MinnPost

MinnPost
Type Nonprofit online newspaper
Founder(s) Joel Kramer
Laurie Kramer
Publisher Andrew Wallmeyer
Editor Andrew Putz
Managing editors Susan Albright
News editor Tom Nehil
Staff writers Briana Bierschbach
Eric Black
Peter Callaghan
Ibrahim Hirsi
Greta Kaul
Sam Brodey
Erin Hinrichs
Founded 2007 (2007)
Headquarters Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
OCLC number 191956532
Website www.minnpost.com

MinnPost is a nonprofit online newspaper in Minneapolis, founded in 2007, with a focus on Minnesota news.[1]

According to its website, "MinnPost.com provides news and analysis Monday through Friday, based on reporting by professional journalists, most of whom have decades of experience in the Twin Cities media. The site features video and audio as well as written stories. It also includes commentary pieces from the community, and comments from readers on individual stories." The site does not endorse candidates for office or publish unsigned editorials representing an institutional position. MinnPost encourages broad-ranging, civil discussion from many points of view, subject to the discretion of a moderator.

Funding

MinnPost's initial funding of $850,000 came from four families: John and Sage Cowles, Lee Lynch and Terry Saario, Joel and Laurie Kramer, and David and Vicki Cox.[2] The Knight Foundation in Miami, Florida initially donated US$250,000[3] and in 2008 subsequently granted additional funds to expand local reporting.[4]

Major foundation support has come from the Blandin Foundation, Otto Bremer Foundation, Bush Foundation, Carolyn Foundation, Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Martin and Brown Foundation, Joyce Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, The Minneapolis Foundation, Pohlad Family Foundation, and The Saint Paul Foundation.

In March 2014, MinnPost announced that, thanks to a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, MinnPost and online news site Voice of San Diego "will engage in a two-stage process over the next two-plus years: First, to develop systems and adopt best practices that manage member information and facilitate significant membership growth. And second, to test out and then adopt new products, services and experiences for members that will make thousands more readers want to be members rather than non-paying readers. Each organization will receive $600,000 over the next two years."[5]

Content and format

Content is "politics, government, science, health, culture" and other subjects including the environment, education and the arts. The non-profit model was estimated to save MinnPost about 15% of a traditional newspaper's outlays.[6] The format takes its shape from online newspapers. At first, MinnPost published a print version of about eight pages at the lunch hour to high traffic locations.[7] The print on demand model and print version was discontinued during the newspaper's first year.[8]

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".[9]

Personnel

The founding CEO and editor of MinnPost, Joel Kramer, retired in October 2016.[10] On May 1, 2014, Andrew Wallmeyer joined the staff as publisher, reporting to Kramer.[11] Wallmeyer is now MinnPost's CEO. Sally Waterman is the advertising director; Adrian Doerr is director of finance & operations, and Tanner Curl is the director of development.

Andy Putz is MinnPost's editor.[12] Other news staff include Susan Albright (managing editor), Corey Anderson (web editor), Tom Nehil (news editor), and about 25 journalists. Full-time staff writers are Briana Bierschbach, Eric Black, Sam Brodey, Peter Callaghan, Erin Hinrichs, Ibrahim Hirsi, and Greta Kaul.

Board of Directors: Jill Field (chair), Jack Dempsey (chair emeritus), Lee Lynch (chair emeritus), John Satorius (secretary), Jennifer Martin (treasurer), Mark Abeln, Tasha Byers, Fran Davis, Fred de Sam Lazaro, Nancy Feldman, Kathleen Hansen, David Hartwell, Vernae Hasbargen, Diane Hofstede, Kim Kieves, Barbara Klaas, Becky Klevan, Ed Kohler, Joel Kramer, Laurie Kramer, Jane Mauer, Bill McKinney, Robert Metcalf, Glenn Miller, Max Musicant, Margaret Nelson Brinkhaus, Daniel Oberdorfer, Kandace Olsen, Jeremy Pierotti, Susan Plimpton, Amy Radermacher, Gordon Rudd, Rebecca Shavlik, Nancy Speer, Chelle Stoner, John Tieszen, Stephen Usery

Advisory Board: Terri Barreiro, Peter Bell, Wendy Blackshaw, Laura Bloomberg, Scott Burns, Lauren Collins, Jay Cowles, Toby Dayton, Samuel Heins, Sue Herridge, Marlene Kayser, Tom Kayser, Lars Leafblad, Kathy Longo, David Moore, Jr., Mike Moore, Beth Parkhill, David Plimpton, Mary Pickard, Kim Snyder, Missy Staples Thompson, Kari Swan, Chris Widdess

According to Editor & Publisher, opinion pieces — called Community Voices — are signed and nonpartisan.[1]

MinnPost has a news bureau in Washington, D.C. The Washington correspondent is Sam Brodey.

Writers

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Former 'Star Tribune' Publisher Launches Major Site for Twin Cities". Editor & Publisher. August 27, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  2. Wyant, Carissa (August 27, 2007). "Cowles, Lynch back Web daily venture". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
  3. "MinnPost.com to Launch Later This Year with Partial Funding from Knight Foundation" (Press release). John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. August 27, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  4. "MinnPost". John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. November 8, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  5. "MinnPost and VOSD launch joint Knight-funded project to build membership and sustainability". MinnPost. March 31, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  6. Edmonds, Rick (August 29, 2007). "Old Media Meets New In Minnesota". Poynter Institute. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  7. McKinney, Matt (August 27, 2007). "Former Star Tribune publisher to launch online news site". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  8. Kramer, Joel (July 28, 2008). "Note to readers: MinnPost.com expands coverage". MinnPost. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  9. Baxter, Annie (June 6, 2007). "Newspaper cuts show increasing power of online alternatives". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  10. Kramer, Laurie; Kramer, Joel (October 18, 2016). "Passing the torch at MinnPost". MinnPost.
  11. Kramer, Joel (April 25, 2014). "Andrew Wallmeyer named publisher of MinnPost". MinnPost. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  12. Kramer, Joel (June 10, 2014). "Andrew Putz named executive editor of MinnPost". MinnPost.

Further reading

  • Kramer, Joel (2014-04-25). "Andrew Wallmeyer named publisher of MinnPost". MinnPost.
  • Lichterman, Joseph (2014-03-31). "A club that will have me as a member: Voice of San Diego and MinnPost are building out their membership models". Nieman Journalism Lab.
  • Kramer, Joel & Kramer, Laurie (2014-01-27). "2013 Year End Report: MinnPost moves toward sustainability".
  • Pérez-Peña, Richard (2008-11-17). "Web Sites That Dig for News Rise as Watchdogs". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
  • Schmelzer, Paul (2007-08-27). "Kramer Sees Good Will for MinnPost, but 'We'll Have to Deliver' (interview)". Minnesota Monitor. Center for Independent Media.
  • Lambert, Brian (2007-08-27). "Lambert to the Slaughter:Media". The Rake. Rake Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  • Lambert, Brian (2007-08-27). "Twin Cities Editor Planning Online Daily". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  • Freed, Joshua (Associated Press) (2007-08-27). "Former newspaper publisher to start online news site". AP Exchange (apexchange.typepad.com). The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  • Cowles, John Jr. (April 2006). "Behind the Curve: Philanthropy Revisited" (PDF). Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
  • Associated Press (2007-08-27). "New online newspaper to launch in Minnesota". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  • Nieman Journalism Lab. "MinnPost". Encyclo: an encyclopedia of the future of news. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
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