A contact shared a video on social media that made reporter Kristine Goodrich pretty sure she had a story. It featured a young man in the Mankato area using a clever contraption to free a bobcat from a trap. Goodrich marveled at how the young man protected himself. And then she wondered: How rare are bobcats around here? The…

Race and sports have long crossed paths — from Muhammad Ali being stripped of the heavyweight boxing title after taking a stand against the Vietnam War to players’ “Hands Up Don’t Shoot” protests following the death of Michael Brown. Today, numerous athletes have protested by kneeling during the national anthem, attracting support and opposition from all corners of America. As…

Join MNSPJ and two of Minnesota’s top reporters for a conversation about sexual harassment in the headlines. MinnPost legislative reporter Briana Bierschbach broke the story about allegations against Minnesota state Sen. Dan Schoen, prompting a flood of coverage about similar claims — and the inconsistent handling of them — at the Capitol. She teams up with Jana Shortal, co-anchor of…

This year’s MNSPJ Intern Night panel took place Oct. 19 at WCCO Television studios in Minneapolis. Many thanks to our excellent panelists and more than 50 student attendees! More than one attendee from previous years came back to say the connections they had made at Intern Night led to employment. Check out this minute-long video that features one of those sharp young minds:

Are you ready to party? Join MNSPJ, AAJA, and TCBJ for the annual “Off The Record” Holiday Party! Enjoy free food, a holiday-themed photo booth and your fellow journos. We will also be collecting donated new toys for the TCBJ Toy Drive, which benefits kids at Phyllis Wheatley Community Center. Swing by the Pizza Luce event room at 119th N. 4th Street in downtown Minneapolis between…

By Nicole Garrison I still have the sheet of paper Dave Orrick and I used to keep track of the web of companies and people involved in the Ramsey Town Center scandal. We called it “the map.” With each phone call we made on the story, a new player or tidbit of information would surface and we’d add it to…

Students and professional journalists packed a classroom at the University of Minnesota recently to hear tips and lessons about covering protests. The Sept. 27 panel, presented by MNSPJ and other organizations, offered stories and advice for preparing for and reporting on these key news events. “You don’t know if you’re going to be there for 30 minutes or three weeks,” Doualy Xaykaothao,…

A man in central Minnesota decided to walk this fall from Baxter to Bemidji in what looks like a human-sized hamster wheel.  Renee Richardson, managing editor of the Brainerd Dispatch, chronicled the journey.  “The wheel brings with it a monotony of measured steps,” Richardson wrote in a September story. “And moving it around curves and corners is a bit like asking the person using…

Reporter John Myers listened closely when a researcher he knows mentioned something “you probably wouldn’t be interested in.”  The result is a feature story published this summer in the Duluth News Tribune that’s also the latest installment of Minnesota Sampler, a periodic MNSPJ feature that spotlights great work by journalists across the state. Myers was interviewing Jay Austin, a scientist at the University of Minnesota-Duluth who has a knack for stumbling…

Hear from veteran journalists, a media attorney, a community organizer and police on how to report on protests, with tips for protecting yourself and your data. This panel presentation will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, with networking to begin at 6 p.m. Head over to Nicholson Hall, Rm 35, 216 Pillsbury Dr SE, Minneapolis, U of M East Bank. This is a free event, open to all.…