Press Forward Minnesota along with our first round of grantee partners from around the state was honored to celebrate our first year as a chapter on June 26, 2025. It was a day of learning, celebrating, relationship building, and co-creating. Thanks to our outstanding network of funders, partners, and grantees, we were able to make incredible headwinds in our first year as a chapter. From forming governing committees, to conducting two landscape studies, expanding our funder network, and granting $520,000 to support 13 local news rooms in our inaugural grant round, our first year laid the groundwork for transformational work to come. We are especially proud of the work of our Closing Coverage Gaps grantees. From covering difficult topics through a nuanced authentic community lens, highlighting indigenous crossroads, to sharing stories about how the disability community would be impacted by policy proposals and more, these newsrooms are providing critical news and information to Minnesota’s communities.
Our one year celebration started off with remarks from Tonya Allen, President of the McKnight Foundation, who spoke about the critical role local news has in supporting strong communities and a functioning democracy. She called for stronger collaboration and solidarity amongst newsrooms across the state and country, highlighting how deep relationships will carry this work forward in this moment and into the future. Allen also made a call to action for philanthropy, adding that it is of utmost importance for funders and individuals alike to support their local newsrooms that are building community and offering support in myriad ways beyond just content.
Jim Pripusich, Director at Corona Insights, led the group in a deep dive analysis of the State and Local Media Survey – a statewide survey conducted in early 2025 to better understand what matters most to Minnesota residents in state and local news. The survey captured the current realities of Minnesotans’ relationship with local journalism and provides top-level rates of news consumption, mode usage, trust, and other key indicators. Visit our Press Forward Minnesota resource page to delve into the full report, data tables, and descriptions of all the key findings.
With the knowledge of a landscape analysis of Minnesotans’ relationship with news, we then transitioned to learning from local newsroom leaders and the challenges and opportunities they face in meeting the information needs of the communities they serve. Tom Weber, Senior Director of Special Initiatives of The Minneapolis Foundation facilitated the conversation with panelists:
- Jeff Hanks, CEO, Lakeland PBS
- Yengyee Lor, Host of Uncover More Good, 3HmongTV(Hmong Broadcasting Company)
- John Torgrimson, Managing Editor, Root River Current, Inc.
- Rick Bussler, Publisher, Steele County Times
Some of the challenges the panelists discussed included revenue streams, safety concerns when covering certain topics, and the threats facing public media. Highlights of the work include: providing culturally specific and responsive reporting, diversifying stories, and the important role that local journalism plays in telling critical stories at the grassroots level that would otherwise go untold.
Equipped with both the knowledge from the State and Local Media Survey and the insider scoop of running a local newsroom, attendees were now tasked with creating the inaugural edition of the Press Forward Minnesota Times. This fun, light-hearted, interactive activity invited attendees to identify the wins from the previous year and also dream big for what was to come for the chapter. Check out the first issue of the Press Forward Minnesota Times!
In wrapping up the day’s agenda, The Press Forward Minnesota leadership team gave a preview for what was to come in the chapter’s second year. From supporting the development of a local news policy coalition to increased grantmaking and fundraising to support community cohesion, there was a focus on being responsive to pressing needs while investing in long term sustainability. Patrice Relerford, Vice President of Collective Impact and Giving with the Minneapolis Foundation also shared that the Minneapolis Foundation would be dedicating grant dollars to support local news. Local news will also be a feature of upcoming programming at the Minneapolis Foundation.
The Press Forward Minnesota team is grateful to everyone who joined us and we look forward to continuing to partner together in our vision for a thriving, sustainable, and equitable Minnesota local news ecosystem that serves and reflects its diverse communities. Our attendees ranged from journalists, funders, nonprofit leaders, policy experts, educators, and more which encompasses our growing Press Forward Minnesota network. The diversity of the room attests to the cross-sector partnerships necessary to ensure everyone in Minnesota has reliable access to news and information. The call to action was clear – local news and information is critical to the wellbeing of Minnesotans, and it takes all of us to ensure that local news thrives.
All photos attributed to Molly Miles at The McKnight Foundation