The MJC Newsletter: Searching for normal

Hey, all –

As we have been holding our breath to see if life is getting back to “normal,” I’ve been thinking about what Bruce Shapiro of the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma said recently at a workshop we held at the MJC.

He talked about the stresses journalists face, but also about how resilient journalists are. That resilience is based in knowing that the work has purpose — and man, have you all served that purpose these last few months, illuminating what is happening in communities across Minnesota.

The work of those on the front lines of covering ICE has been desperately important, and so has the ongoing work of daily newsgathering in difficult times — the city council meetings and restaurant reviews, the local arts coverage and high school sports. All of it enriches our cities and towns. So take a minute, remember that purpose and let out that breath. And pat a colleague on the shoulder.

– Regina

Celebrating a weirdly warm March day, Minnesota-style. Alex Kormann, Minnesota Star Tribune

We’d like to hear from you about what you value most in this newsletter. We know: it’s long! So please help us serve you better by filling out this (very short) survey.

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.

MJC Programming

Sidebars: Meetup TOMORROW, with discounted drinks and free pastries

We’re launching a new series of drop-in opportunities for Minnesota journalists to hang out, decompress and lean into fun spots, favorite hobbies and new adventures — together. (Working name: Sidebars.)

First up: ✨A chill evening at Uptown’s delightful Moona Moono ✨ on Tuesday, March 31. Pop over between 5 and 8 p.m. for a cup of their seasonal coffee and matcha drinks (bring your press badge for a discount), free pastries and a chance to hang out, play board games, do crafts — your call. Bring a journalist friend. (Or two!)

Tuesday's event is a collaboration of the MJC, MNSPJ, AAJA-MN and NABJ-MN.

Help us plan the next pop-up event by sharing your suggestions here.

Consider: Hobbies or interests you'd like to share with your colleagues; adventures on your bucket list; places you are eager to try. A weeknight running club? A Saturday meander though the conservatory at Como? Staring at the stars at the Bell Museum planetarium? What else might be nice?

Want to join the Sidebars planning team of Sam Hoanglong, Sheila Eldred, Scott Winter and Meg Martin? Email Meg.

Need help paying for therapy, wellbeing or other support?

We’re coming off of an intense few months of coverage — and life — in our communities. Although the pace has shifted, the impacts will linger and change.

We’re working hard to ensure that the resources and supports that emerged in the height of the crisis are still available in the quieter moments, when some need them most.

Stay safe and stay well: One of the best resources out there — designed specifically to meet the particular needs of our community — is the Minnesota Journalist Rapid Response Fund.

It’s funded and administered by the International Women’s Media Foundation and the Committee to Protect Journalists, in collaboration with the MJC. Apply for grants of up to $500 to help with mental health and wellbeing support, medical care, protective gear or safety equipment.

This fund is built for everyone: It can help you fill the gaps, whether you work for an org that’s got great benefits or you’re an independent journalist or freelancer with no institutional support. Submit a request for funding here.

Find a therapist — and help to pay for it: If you missed the Journalist Trauma Support Network’s free therapy offerings at the beginning of the year, don’t worry. They’ve compiled a comprehensive list of resources for finding, funding and navigating therapy and other mental health support, whether you can pay out-of-pocket, have health insurance or need some funding. JTSN also maintains a directory of trauma psychotherapists who are trained to support the specific needs of journalists – more than a dozen are licensed to practice in Minnesota.

Find PPE: Lots of orgs offer help in accessing PPE. Find out which might best work for you: IWMF, Rory Peck Trust, Reporters Without Borders, CPJ.

Get legal resources: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press’ excellent legal hotline can be one of the most effective ways to access quick, free legal help in the course of your reporting. ProJourn is offering newsroom-based legal checkups, and the Freedom of the Press Foundation is developing digital tools for more secure reporting.

Coming up: Digital safety and security series

Thanks to the partnership of MNSPJ and the Committee to Protect Journalists, we’re cooking up a series of digital safety and security training sessions set to begin this spring.

We hope to cover everything from how to button up your digital presence to best practices for keeping your reporting materials secure.

If you have thoughts, questions or requests for what to include in this series, we want to hear them. Reply to this newsletter to share your ideas.

Our training and programming efforts often come from the ideas of our colleagues around the state. 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.

Dr. Zun Lee, documentarian; Jay Clendenin, freelance (former LA Times) portrait photographer; the fabulous Elsa Garrison, fresh off the Olympics

Northern Exposure: A Gathering of Visual Journalists

When: April 10-11, 2026

Where: Murphy Hall, University of Minnesota campus

Cost: $80 for professionals; $25 for students

We’ve got sessions for word folks, too, who work with images

RSVP: Register here

Other training and events

The MJC’s curated training and events calendar has opportunities to give you a mental break or help you dive into a new skill. Here are a few highlights (all times Central):

Virtual training opportunities

March 31 at 5 p.m. — Media Law for Journalists: Media law and press freedom in the current administration
April 8 at 1 p.m. — Build authentic trust with newsletters and social platforms
April 9 at 1 p.m. — Spotlight PA’s roadmap to sustainable local news
April 16 at 2 p.m. — Develop a walking tour pilot for your newsroom in 60 minutes

Upcoming in-person events hosted by Minnesota news organizations

April 8 at 7 p.m. — MinneCulture Season 10 Launch Party (KFAI) at Cloudland Theater, Minneapolis
April 10-11 and April 14 at 6 p.m. — Local Government 101: The why and hows of community decision making (Winona Post) at Winona County History Center
April 16 at 5:30 p.m. — ThreeSixty Journalism’s Homecoming at Minneapolis Club
April 21 at 7 p.m. — Journalism In A Polarized Political Environment at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul

Mark your calendar: More national journalism gatherings in Minnesota

April 10-11 — Midwest Journalism Conference: MBJA, RTDNA and SPJ (InterContinental Hotel, St. Paul)
May 27-30 — Association of Health Care Journalists annual conference (Minneapolis Marriott City Center)
June 24-28 — AAJA 26 annual convention (Hyatt Regency Minneapolis)
July 7-8 — SRCCON: A peer-led conference (McNamara Alumni Center, Minneapolis)

Training opportunity for Minnesota journalists

UW-Madison’s Public Tech Media Lab is holding two-day Digital Investigations Boot Camps at the end of May. Organizers say it's the first hands-on OSINT training program in the Midwest designed specifically for editors, journalists, OSINT practitioners and researchers. What you'll learn: Social media analysis and verification, advanced search techniques, chronolocation and geolocation, safety and security practices and ethical protocols.

Discount for you: Friends of the MJC are eligible for 20% off registration. Use discount code SPREG200. Learn more and register. Reduced hotel rates will also be available at select nearby hotels.

Find more training and events on our curated calendar — which you can subscribe to or share. And let us know what else to add by responding to this email.

Opportunities

Jobs!

Plus internships and short-term gigs

✨The Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota (where the MJC is based) has an opening for a great journalist who will be a great teacher ! ✨ Feel free to reach out to Regina or G.G. if you want to talk about it. The school also has an opening for a technology manager.

The Aitkin Independent is looking for a part-time reporter.

The Star Tribune is (still) looking for a sports editor, an investigative reporter, a business of sports reporter (through Report for America) and several fall 2026 internships.

The Caledonia Argus is hiring an associate editor.

MPR News has openings for a senior editor for investigations, an on-call editor and a chief meteorologist.

KARE also needs a new chief meteorologist, a morning show producer and a photographer/editor for mornings.

KAAL in Rochester is looking for a multimedia journalist.

KSTP has an opening for a television reporter, a meteorologist, a director and a writer/producer.

The Post Bulletin needs a public safety reporter and a digital content producer.

The Owatonna People’s Press is looking for a managing editor.

KAXE/KBXE is looking for a development director (h/t Sarah Bignall!), and, as part of Report for America, a beat reporter covering the Mississippi River headwaters region.

WDAY in Fargo is looking for a videographer and a reporter/multimedia journalist.

The Grand Forks Herald is looking for a reporting intern.

MinnPost is looking for a beat reporter covering drinking water in Minnesota via Report for America.

Axios has an opening for an editor in the Midwest for Axios Local.

The Fergus Falls Daily Journal is hiring a sports reporter.

The Associated Press, through Report for America, has an opening for a photojournalist.

AMPERS is looking for a contract reporter/producer/anchor and contract news producers for North Star Stories and a contract executive producer for Minnesota Native News.

COURIER Newsroom has an opening for a Minnesota political correspondent.

The Park Rapids Enterprise is hiring a reporter.

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is searching for a Minnesota local legal initiative attorney.

The Association of Health Care Journalists is looking for a post-production video editor to help with content from AHCJ’s conference in Minnesota this spring.

Interesting remote jobs

ProPublica has a remote opening for a local reporting network fellow.

The Examination is looking for a reporter for their food team.

The Root is looking for a senior social producer (contract).

Open Campus is hiring an engagement reporter focused on rural communities and their workforces.

The Disabled Journalists Association is looking for freelance writers for stories about climate and the disability community.

The Pulitzer Center is looking for a social media coordinator.

The Civic News Company is looking for a senior national reporter for its VoteBeat initiative.

The 19th is looking for a part-time fellowships program coordinator.

Rest of World is looking for freelance writers for tech stories.

CityCast is hiring a producer for its Your City Could Be Better podcast.

CatchLight needs a local visual editor, part time and a content writer, part time.

The 19th has an opening for part-time program coordinator, fellowships.

The Pivot Fund is looking for a director of programs.

The War Horse is hiring a managing editor.

This American Life is hiring for two six-month fellowships.

Grist is hiring a climate reporter.

The Reynolds Journalism Institute is hiring an Innovation in Focus editor.

The Oxford American is accepting pitches for its fall Home issue, due April 3.

Paris Review Online’s Tarpley Hitt is looking for “smart, funny pitches” for the literary quarterly’s website.

The Disabled Journalists Association is looking for five writers to work on stories about climate change and the disability community in rural areas.

Fellowships, grants, awards and contests

The Islamic Scholarship Fund Journalism Fellowship supports emerging Muslim journalists with professional development, mentorship, career counseling and real-world newsroom experience. Deadline: March 31

The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications offer thousands of dollars in prizes. Deadline: April 3

The National Press Foundation is offering a Covering Workplace Mental Health fellowship in May. Deadline: April 7

The International Women’s Media Foundation is taking nominations for the Gwen Ifill Award, given to “a trailblazing journalist who reflects and carries forward Gwen’s professional legacy and personal lived experience.” Deadline: April 30

The Journalism Fellowship for Stories for Change in American Religion Initiative at the University of Southern California is taking applications for funding to cover stories “that capture the changing nature of American religion.” Deadline: May 4

MNSPJ has opened its college scholarship application. Each year, MNSPJ distributes a $2,000 scholarship to a college student pursuing a career in journalism. Applicants must either be enrolled in a post-secondary institution in Minnesota or have graduated from a high school in Minnesota and be enrolled in college elsewhere. Deadline: May 15

Get Involved

Help plan a pop-up Sidebars meetup

We’re launching a series of low-key opportunities for Minnesota journalists to hang out and decompress together. First one is listed above! Scroll back up to see how to get involved — or share your suggestions here.

Join the Minnesotans for Open Government board

From MaryJo Webster: Minnesotans for Open Government (formerly MNCOGI) is seeking board members to help in their efforts to monitor and fight for open records and meetings in Minnesota. You don't need to be an expert in the Data Practices Act or the Open Meeting Law, just be willing to attend the monthly meeting and help with the website/newsletter, events or other things.

Interested? Join MNOG's next meeting on Monday, April 13, at 6 p.m. Meetings are hybrid or entirely virtual, so it doesn't matter where you live. Email board chair MaryJo Webster for details.

Help SPJ revise its Code of Ethics

The SPJ Code of Ethics is nearly a century old, and is undergoing a full review, with possible updates. To guide that effort, SPJ has launched two surveys — one for journalists and another for the public. Both surveys are open until April 5.

Looking for something more? Check out our calendar of training opportunities and newsroom events.

Connect with the MJC on LinkedIn

Local Connections

Farewells

Jessi Pierce, hockey writer and podcast host, died in a house fire in White Bear Lake in March, along with her three children, Hudson, 8, Cayden, 6, and Avery, 4. “Jessi … was the most vibrant person — the life of the party, always with a smile on her face, always bringing a passion to every article and podcast and interview she did,” Michael Russo wrote on X. Russo also coauthored The Athletic article that talks about Pierce’s impact on the sport, on her children and in the locker room. Dane Mizutani in the Pioneer Press says Jessi Pierce was everybody's best friend: “She was a force multiplier that made everybody around her better.”

The Minnesota Wild said Pierce was an ambassador for hockey, and especially the Wild, in a post on X. The NHL said "Jessi loved our game and was a valued member of the NHL.com team for a decade. We will miss her terribly.” Her Bardown Beauties podcast cohost, Kristen Krull, spoke with KARE’s Jana Shortal.

Early in her career, Jessi spent a year as a general assignment reporter at the Brainerd Dispatch. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but initial reports say there is no sign of arson. Friends have started a fund for Mike Hinrichs after the loss of his wife and children.

Don Casey, the former St. Cloud Times editor who served for over twenty years, has passed away at 91. Under his leadership, the Times won the Minnesota Newspaper Association's top award 10 years in a row, from 1985 to 1993. "It was nothing I ever did," Casey said. "The only thing I did was stay out of the way."

Casey came to Minnesota for college, then had several jobs at Midwest papers — in New Ulm; Mason City, Iowa; Moline, Ill.; Chillicothe, Ohio — when he became editor of the Times in 1975. He retired in 1997.

You can watch a recording of the memorial service here.

Orion Samuelson, a pioneer in farm broadcasting whose work aired across the region for decades, died at age 91.

Born in LaCrosse, Wis., he worked in western Wisconsin for years before heading to Chicago. He is remembered for developing agricultural broadcasts, bringing farming issues to national attention — and the Wisconsin 4H reports that he was the first agribusiness broadcaster to be inducted into the National Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

A series of interviews with him are archived at the Lincoln presidential library.

Moves

Video journalist Chris Meltvedt has retired after 53 years with KSTP-TV.

Mike Decaire has been promoted from deputy editor to editor and vice president at the Pioneer Press as Mike Burbach, who will remain at the paper as an associate editor, takes a step toward retirement.

Belinda Jensen, longtime KARE 11 meteorologist, has announced her retirement in May. She will be inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame in November.

Reporter Corey Schmidt is heading from the St. Cloud Times to the Sacramento Bee. Schmidt was the first recipient of the inaugural Article of the Year Award from Violence Free Minnesota this year.

Harrison Klopp, son of WCCO's Esme Murphy, has joined the KSTP news team from WREG in Memphis.

Amanda DeVoe will join KSTP in April as the station's new traffic reporter, moving to Minnesota from WJXT in Jacksonville.

Phineas Pope moved from Northwest Public Broadcasting in Washington to become the latest addition to MPR News’ newscast team.

Julia Schrenkler, who spent two decades at Minnesota Public Radio, is headed to KAXE/KBXE to lead audience engagement.

Steve Sack, legendary (and we don’t use that word lightly) political cartoonist has un-retired to launch a Substack. He’ll also be publishing in MinnPost. After nerve damage in his right hand ended his career, he relearned how to draw with his left hand.

Daren Sukhram, formerly of KSTP, is joining Twin Cities PBS as managing director of public affairs and civic engagement.

Matt Serwe is leaving KSTP to join the weather team at First Alert 6 in Omaha.

KSTP’s Brittney Ermon is heading to CBS Los Angeles at the end of March.

And more

Other inductees to this year’s Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame are Dan Gladden of the Minnesota Twins Radio Network; Mylan Ray of Pipestone’s Christensen Broadcasting; KWDB’s Dave Ryan; Dan Seeman of Hubbard Radio; Gregg Swedberg of iHeartMedia; WCCO-TV’s Frank Vascellaro and Amelia Santaniello; and Legacy Award recipient Julian Hoshal of KSTP.

Fox 9 reporter Courtney Godfrey co-hosted the Paralympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.

Longtime KQRS radio personality Tom Barnard announced he has Alzheimer’s disease.

NPPA announced the winners of its annual Best of Photojournalism contest: KARE 11 won NPPA’s large market station of the year and Chad Nelson repeated in the rare win of both photographer of the year and editor of the year. It’s Chad’s fourth win of the top award! Devon Krinke placed in both categories, and won first for best hard news feature. Multiple photographers and reporters also won individual awards, including Tommy Platek, Mitchell Yehl and Samie Solina, who won third place for the NPPA’s Reporter of the Year.

Also in BOP: The Star Tribune photo editing team took third place as the local/community editing team of the year. Genevieve Ross and Emily Johnson took first and second place, respectively, for best newspaper front page. Ross also placed second place in the newspaper general story category for coverage of the Annunciation school shooting. Photographer Alex Kormann took second in sports picture story.

In the Pictures of the Year International awards, Minnesota-based New York Times photographer David Guttenfelder was named international photographer of the year. His work was part of the “In One Image” project in January from Minneapolis — and again this month from Beirut, Lebanon.

Also in POYi, the Star Tribune’s Alex Kormann received awards of excellence for spot news and sports picture story, and Liz Flores received an award of excellence in community awareness. The Star Tribune was a finalist in the online storytelling project of the year category for “This is an Uprising.”

The Star Tribune won multiple awards in the APSE contest, with honors for print, digital portfolio design, excellence in video, the “Access Vikings” podcast and multiple writing awards as well: Reporter Ben Goessling won for explanatory reporting; Cassidy Hettesheimer for high school beat writing; Chip Scoggins for long feature; and Chip Scoggins, Jim Paulsen, MaryJo Webster for projects. In photography, Liz Flores won in action photo.

Duluth News Tribune also won multiple APSE awards, including digital portfolio, excellence in video, special sections. Reagan Hoverman was recognized for explanatory reporting.

Brad Schossman at the Grand Forks Herald won APSE awards for explanatory reporting, columns, beat writing and projects.

KARE 11 is a semifinalist in the Goldsmith Prize for investigative reporting for their work on the “Housing Hustle” documentary, with the team of A.J. Lagoe, Kelly Dietz, Gary Knox and Steve Eckert.

TPT president and CEO Sylvia Strobel received the APTS 2026 Pillar Of Public Service Award for her education and public safety work.

Hubbard Radio’s B93.3 and KB101 were nominated as Radio Station of the Year by the Midwest Country Music Organization.

KAXE received a grant from the Poynter Institute to explore the impacts of incarceration on Indigenous communities. They also recently launched a fun new partnership with a local brewery for a beer called People Powered Pilsner.

Laura McCallum of the Star Tribune is now a member of the Trusting News advisory committee.

Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) debuted a new website and logo. (Check it out!)

WCCO Radio may seek a new national affiliate after CBS scrapped its entire radio network.

Sofia Barnett of the Star Tribune was featured on the Kicker podcast: Lessons from an Early-Career Journalist.

The Winona Post is partnering with Engage Winona on a grant-funded initiative called Leading Local that will sponsor workshops, forums and training aimed at increasing civic engagement.

Vanan Murugesan of the Sahan Journal was part of a forum discussing Sahan’s coverage of federal immigration actions in the community at the Knight Media Forum in Miami. He also spoke with CJR’s Emily Bell about how he and others are, as she puts it, “refining a model of nonprofit news.”

Tim Franklin of the Medill Local News Initiative talked to the Star Tribune’s Steve Grove about “AI, Building Trust and Reinventing the Minnesota Star Tribune” for the Medill State of Local News podcast.

MPR's Matt Sepic talked with MediaWise’s Teen Fact-Checking Network video podcast.

NABJ spotlighted Minnesota chapter co-president, Sheree Curry.

MPR's education reporter Elizabeth Shockman talks with the National Press Club on what journalists should know before interviewing minors. She also talked with the Education Writers Association about ICE enforcement and its impact on schools.

MPR News reporter Jon Collins joined other reporters from across the country for a conversation about covering immigration safely and with care, sponsored by the National Press Club Journalism Institute.

Photojournalist Rob Levine is suing the FAA over a rule banning drones near DHS buildings and vehicles.

KAXE’s Chelsey Perkins profiled the 2026 Report for Minnesota students who are covering the state Capitol for news organizations across the state. (Interested in running their stories? Contact GG at ggolden@umn.edu)

Alex Baumhardt, a Minnesotan now reporting in Oregon for the Capital Chronicle, returned home to report alongside her States Newsroom colleagues at the Minnesota Reformer for a week during Operation Metro Surge.

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.