Minnesota News Media Institute

The Minnesota News Media Institute is investing in the future of communities in all 87 Minnesota counties. We support local journalism that builds vital community ties, enhances residents' sense of place, provides vital information about local government and issues, and works to improve how journalism serves its communities and neighborhoods. We serve nonprofit and for-profit news organizations on every platform in rural communities as small as a few hundred residents to the buzzing neighborhoods of the Twin Cities metro area. 

MNI provides: 

• Specialized, innovative training like Citizen Journalism University, an intensive 5-week program that trains community members to become ethical journalists, close coverage gaps in communities and improve media literacy in rural and urban neigborhoods statewide and beyond;
• MNI-sponsored paid internship opportunities for high school and college students;
• Training and continuing education to news media professionals across Minnesota;
• Research and data about the state of journalism and audiences in Minnesota on all platforms;
• Advocacy for community journalism within the larger nonprofit sector;
• Media literacy information, including the constitutional role and responsibilities of a free press and how it impacts community well-being, elections, local and state government, the arts and civic life. We also shed light on how community journalism is practiced to help demystify local news.

The Minnesota News Media Institute is a 501(c)3 partnership of the more than 250 online, print, for-profit and nonprofit members of the Minnesota Newspaper Association. Many of our programs are open to all news professionals in Minnesota and beyond.

To learn more about MNI's programming, suggest training or public forums, please contact Lisa Schwarz, MNI's Director of Development & Communications at lisas@mna.org.