hosted by the Transgender Law Center in Minneapolis for hundreds of trans leaders – including journalists – from across the country.
Amelia Santaniello talks about her 30 years at WCCO.
For any Minnesota Daily alumni who missed the University of Minnesota Archive's exhibit "Beyond the Page: Preserving the Spirit of the University Through An Independent Student Press," the show is now available online.
Former Star Tribune intern Angelina Katsanis had more than $10,000 in camera equipment stolen by a sergeant from the Essex County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office after she was injured during protests outside the immigrant detention center in Newark while freelancing for the AP.
Local and national photographers talk about their work around Operation Metro Surge at the ICP show sponsored by the Magnum Foundation in New York City.
| | Our Students in Communities | | |
The Hubbard School’s Lizzy Nyoike won a $2,000 scholarship for her portfolio of stories at the Minnesota Daily and Minnesota Spokesman–Recorder and for putting together video reels for Power 104.7 on topics ranging from the arts to business to child care. Congratulations Lizzy!
In other news, the Hubbard Reporting Experience is gearing up for its July 23 start. Twenty students are weighing into the HRE 26 Slack with reports on their favorite summer activities — from bonfires to cliff jumping. The 10-day reporting boot camp will draw some cool guest speakers, including newly minted MNSPJ Journalist of the Year Reid Forgrave from the Star Tribune and MPR News’ Curtis Gilbert and Ellie Roth, who will speak about their recent investigation into group homes. Roth is a Hubbard alum — but, alas, contrary to what we reported in the last newsletter, our visiting HRE 26 faculty member Adrienne Broaddus is not. We apologize for that error.
Finally, the Report for Minnesota summer interns are hard at work. We’d love to thank the mentors who are helping them integrate into their communities. Abbey Mulcahy is working with Leah Call at the Mankato Free Press, Trevor Dunning will work part of the time with Eric Johnson while at the Austin Daily Herald and Sarah Stultz while at the Albert Lea Tribune, and Vivian Wilson will work with Brainerd Dispatch managing editor Renee Richardson. Frazee-Vergas Forum editor Bob Williams will offer his more than two decades of community journalism experience to Greta Foss, who is reporting for community papers located near Detroit Lakes and its many summer festivals. “Seeing 20,000 people in a town that has a population of 400 can be a trip,” Williams said. “We want Greta to enjoy the summer in our little lake towns, get to know the people that live here, and leave feeling great about journalism in whatever form she chooses to pursue.“ At KAXE in Grand Rapids, mentor Megan Buffington will offer her experience as a northern Minnesota native who chose to return in 2023 after attending the University of Nebraska. She said she hopes her student, Erin Bowman, will gain “a good idea of what counts as the Iron Range — and how that definition changes depending on who you're talking to.”
— G.G.
| | |
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has released its mammoth Digital News Report 2026, tracking news trends from around the world. The report documents now familiar developments: the rise in social media for accessing news, the declining use of traditional media and low levels of trust in the news. But a less-discussed concerning trend for local news is the stagnation of people willing to pay for news. In the US, only 16% of percent of adults paid for some form of online news in the previous year – a decline from 20% the previous year. Hopes that audiences will pull out their credit cards and subscribe to digital news are being tempered by competition from free news on social media, Google’s use of AI summaries instead of linking to news, and pressures on consumers who subscribe to a lot of different kinds of digital content. What we do know from those who do pay is that they are more motivated by the direct benefits that paid news provides them than by the general social motives to follow news. The lesson for news publishers: Make clear what value their content has for their audience as they face an uphill climb to increasing subscribers.
— Matt
Note: Ben is on sabbatical in Washington, D.C., in 2026, joining the Pew Research Center for the year as a visiting principal researcher on the News and Information team. While he is away, journalism professor Matt Carlson is helping out with the MJC’s research. You can reach him at carlson1@umn.edu.
| | |
KWHO? More Like K-WHAT Is the Deal With This Fake Minnesota Radio Station? Racket
Most Minnesota Agencies Spend Under 30 Percent Of Public Ad Dollars With Local News, Rebuild Local News. “Directing more state advertising dollars to local news would bring crucial revenue to strengthen coverage and support newsroom jobs.”
U.S. Indie Info Providers: Professionally Diverse, Mission-driven, Sometimes Lonely, Rarely Earning Profit, Center for News, Technology & Innovation
Safe Together: Building Community Amid Expanding Threats to U.S. Journalists, IWMF
How to embrace Nextdoor for News, Missouri Business Alert. Here’s what worked, what didn’t and how other small newsrooms can get started.
Walk your readers through how to set up Google search to find you as a preferred source.
What teens are saying about the content they trust — and how local news can engage them, American Press Institute
These 16 new journalism jobs could help publishers “future-proof” their newsrooms, Nieman Journalism Lab
ICE sued over alleged FOIA violations related to county jail records, Iowa Capital Dispatch
With its new season, the podcast Scene on Radio takes on the news, Nieman Journalism Lab
18 Great Journalism and Media Newsletters to Start Reading, Beyond Bylines
For fun: Essential Minnesota music playlist, Star Tribune.
| | |
If someone shared this newsletter with you, you can sign up for your own copy here.
**Sisu, as defined by Aaron Brown at the MN SPJ banquet: “Persistence beyond reasonable hope.”
| | | | |
