Grove: Chaotic times call for stability — and change

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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The times we live in seem more chaotic by the week — sometimes by the day. In Minnesota and across the country, shocking acts of violence have shaken our sense of safety. Debates over the future of our most important institutions — including journalism — are heightened and polarized. The question of who is even safe in America feels more unsettled than in a very long time.

Times of crisis like these raise the question: What does this moment require of us all?

I wouldn’t claim to have the answer for everyone. But I do know what the moment requires for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

The pressures of crisis often spark two instinctual responses: calls for stability, and calls for change. Both are right, and both apply to our work here at the Strib. We desperately need dependable journalism to make sense of the moments we’re living in. And if we don’t change, journalism as we know it today might simply disappear.

The past few months have given our team here at the Strib many opportunities to reflect on the power of both stability and change.

Our reporting on the most brutal news events of the year has been robust and gut-wrenching, as our reporters have worked to discover and share the facts and context around heartbreaking events. We’re using the best tools available to journalists today — objective reporting, data analysis, statewide reporting teams, and strong photography and video — to make sense of these moments for you.

To double down on the stabilizing power of quality journalism, we recently launched an entire team devoted to investigative reporting — the first in over a decade at the Strib — so that we have consistent resources that drive accountability in our state.

We also seek some stability for Minnesotans by focusing on the lighter side of life here. Whether that’s launching big initiatives like Strib Varsity, our new platform for high school sports, or small experiments like a State Fair food bot that crawls decades of archives to help you find your State Fair food nirvana, we’re committed to be a place that brings a smile to your face, even when things seem bleak.

But on the other hand, we’re also embracing a lot of change in this moment.

Last week, we announced the difficult decision to close our printing plant at the end of the year, as subscriptions have rapidly moved to digital and our usage of our plant has dwindled to just 18% of our footprint. Outsourcing our printing comes with hard consequences for our colleagues who work there, who are some of our longest-tenured employees at the Strib. Yet the several million dollars in savings this generates annually will help give us a fighting chance at the future.

We’re leading a conversation about change and innovation outside the Strib, too. In just a few weeks, we’re hosting our first-ever ideas festival, the North Star Summit. This event will bring top leaders from across the country and Minnesota to examine the future of America through a Midwestern lens. All kinds of big thinkers and innovators will be there, and we hope this new marketplace of Midwestern ideas will spark dynamic discussions that build a stronger future for our state. You can join us by picking up a ticket at startribune.com/northstarsummit.

If I had to choose what we need more of in this chaotic time in our nation and in media — stability or change — I’d have to lean toward change. These are unprecedented times for journalism, and the questions facing our work require entirely new answers.

But we can’t do it alone, and we won’t shy away from asking for help. If we want to keep our commitment to fair, fearless journalism while driving innovation during a crucial time in Minnesota and the world, then there is one thing this moment requires of our audience, too: subscribing or donating to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

It’s one tangible and important way you can strengthen our democracy when so much is on the line.