With the political divide continuing to roar its way through governments everywhere, there was some common ground discovered at the Minnesota State Capitol last week: the importance of impactful local journalism.
Above The Fold Publishing’s own Tara Brandl, Minnesota Newspaper Association president, testified before the Minnesota House Workforce Committee last Thursday in support of HF4072, a bill that, if passed, would help fund a Minnesota Local News Talent Pipeline Program that would support paid internships at Minnesota newspapers, television and radio stations, and digital outlets.
The bill would appropriate $500,000 from the Workforce Development Fund in Fiscal Year 2027.
“All of our newspapers are small, weekly newspapers that have deep ties to their communities,” Brandl said in her testimony. “What makes a community newspaper so important is their role in connecting the community and telling a community’s story. We run our newspapers with the agenda that everybody has story to tell, it is our job to tell it.”
Brandl said one of the hardest parts of owning a newspaper in Minnesota is finding staff to cover everything because of a lack of employees.
“Usually,” Brandl continued, “there is more happening in our community than we can cover.”
The DFL-sponsored proposal, which has received positive bipartisan reviews, is modeled on a program run by the Minnesota News Media Institute, which has placed some 1,000 young journalists since 2005. The benefits would be significant in terms of dealing with workforce shortages, and difficulty in recruiting and developing talent.
Brandl, who went to high school at RTR and college at SMSU, is president of the Minnesota Newspaper Association. She didn’t have to look far for an example of the impact quality young journalists can make. Above The Fold Publishing three years ago hired a high school intern who quickly developed into a dependable and talented parttime reporter. The Tracy Area Headlight Herald was able to hire this person thanks to the Minnesota Newspaper Institution internship program.
TARA BRANDL, co-owner of Above The Fold Publishing and president of the Minnesota Newspaper Association, testified March 26 before the House Workforce Committee. Photo courtesy Michele Jokinen
“Funding for positions like this, especially in rural Minnesota, helps strengthen the future of journalism in all forms.”
Letters of support have poured in from newspapers and organizations such as the Southwest Initiative Foundation, Minnesota Farmers Union, the Initiative Foundation and the Center for Rural Policy and Development.
