| Topics: Civic Communication Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Minnesota's Talking The Star-Tribune's "Minnesota's Talking" project has organized hundreds of neighborhood roundtables: small groups that come together monthly to discuss issues of public concern in discussions moderated by volunteers and held in living rooms, schools and libraries, church basements and other locations. The Star-Tribune selects topics, offers discussion materials and publishes a monthly feature introducing the issue and inviting readers to participate. Topics have included the economy, health care, welfare reform, violent crime and racism. A report reflecting roundtable discussions appears monthly in the newspaper. In its first year, the project has attracted 1,500 to 2,000 Minnesotans; numbers have dropped with the project's visibility in the paper. A case study by Project on Public Life and the Press
New York University, Department of Journalism,10 Washington Pl.
New York, NY 10003, (212) 998-3793 © Project on Public Life and the Press,1994 The Project is funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Minneapolis Star-Tribune (newspaper)
425 Portland Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 673-4524 (phone)
(612) 673-7568 (fax) Ownership
Cowles Media
No. newsroom employees: 350 Circulation
400,00 (daily)
600,00 (Sunday)
Circulation Area:
Seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area Initiative
Minnesota's Talking Dates
Sept. 1992 to present Coordinator
Jeremy Iggers, staff writer Executive in Charge
Tim McGuire, executive editor When and how did this initiative get started?
Star-Tribune ethics columnist Jeremy Iggers suggested the roundtables as he sought to engage readers in issues he was writing about. Intrigued by evening discussions in private homes organized by the Utne Reader, a monthly magazine based in Minneapolis, Iggers contacted National Issues Forums (NIF) and the Study Circles Resource Center (SCRC), both of which assist local groups in organizing discussions of public issues. In 1992, Iggers proposed to Star Tribune editors that the paper sponsor a roundtable series. "They liked the community-oriented focus," Iggers said. A few months later, the paper adopted a new mission statement emphasizing its role as "a support system" for citizens. The roundtables now fit comfortably into that mission. What are the goals of the initiative?
To engage more citizens in public discussion of issues that concern all; to involve the newspaper in a process that connects citizens to each other. What does the initiative entail?
The discussion groups are led by volunteer facilitators who organize monthly meetings and help publicize the topic. Iggers selects issues for the coming months and mails every facilitator a packet that includes a "discussion guide." It summarizes the issue and presents a variety of policy options for citizens to debate. Most of these guides are produced by NIF or SCRC. Copies are made available to roundtable participants to provide a common grounding for the talk. Iggers writes a feature at the end of each month giving an overview of what was said at the roundtables and inviting readers to join in the next month's discussions. How many people are working on it?
Iggers initially worked with one half-time desk assistant, plus 100 or so community volunteers. What does it look like in the newspaper?
Monthly reports summarizing the discussions, plus some promotional ads and features. Response to the Initiative In the newsroom:
"Indifference from most," said Iggers, "with a few who are enthusiastic and a clear minority who question the wisdom of the paper organizing events it reports on. Some feel it's not a good use of our resources." Elements incorporated into regular newsroom routines and/or culture:
The Star Tribune recently undertook a major initiative on health care. It began with a 36-page, A-section supplement, and was followed by an invitation to participate in roundtables and by a public forum on health care cosponsored with WCCO, the local CBS affiliate. In cooperation with the Minnesota Public Health Association, 50 additional roundtables were organized for this issue. Reporters from the Star Tribune attended 2-3 roundtables each evening during the health care campaign, and reports on the "mood of the meetings" appeared in the paper the next day. Response in the community:
Anecdotal evidence only. According to Iggers, some discussions have formed outside the official orbit of the roundtables after citizens heard about the idea. A few groups formed to discuss race relations have continued on that theme, rather than moving on to the next subject. Among political leaders:
Health care experts from Minnesota's U.S. senatorial offices visited the roundtables. State legislators have occasionally shown up at roundtables on a variety of subjects. Overall lessons - successes and failures:
Iggers said, "I do think there's a hunger for this sort of thing, but on the other hand 2,000 people is not a lot compared to the calls we get on the sports line after a Vikings game." Racism roundtables drew well, but didn't influence discussions of race the way Iggers "fantasized it would." Low minority participation demonstrated the paperŐs white, middle-class readership base. What's next:
The Star Tribune has devoted 1.5 editorial positions (including Iggers) to design and implement projects that, in the paper's words, "enable our readers to reconnect or connect with their newspaper, their political system, their communities and each other." Iggers plans a project on police/community relations, using the paper as a forum to improve discussion between micro-communities and police, and get citizens involved in improving neighborhood safety. Also planned: a "neighborhood repair kit" to help readers make neighborhoods better places to live. Case study written by Jay Rosen, Director of the Project on Public Life and the Press, October 1993. Jay is also a member of the CPN Journalism editorial team. Update "Minnesota's Talking" has become "a project in transition," as reporter and coordinator Jeremy Iggers puts it. In fact, the paper may be approaching the point where it will need to decide whether to change the project or drop it. By mid-1994, participation levels had dropped from the thousands to the low hundreds. Although more than 150 discussion groups once had tackled issues, only 19 responded in early 1994 when asked whether they wanted to continue. At the paper the project has essentially lost high visibility; it is no longer a priority of the promotion department. There clearly is executive permission for the project, but leadership enthusiasm that would move the project into a broader practice of public journalism is not evident at this point. Living up to its name, the project has proved to be almost exclusively about generating talk, rather than providing feedback mechanisms for citizen voices. Issues raised in discussions do not permeate a wall between the newsroom and the project itself; Iggers is usually the only reporter to attend any of the discussions. "A lot of people came into the process, enjoyed it, then eventually started wondering what is all this leading to? Is this just talk?" Iggers suggested that groups invite policymakers to attend and listen, and, until budget shifts cut a half-time newsroom assistant, the paper forwarded discussion questionnaires to policymakers. The local Citizens League, known for its substantial reports on community problems, has begun to consider a linkage with the "Minnesota's Talking" project. A final logistical note: New subjects monthly meant "Minnesota's Talking" quickly ran through discussion materials from the National Issues Forum and the Study Circles Resource Center. Moreover, the cost of purchasing these materials for study - or even for photo reproduction - proved more than participants often wished to bear. Update written by Lisa Austin, Assistant Director of the Project on Public Life and the Press, May 1994. Lisa is also a member of the CPN Journalism editorial team. Case study written by Lisa Austin, Assistant Director of the Project on Public Life and the Press, September 1994. Lisa is also a member of the CPN Journalism editorial team. More Information Project on Public Life and the Press
New York University
Department of Journalism
10 Washington Pl.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 998-3793 Back to Communication Index | 
