Scott Gillespie, the Star Tribune’s editorial page editor, announces upcoming retirement

Star Tribune editorial page editor and vice president Scott Gillespie said Thursday that he will retire in June after more than 40 years in newspapers.

Gillespie has led the editorial and opinion pages since 2007 and is leader of the editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom.

He joined the Star Tribune in 1991. Before leading the editorial page, Gillespie held newsroom leadership roles on the business and local news teams and was managing editor.

“It is a privilege to do the work you love for an entire career,” he said. “As the son of a newspaper editor, I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Gillespie said he was proudest of two Pulitzer Prize finalists produced under his leadership: “Separate and Unequal,” a 2015 series of editorials on underfunded Bureau of Indian Education schools; and “Not this mine. Not this location,” a 2019 special report on proposed mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

He also reflected on the award-winning coverage the Star Tribune produced during his tenure as a newsroom leader, including reporting on the war in Iraq, the death of Minnesota U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone and the Interstate 35 bridge collapse.

“As I get ready to wrap it up, I think about how much the journalism we’ve all done together has mattered for Minnesota,” Gillespie said. “That’s what you want. That’s what you hope for. I’m filled with gratitude.”

Jill Burcum, an editorial writer who wrote the Pulitzer finalists and worked with Gillespie in the newsroom, said he was never afraid to take a chance on an idea or free up a reporter to explore an important topic.

“He managed to strike a balance between being a good journalist and a really good manager,” Burcum said. “Projects like that take a lot of time, and he made it happen. Under Scott’s leadership, I’ve done the best work of my career.”

Publisher and CEO Steve Grove praised Gillespie’s thoughtful and steadfast commitment to the newspaper and its readership as an editorial page editor and in the newsroom.

“He has been a pillar of the Star Tribune for so long,” Grove said, recalling exchanges with Gillespie about possible editorials before he joined the paper as publisher in 2023. “Seeing how he thought about the (editorial) pages and how they could represent the best of Minnesota was really a treat.”

Grove commended Gillespie’s ongoing work to feature new voices in the opinion pages. He said the Star Tribune’s leadership is committed to providing editorials that better inform readers about important debates and a variety of opinions from community members.

“We think it is a place where we can showcase a wide range of perspectives, geographically, demographically, politically,” he said. “We think we have the opportunity to create the strongest and most vibrant water cooler in Minnesota, for all of what’s happening.”

Grove and Gillespie noted that one of the best-read online stories this year was a commentary from a dad about how watching Iowa Hawkeyes basketball star Caitlin Clark helped him connect with his two daughters.

“It’s touching pieces like that, where you understand the person behind the story, the perspective they are bringing, that tends to do well in a digital era and tends to resonate with readers,” Grove said.

Gillespie said it was heartening to see the newspaper’s continued commitment to the editorial pages and he believed the department was well-positioned for the future.

“We pride ourselves on what we write and the reporting behind it,” he said. “We have the ability to give people a voice — by publishing their letters, by publishing their commentary, and that is really important.”