A guide to Strib Voices

Strib Voices is a platform that both includes and expands upon traditional newspaper opinion content. Our presentation includes editorials and columns from members of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, columns from a roster of regular contributors, commentary and counterpoint articles from guest writers, letters from readers, and cartoons. It also collects opinions from the Star Tribune’s full array of coverage areas so that readers may find them easily. Read on for details about each type of content.

Editorials represent the view of the Star Tribune Editorial Board and are published when the board feels its collective voice is both unified and needed. Board members are Phil Morris, David Banks, Jill Burcum, Denise Johnson and John Rash. Staff members Maggie Kelly and Elena Neuzil also contribute, and Star Tribune CEO and Publisher Steve Grove serves as an adviser to the board.

Board members offer their ideas at regular staff meetings. Those ideas come in response to news coverage, from sources members have developed in their areas of expertise, or from one of the meetings the board holds with community leaders, politicians, government officials and citizens’ groups.

Board members discuss whether topics are worthy, how the editorial might be argued and what reporting will be needed to develop an informed opinion. Then a board member is assigned to do additional reporting and writing.

Members of the Editorial Board also write columns that are published under their bylines and reflect both their personal experiences in the community and analysis of subjects they encounter in their reporting and research.

The Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, meaning that news reporters and editors are not involved in determining the board’s positions.

The work you’ll see at Strib Voices spans the spectrum of all that we cover at the Star Tribune. From News & Politics to Sports to Business to the Outdoors to Food & Culture, we’ve assembled dozens of the smartest minds in our market to share their thoughts with you about the state we all call home. These columnists write in their own voices, which we amplify across all the Star Tribune’s canvases. For a full list of our columnists, check out the Strib Voices landing page.

In addition to columnists who work at the Star Tribune, we’ve also selected contributing columnists who write on a regular basis from a diverse range of experiences from around Minnesota.

Some write twice a month, others monthly, and some less frequently. We plan to add to this list over time.

They currently include:

• Andy Brehm: A conservative perspective.

• Aaron Brown: Modern life on the Iron Range.

• Sheletta Brundidge: Aiming to make you laugh and think.

• Clemon Dabney: All things cannabis.

• Angela Denker: From religion and politics to parenting and everyday life.

• Maggie Koerth: Nature in Minnesota’s urban areas.

• Sharon McMahon: Government and civic engagement.

• Anton Treuer: Native American histories, cultures and issues.

• Ka Vang: Historically marginalized communities.

• Hamse Warfa: Global affairs, leadership, politics and workforce development.

• Andrew Zimmern: Food, culture and social justice.

Our guest commentary offerings include a mix of local and national writers, including public officials, experts and newsmakers, and thoughtful readers with something to say. We seek to host a richly varied forum of ideas about politics, public policy and culture with room for the occasional reflection on life’s mysteries and delights.

We welcome controversy but require decency and substance. Key to the give and take that informs and illuminates issues are pieces we call counterpoints — rebuttals responding to previous opinion or news content. Especially welcome are first-time contributors who believe their particular type of voice and experience has been missing in the discourse surrounding important topics of the day.

What makes a good commentary? Here are some guiding questions for those who wish to submit their writing for consideration:

• Is the topic relevant to Minnesota readers?

• Is the topic timely?

• Will your commentary add a fresh perspective or merely rehash what has already been said? Will readers be engaged by the writing?

• Do you have expertise in the topic area? (This adds credibility, but it’s not mandatory — experts don’t have a monopoly on insight.)

• Is the writing clear and efficient and within our word limitation?

• Does the submission offer a clear point of view? Is it plausible?

• Is the argument being presented logically sound in its construction and conclusions?

• Does the commentary avoid hyperbole and fallacies? (No exaggerations, no red herrings, no ad hominem attacks.)

• If outside material or data is being presented, is it appropriately sourced? Do any numbers cited add up correctly?

Submissions should be no more than 700 words. They must be exclusive to the Star Tribune. All must include the author’s real, legal name. Rebuttals to other articles become the property of the Star Tribune and may be republished in any format.

To submit a commentary online, go to tinyurl.com/submit-commentary or email opinion@startribune.com.

New to Strib Voices is the leadership role of our Community Engagement Director, Kavita Kumar, who proactively searches for new voices to feature in a variety of mediums at the Star Tribune. If you have an idea for commentary or thoughts about potential contributing columnists or topics, please reach out to her at kavita.kumar@startribune.com.

The Star Tribune publishes roughly six to eight letters to the editor under the “Readers Write” banner each day. These are selected from among the several dozen (and sometimes hundreds) we receive, depending on what’s in the news. It’s important to note that letters are distinct from the voluminous comments appended to articles online — those are moderated by a separate team not connected with Strib Voices.

In making selections for Readers Write, we have three main goals: to add insight to public discussions; to reflect the balance of what readers are saying, in the proportion they’re saying it, and to offer compilations that are engaging, even entertaining, to read. These goals, you might guess, are sometimes at odds.

A letter stands a better chance of publication if it adheres to the length guidelines of 250 words at most (the shorter the letters, the more we can publish). It’s helpful if a letter addresses a timely topic or a perennial issue from a fresh perspective. The arc of discussion on a given topic can extend across many days.

You can send letters by going to tinyurl.com/submit-commentary or email opinion@startribune.com. Letters sent by post are also considered but can be at a disadvantage in terms of immediacy. They should be mailed to Letters to the Editor, Star Tribune Building, 650 3rd Avenue South, Suite 1300, Minneapolis, MN, 55488.

Make sure you include your name and city of residence, along with various ways we can contact you, if needed, with questions while on deadline. It’s also helpful to include links or clear references to material you’re citing. Letters taking issue with the Star Tribune’s reporting will be given due deliberation, although specific examples of errors are best directed to corrections@startribune.com.

If we publish your letter, we’ll print your name and city as attribution. Anonymous letters are not accepted. Occupational information is sometimes included if it’s relevant to the topic.

The volume of letters we receive makes it impracticable for us to provide status updates. In general, if a letter is going to be published, it will appear within a few days of being submitted. But letters can remain under consideration for up to a week. Letters submitted in response to articles in the Sunday paper are typically considered for publication the following Sunday so that they may be seen by a similar audience.

We may edit your letter for purposes of style, clarity and concision, adding context if necessary or subtracting it if the letter is appearing with others on the same subject.

Strib Voices includes works from a variety of nationally syndicated cartoonists.