MinnPost.com

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MinnPost.com
Type newspaper, Monday through Friday
Format Web, print
Owner
Editor Joel Kramer (CEO and editor), Roger Buoen (managing editor), Corey Anderson (web editor), Don Effenberger (news editor), Casey Selix (news editor), Beth Thibodeau (MinnPost in Print editor)
Founded 2007
Political allegiance nonpartisan
Headquarters Minneapolis, Minnesota Flag of the United States United States
Website: MinnPost.com

MinnPost.com also known as MinnPost and MinnPost in Print is a not-for-profit news Web site in Minneapolis, Minnesota specializing in Minnesota news.[1] The paper offers "front page" news stories and interactive "posts" by reporters and readers based on the paper's original reporting.[2] The project is the result of buyouts and layoffs at the major newspapers in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, banding together experienced journalists through the efforts of a daily's former publisher.[3]

Among the staff who have committed to write for MinnPost, John Camp won a Pulitzer Prize for the feature article "Life on the Land: An American Farm Family" published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch in 1986.[4] A former editor of The Minnesota Daily (1982–83), Chris Ison won a Pulitzer for investigative reporting in 1990 with Louis Kilzer for a Star Tribune story about persons who profit from arson and the fire department in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Ison won the Harrison Salisbury Annual Achievement Award the same year, awarded by The Minnesota Daily.[5]

Contents

[edit] Content and format

Estimates as of 2007-08-30 are that 60% of MinnPost resources go to content, compared to "10 to 12 percent of revenue or 14 to 15 percent of expenses" in the newspaper industry. Content is "politics, government, science, health, culture" and not so much crime, sports and celebrity news. The non-profit model was estimated to save MinnPost about 15% of a traditional newspaper's outlays.[3] As of 2007-08-31, whether MinnPost's Web designer Clockwork and the team's model provides for persistent Uniform Resource Locators and long term archives, its privacy policy and use of HTTP cookies were not yet found in Google search. The online format was inspired by Voice of San Diego and other sites.[6]

The format takes its shape from both online newspapers and print on demand. Readers can publish the print version on their home and office computers.[1] This "quick read" print version of "perhaps eight pages a day" will be distributed at the lunch hour to high traffic locations.[7] The initial design for MinnPost in Print is 8.5x11 inch U.S. letter paper size.[3]

[edit] Online news in the metropolitan area

The organization is part of a much-discussed trend away from print toward online media. Quoted by Minnesota Public Radio News, Laurie Schwab, executive director of the Online News Association, said in June 2007, 45 percent of the association's 1,100 members "started working at print publications and migrated online".[8]

In Minneapolis-Saint Paul, experienced Star Tribune writers now work for Center for Independent Media the publisher of Minnesota Monitor and Twin Cities Daily Planet published by the Twin Cities Media Alliance.[8] Minnesota Premier Publications, publisher of the Downtown Journal, Minnesota Good Age, Minnesota Parent and the Southwest Journal, redesigned its Web sites beginning in April 2007 to concentrate more on online news.[9] City Pages advertises as an "Online News and Arts Weekly" in Web searches.[10] Steve Perry, a former City Pages editor, plans a news site and on 2007-08-27, Nancy Barnes, editor and senior vice president of the Star Tribune, said online plans will be announced in the "in the coming weeks".[7]

[edit] Personnel

Initially staff includes Joel Kramer (CEO and editor), Roger Buoen (managing editor), Corey Anderson (Web editor), Don Effenberger and Casey Selix (news editors), and Beth Thibodeau (MinnPost in Print) and 25 journalists.[11] According to Editor & Publisher, opinion pieces will be signed and nonpartisan.[1] All of the editors previously worked for Avista Capital Partners's Star Tribune, MediaNews Group's St. Paul Pioneer Press or Village Voice Media's City Pages. Staff members also come from Minnesota Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Company's The New York Times and The Boston Globe and Tribune Company's The Hartford Courant.[6]

Kramer was a Star Tribune editor (1980s), publisher (1992–1998) and president (1990s).[11] The board of directors is John Cowles, Jr., David Cox, Joel Kramer, Kathleen Hansen, professor of journalism at the University of Minnesota and director of the Minnesota Journalism Center, attorney John Satorius, and Patrick Irestone, and is chaired by Lee Lynch, a co-founder of Carmichael Lynch.

[edit] Funding

Kramer raised US$1.1 million.[11] Members of four local families including Cowles and Kramer have contributed US$850,000.[12] The Knight Foundation in Miami, Florida donated US$250,000.[13] 621 members agreed to pay for the paper by about December 25, 2007.[citation needed]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c "Former 'Star Tribune' Publisher Launches Major Site for Twin Cities", Editor & Publisher, The Nielsen Company, 2007-08-27. Retrieved on 2007-08-27. 
  2. ^ Associated Press. "Internet-based daily news site to launch this year in Minn.", West Central Tribune, Forum Communications Company, 2007-08-27. Retrieved on 2007-08-27. 
  3. ^ a b c Edmonds, Rick. "Old Media Meets New In Minnesota", Poytner Online, The Poynter Institute, 2007-08-30. Retrieved on 2007-08-31. 
  4. ^ Howell, Deborah (December 1989). "... Because We Treasure Writing"". The English Journal (National Council of Teachers of English copy via JSTOR) 78 (8): 21. doi:10.2307/819479. 
  5. ^ Heyboer, Kelly (November 1999). "When Posting a Scoop Backfires.". American Journalism Review (via Questia) 21.  and The Minnesota Daily Hall of Distinction. The Minnesota Daily. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  6. ^ a b Saba, Jennifer. "MinnPost, New Online Venture, Ready to Crash Twin Cities Media Scene", Editor & Publisher, The Nielsen Company, 2007-09-05. Retrieved on 2007-09-06. 
  7. ^ a b McKinney, Matt. "Internet-based daily news site to launch this year, afternoon version was retitled and cut to "Former Star Tribune publisher to launch online news site" by 8:22 p.m.", Star Tribune, Avista Capital Partners, 2007-08-27. Retrieved on 2007-08-27. 
  8. ^ a b Baxter, Annie (2007-06-06). Newspaper cuts show increasing power of online alternatives. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
  9. ^ Minnesota Premier Publications (2007-04-30). "MPP announces revamped dtjournal.com". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-08-27. Also, in July, its weekly Downtown Journal changed: Wyant, Carissa. "Downtown Journal scales back publishing schedule", Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, American City Business Journals, Inc., 2007-07-13. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. 
  10. ^ meta element. City Pages. Village Voice Media. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  11. ^ a b c MinnPost.com (2007-08-27). "INTERNET-BASED DAILY NEWS ENTERPRISE TO BE LAUNCHED THIS YEAR". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
  12. ^ Wyant, Carissa. "Cowles, Lynch back Web daily venture", Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, American City Business Journals, Inc., 2007-08-27. Retrieved on 2007-08-27. 
  13. ^ Knight Foundation (2007-08-27). "MinnPost.com to Launch Later This Year With Partial Funding from Knight Foundation". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.

[edit] Further reading

Journalism Portal
Minnesota Portal

[edit] External links