MnIndy going forward
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 3:25 pm
I am writing today to announce the closure of the Minnesota Independent. After five years of operation in Minnesota, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com.
This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms of journalism made available as technology has advanced, and an increasing emphasis on national coverage and issue-based coverage from our network. Over the coming months, AINN will announce a number of new journalism initiatives that will continue to advance our mission of producing impact journalism in the public interest.
Going forward, an archive of Minnesota Independent’s reporting will exist on AmericanIndependent.com.
We are grateful for the loyal readership of the MnIndy, and to the outstanding work of our reporters and editors.
We look forward to keeping you posted on our plans, which will be announced early next year.
Best regards,
David S. Bennahum
CEO & founder, The American Independent News Network
25 Comments
Comment posted November 16, 2011 @ 9:48 pm
That’s a shame. An independent voice focused on local affairs was very useful.
Comment posted November 16, 2011 @ 10:16 pm
Although I didn’t agree with Birkey on a lot of what he wrote, he is a good reporter.
Comment posted November 16, 2011 @ 11:03 pm
We don’t need more national news, we need more local news!
This is a real loss. Very sad.
Comment posted November 16, 2011 @ 11:28 pm
We will miss the local reporting of the Anoka Hennepin School District and giving the other side of the story that wasn’t being heard in my area. Thank you for all you did. We will need to find another way to get the news out.
Sincerely,
Councilwoman Laurie Olmon
Comment posted November 17, 2011 @ 12:15 am
What attracted me to MnIndy was coverage of local stuff. Before you go, can you recommend another good independent news blog focusing on Minnesota coverage.
Comment posted November 17, 2011 @ 1:50 am
I echo that what we need is more local not national news. I certainly am not interested in a national independent news. Local reporting is what made the AIN valuable. I valued the other state’s local news as well. I’m truly sorry this business model did not succeed. Thanks for the minnpost.com recommendation. It’s better than nothing, but still too close to the Strib’s reporting.
Comment posted November 17, 2011 @ 10:02 am
Is this because of the suit opened bt Bradlee Dean?
Comment posted November 17, 2011 @ 10:03 am
Is this because of the suit opened by Bradlee Dean?
Comment posted November 17, 2011 @ 11:15 am
I’m another who supports more local news rather than a consolidation into national news. It’s local coverage that drew me to the site and made MIN a daily ‘must read’ for me.
Comment posted November 17, 2011 @ 12:10 pm
@Thomas All the state sites are getting closed. Besides, the parent still exists, so I assume they’re still stuck with the suit until it gets laughed out of court.
Comment posted November 17, 2011 @ 1:48 pm
Typical “front office” decisions. At a time when consumers want/desire more local reporting/news there is a decision to consolidate and water down the local. This is sad and backward thinking that does not match the consumer trend. But…hey…that’s my business what would I know… ;-)
Comment posted November 17, 2011 @ 7:41 pm
I hope that some of the local reporting will transfer to the parent site. The network of local reporting has been the differentiator that attracted me to the Independent Network.
If this is a consolidation of hosting resources and blogging software, I see this as a good move.
If this will result in substantial pruning of local reporting, then I am going to be disappointed.
I hope they keep the key local reporters.
Comment posted November 17, 2011 @ 10:19 pm
I am baffled. I often frequent the other “Independent” news sites and have found that Minnesota Independent was always the most active. A large majority of the stories on the other sites wouldn’t even have a single comment. A sad, sad day indeed. Maybe we can get Andy to investigate and report on this as well.
Comment posted November 18, 2011 @ 8:06 am
thanks for the service you provided. Now I’m even more dependent on the TC Daily Planet for the local news.
Comment posted November 18, 2011 @ 11:59 am
That’s a shame. This is a great site to check on my home state and see developments not widely covered such as Minnesota for Marriage’s use of gift cards to persuade voters.
It would be a great idea to provide links to regional news on the main site. Quality journalism is so rare these days; wish the MN Independent staff the best going forward.
Comment posted November 19, 2011 @ 9:34 am
Your absence leaves a hole that will hopefully be filled by other committed reporters. On side note, the request for donations just before the termination notification is ethically questionable.
Comment posted November 19, 2011 @ 7:51 pm
I’m very sorry we’ll be losing the great local coverage that MNIndy provided. As others have said, it has been a go-to source for the inside scoop on local news.
Comment posted November 21, 2011 @ 3:43 pm
Thanks to all who worked so hard to bring us news we found nowhere else.
Comment posted November 22, 2011 @ 12:46 pm
I agree, we don’t need more national news, we need local connections that can keep an eye on what is happening in small towns across the country. Where are the Post offices closing?? What is happening in Benton Harbor, MI??Has the Amazon warehouse cleaned up its worker abuse in PA. Why not make the INDEPENDENT something like the “Patches”. It seems to work. Where the locals can feed into the main stream.
Comment posted November 24, 2011 @ 2:28 pm
Why not have a Minnesota “local news” link on your national site? What is the driver for the decision? Expense? Advertising revenue? Traffic volume?
Comment posted November 26, 2011 @ 6:39 pm
I’m really sad to see this fantastic local news source go. I hope there will be some local MN coverage on the national site. And I hope Andy Birkey gets to keep his job – he’s a very talented reporter.
Comment posted November 29, 2011 @ 3:22 pm
Ditto to Shannon’s comment above about Andy Birkey – he’s why I visit this site!
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