Grove: When tragedy strikes, Minnesota journalists leap into action

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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A newsroom mobilizing in a time of crisis is a sight to behold. From the moment the Minnesota Star Tribune had word of the attack on Minnesota legislators and their spouses early Saturday morning, reporters from across the state mobilized to find out what was happening. The Strib has a lighter staff on the weekends, but when news breaks, it instantly becomes everyone’s job to discover and tell the story.

The same happened at every newsroom in the area. From TV to radio to online news organizations, Minnesota’s journalism community quickly produced the most comprehensive source of information available on the assassinations and subsequent manhunt.

Journalists have long been trained to run toward conflict, rather than away. But it’s different when you’re a local news organization and those affected are your neighbors, friends or, as in last Saturday’s tragic case, public figures you’ve spent countless hours covering. Yet getting the story right is precisely what public service journalism is designed to do.

It’s more important today than ever before because in the digital age, misinformation spreads fast. Not only are our journalists working to get the story right by verifying sources, updating information and, yes, correcting mistakes. They’re also beating back viral claims by bad actors who rush to fill the void with disinformation that serves their interests.

Sometimes we’ll publish entire stories that fact-check viral claims. Other times, our reporters engage directly on the very platforms that spread misinformation.

Last week, when claims circulated that the suspect had close political ties to Gov. Tim Walz, reporter Walker Orenstein engaged on X to set the record straight. When people started claiming the assassination was due to Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman’s views on immigration, Ryan Faircloth — who has covered this issue throughout the legislative session — pushed back with the truth and context.

And when a firebrand posted claims that insinuated that the police might have been involved, Editorial Board columnist Jill Burcum replied on Bluesky with information about just how easy it is for the public to buy law-enforcement vehicles in Minnesota. Though, as she noted in a column, the original post had nearly 12,000 likes — while her fact-check got just 21.

Fighting misinformation can sometimes feel like showing up to a massive bonfire with a garden hose. Yet when we have a newsroom full of many different garden hoses, we can and do make a difference.

Chris Vondracek, one of our reporters based in D.C. who sprang into action all weekend and helped write Monday morning’s cover story, shared an enlightening behind–the-scenes Q&A with Slate about how this kind of journalism gets done. It’s worth your time.

Of course, the job of a local news organization is not just to report the facts. It’s also to help a community process and grieve; to try to understand or contextualize the tragedies that affect us all. I’ve been deeply moved by the pieces we’ve published by our columnists who knew the victims, and know our state, so well. Their perspectives, along with scores of other columns and letters we’ve solicited and published since the killings, help us begin the work of processing the unthinkable — and remembering the significance of those we’ve lost.

Minnesotans are proud people, with a tendency toward feelings of exceptionalism. We fancy ourselves a place where bipartisanship is strong and where, as many historians have noted, our politics has an almost “moralistic” tone to it. Service is seen as a duty, as is rising above our differences.

We’ve also come to expect exceptional civic infrastructure — strong voter participation, high levels of volunteerism and strong local journalism to keep us all informed. These are the things that make Minnesota feel like Minnesota. But of course they are not inevitable.

Last week’s tragedy struck a blow to our exceptionalism. This kind of thing isn’t supposed to happen in Minnesota, a place that so often sits as a counterweight to the polarized national conversation. But the tragedy also reminded us why a belief in our exceptionalism is so important. If we don’t think we’re better than this, then we never will be.

In journalism, exceptional reporting is our defense against the constant cliché that we live in a post-truth world. We know we’re better than that — that people do want quality, objective reporting, especially in moments of crisis. We know because we hear it from readers every day. Your support means more to us than you know.

We view journalism as a public service, one worth supporting in any way we can. Because the fact is, it’s becoming much more challenging to provide the authoritative, world-class journalism that Minnesota deserves at the scale you saw us deliver over the last week. Your donations or subscription to the Strib — or any reputable local news organization you trust — will make a big difference in maintaining and advancing the kind of exceptional place we all deserve to live, both in moments of crisis and in moments of joy.