Grove: Why give to the Strib?

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of commentary online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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It’s been a little over a month since we rebooted the Midwest’s largest news organization, the Minnesota Star Tribune. With a whole new product and a great new offer, we’ve welcomed more than 11,000 new digital subscribers and attracted some national attention to our efforts.

But we’re nowhere near a victory lap. The headwinds for local news are stronger than ever. While our vision is to be the leading model for local news in America, we have a ways to go. That’s why today we’re doing something we’ve never done before: We’re asking for donations.

This may sound funny to some ears. Isn’t my subscription enough? Aren’t you independently owned by a businessman who can bankroll the company forever? Isn’t the Strib always going to be here no matter what, like Minnesota winters or pork chops on a stick?

Those are all fair questions, and the answer to each of them is “No.”

Let me explain.

How we fund journalism in America is changing fast. It used to be that the near-monopoly that newspapers had on information meant we not only printed the news but practically printed money. The internet changed all that.

The effect has been devastating. In the last 10 years, Minnesota has lost around 35% of our newspapers and more than 65% of our journalists. Today, a growing number of news outlets have turned to philanthropy as an important source of funding. The Associated Press began accepting consumer donations last year. The Seattle Times funds 27 of its journalists through philanthropy. Even the New York Times takes in donations.

And now we are, too. Put simply, we need your help to help Minnesota.

Starting today, you can donate to the Strib at startribune.com/donate, as part of the Minnesota Star Tribune Local News Fund. All donations are tax-deductible, thanks to a partnership with the Minneapolis Foundation.

In honor of the year of our founding, the first 1,867 donors will be part of our “Founder’s Circle.” Thanks to a generous donation from the Taylor Foundations, the first $500,000 in donations will trigger a matching donation, doubling your impact.

Our owner, Glen Taylor, has never taken a penny of profit from the company since he bought it in 2014, and he never will. He bought the Star Tribune because he felt it was an essential Minnesota institution worth preserving. It’s in that same spirit that we’re asking others who can to donate now.

What does a donation to the Strib get you? Better investigative journalism. Expanded coverage across Minnesota. And a deeper look at the biggest issues facing Minnesota, from education to transportation to clean water and beyond.

All of this work will remain independent and objective. Built off lessons from other news organizations, we’ve put a strong model in place to ensure that donations work to fund journalism — without influencing it.

This fall, we’ve been hard at work building momentum toward our new vision. Our 2024 election coverage has garnered record attention, and we’ve made it free until Election Day. Our in-depth examination of Minnesota’s charter schools has sparked a conversation about education in our state. And our expanded coverage across Minnesota has broadened the scope of our report, bringing new voices to our platform and highlighting stories outside the metro area.

And we have a lot more coming.

If we want news organizations to keep us informed and connected, then we need to think of them as civic institutions. Worthy of our time, attention and, yes, money, in order to preserve their vital role in today’s dizzying marketplace for information.

We hope you consider the Minnesota Star Tribune as a civic institution worth investing in. A donation to our Local News Fund will go a long way to helping us build a thriving, stable institution for years to come. We’re grateful for any support you can give.