Small paper not afraid of big issues
Next it was off to Isle.
Positioned on the southeastern shores of Mille Lacs Lake, it retains its small town environment while having a resort-community feel.
Driving up Main Street (yes, the second one of our tour, if you are counting) we stopped at a grocery store, and while there, picked up a copy of the Mille Lacs County Messenger – the next paper on our tour. We knew the office was located on Main Street, but had a hard time spotting it! We asked a woman who pointed out to us a building a half-block down, which was having an awning rebuilt. We took the occasion to ask her if she read the paper. "Oh yes," she said. "I have grandchildren in sports, so I'm always looking for their names and cutting out the articles."
Positioned on the southeastern shores of Mille Lacs Lake, it retains its small town environment while having a resort-community feel.
Driving up Main Street (yes, the second one of our tour, if you are counting) we stopped at a grocery store, and while there, picked up a copy of the Mille Lacs County Messenger – the next paper on our tour. We knew the office was located on Main Street, but had a hard time spotting it! We asked a woman who pointed out to us a building a half-block down, which was having an awning rebuilt. We took the occasion to ask her if she read the paper. "Oh yes," she said. "I have grandchildren in sports, so I'm always looking for their names and cutting out the articles."
Ahh, another satisfied consumer of refrigerator journalism!
We walked across the street to the office. And once again I was reminded of a lesson I learned early in my journalism career ... confirm your appointments!
It was by happenstance that editor Brett Larson was there! He'd forgotten about our meeting.
I tell interns that editors are very busy people. They don't intend to forget or put things onto the "I'll get to it" pile, but the mass of paper, e-mails and calls that come to the desk require tremendous management skills.
It was my bad.
Although I had e-mailed him a couple of days before, I should have called.
“What a great office,” I couldn't help but think has Brett gave us a tour of the recently renovated digs.
It wasn't lost in a no-name building like the Lakeshore Weekly in Minnetonka, and it wasn't showing its years like the Pine County Courier. It felt professional and very inviting, and on MAIN STREET.
The Mille Lac Messenger is locally owned "reporting the news of the Mille Lacs area since 1913," and has a sister publication, Aitkin Independent Age. Brett has had an on-again-off-again working relationship at the paper.
He is a college professor who pulls no punches with his coverage and columns. Take for example a recent one taking Nick Coleman (StarTribune columnist) to task over an interview he conducted with Larson about an alleged attack that shut down the paper's Web site.
I gotta think that besides good "refrigerator journalism," the Messenger readers look forward to the wealth of local columnists featured in the paper.
But what got my attention is the gutsy local no-holds coverage of local issues, mixed with features and interesting local news items. Larson described it this way: “We’re somewhere between the big city government watchdog and the community cheerleader.”
He said their readership is stable, and with some start-up community news Web sites, he is confident “We will remain the source of news.”
Larson's biggest challenge? Continuing to publish stories that you know are going to bring a strong reaction.”
We walked across the street to the office. And once again I was reminded of a lesson I learned early in my journalism career ... confirm your appointments!
It was by happenstance that editor Brett Larson was there! He'd forgotten about our meeting.
I tell interns that editors are very busy people. They don't intend to forget or put things onto the "I'll get to it" pile, but the mass of paper, e-mails and calls that come to the desk require tremendous management skills.
It was my bad.
Although I had e-mailed him a couple of days before, I should have called.
“What a great office,” I couldn't help but think has Brett gave us a tour of the recently renovated digs.
It wasn't lost in a no-name building like the Lakeshore Weekly in Minnetonka, and it wasn't showing its years like the Pine County Courier. It felt professional and very inviting, and on MAIN STREET.
The Mille Lac Messenger is locally owned "reporting the news of the Mille Lacs area since 1913," and has a sister publication, Aitkin Independent Age. Brett has had an on-again-off-again working relationship at the paper.
He is a college professor who pulls no punches with his coverage and columns. Take for example a recent one taking Nick Coleman (StarTribune columnist) to task over an interview he conducted with Larson about an alleged attack that shut down the paper's Web site.
I gotta think that besides good "refrigerator journalism," the Messenger readers look forward to the wealth of local columnists featured in the paper.
But what got my attention is the gutsy local no-holds coverage of local issues, mixed with features and interesting local news items. Larson described it this way: “We’re somewhere between the big city government watchdog and the community cheerleader.”
He said their readership is stable, and with some start-up community news Web sites, he is confident “We will remain the source of news.”
Larson's biggest challenge? Continuing to publish stories that you know are going to bring a strong reaction.”
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