-
Why you love us, a series
From today’s Mesabi Daily News: Today we begin a new regular feature — “Power of the Press” — which will tell, through the words of our readers, the impact that Mesabi Daily News stories have had on their daily lives and the lives of others. It will run on various days of the week. You’ve…
-
Range paper: Arrrr-Qaida?
I missed this gem of an editorial from the Mesabi Daily News last week. Those weren’t pirates, those were “Somali Muslim Terrorists!” This one comes complete with an unsubstantiated suggested al Qaida link, a la spring ’03. Can’t beat the classics. Using this new definition of terrorism we should all be on Red Alert. Any…
-
Shenanigans rising
Taegan Goddard posts about a theory I suspect, too — that the never ending cuts to newspapers will enable all manner of backroom political shenanigans once thought to be under control. Who’s going to investigate anything? The days of paving riverbeds with overpriced concrete on a government contract might be back. “Citizen” journalists don’t have…
-
End-of-life planning for my inky friend the newspaper
The amount of journalism done on the state of journalism is exhausting to read. There’s so much of it! And so many ex-journalists producing it! But most of it is thoughtful, researched and, well, pretty much common sense in the end. Highlights I’ve seen recently: Clay Shirky writes a detailed postmortem on the “dying” newspaper…
-
Brown on the Air: ‘Final Edition’ and RISK!
In a rare double whammy, I’m promoting two radio appearances today. Today at 5 p.m. I’ll be a guest on the 91.3 FM KUWS (Superior, Wisconsin) program “Final Edition,” a roundtable discussion about journalism in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. The topic is “blogging” and I’m on with Barrett Chase of “Perfect Duluth Day” and Beth…
-
Big Daily Deathwatch
David Brauer at MinnPost points out the continued speculation over the deathwatch on the big Twin Cities dailies. Some sources say the Pioneer Press will go, others say the slightly larger Star Tribune might succumb to financial wounds or switch to an ultra-lean all-online format. Brauer suggests that both papers are in better shape than…
-
How do you say ‘taconite’ in Arabic?
Minor miner news: WCCO in the Twin Cities did a story about the looming Iron Range economic woes with the temporary idling of most local taconite mines this spring and summer. Major miner news: Al-Jazeera TV did the same story weeks ago, sending a reporter to Duluth and, from appearances, part of the Iron Range.…
-
Column: ‘Flip that Newspaper,’ and how we got here
Business North reporter and my former editor colleague in the former Murphy McGinnis chain of northern Minnesota newspapers wrote a great column for Business North about the state of newspapers, specifically the local weeklies and small dailies common to most of Minnesota. You’ve probably heard that newspapers are in tough financial shape. You’ve probably heard…
-
Northern Minnesota online movement taking shape
I’ve been neglecting to pass along some important information about new media projects in Northern Minnesota. First, from Jennifer with e-democracy: New Resource: Minnesota Voices OnlineAre you using technology to communicate at the local level? E-lists, websites, blogs, wikis? The Minnesota Voices Online discussion is for people using technology to build community at the local…
-
Merger talk for metros
The Star Press? Bob Collins at Minnesota Public Radio poses the possibility of a Star Tribune/Pioneer Press merger. Related posts: No related posts.
-
OMG! Charles Gibson knows who we are
The top story on the Duluth News Tribune website when I logged on this morning was that Charles Gibson talked about the Duluth News Tribune on ABC World News last night. It’s cold in northern Minnesota today, get it. I must admit, if Charlie Gibson talked about ME on World News I would be plastering…
-
Another one bites the dust
Here’s a New York Times story about an NPR reporter who was laid off while reporting on the unflappable American spirit that sustains people recently laid off from their jobs. Seriously. She was doing a series and before she got to do the last story, she got canned. So she did the last story about…
-
Iron Range year-enders start pouring in
It’s that special time of year when media vacation schedules collide with a news vacuum to produce year-in-review specials! From my spot here in the North, here are a few good roundups I saw over the weekend: The Duluth News Tribune offered its top 10 stories of 2008 on Sunday which include a couple of…
-
Duluth News Tribune is gonna live forever (gonna learn how to fly … high)
The editor of the Duluth News-Tribune reassures readers in the prominent Sunday edition that the paper’s owners are “planning to stick around a long, long time.” That’s good news for the DNT, its workers and readers. But, to be fair, that’s exactly what I would tell a newspaper if I planned to sell it off…
-
Report: Star Tribune shaking up columnist roster
David Brauer at MinnPost posted this story yesterday about the Star Tribune’s efforts to offer buyouts to some of its high profile talent. According to Brauer’s report, columnists Nick Coleman, Katherine Kersten, cartoonist Steve Sack and others might be included among those offered buyouts. Here is a follow up that includes the memo. And he…