Last December, Smart Politics interviewed Michael Brodkorb, author of the high profile conservative blog Minnesota Democrats Exposed. We now turn the spotlight on a journalistic voice of the political left, Minnesota Monitor.

Minnesota Monitor is a popular online newsmagazine that covers not only state and national politics and elections, but also policy areas like immigration, education, and religion, and the media outlet has attracted renowned journalists from around the Cities.

Smart Politics recently interviewed Minnesota Monitor Editor Steve Perry on the content, audience, and influence of his newsmagazine.

Smart Politics: Unlike many political blogs, which are authored by one person and present a single voice, such as Centrisity, Minnesota Democrats Exposed, or our own Center's blog, Smart Politics, Minnesota Monitor is comprised of many voices, has an organizational hierarchy, and is largely presented as a politics and policy online newsmagazine. The daily operation, coordination, and funding of Minnesota Monitor appears to be much more complicated than other frequently read political blogs in the Gopher State. Please explain the organizational structure and funding of Minnesota Monitor, as well as how you navigate the sea of disagreements that must inevitably surface from time to time with so many voices wishing to be heard among your writers.

MM: The site is operated by the Center for Independent Media, based in Washington DC. We're one of six state/regional sites in the group; the others are in DC, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, and New Mexico. Organizationally, Jefferson Morley, formerly of the Washington Post, is the national editorial director of the group. Here in Minnesota, I'm the site editor and Paul Schmelzer is the managing editor. You can find a list of the organization's funders at the CIM website, but that's something the editors and writers frankly never discuss. We're insulated from the funders in much the same way that advertising and editorial are separate at commercial publications—and for the same good reasons.

The "sea of disagreements" you asked about has never really been a factor, largely because all our writers are devoted to a handful of beats they watch and write about. There's some crossover in coverage areas from time to time, but it's rarely if ever engendered disagreements.

Smart Politics: Your writers are identified as "New Journalist Fellows." Would you say that your policy regarding your Fellows' submissions is substantially the same as other online newsmagazines? In short, do you have a "hands-on" or "hands-off" approach to editing and censoring their work?

MM: I don't really know what to make of the question. If you're asking whether our writers receive journalistic editing, they do—especially on the reported pieces that comprise a growing share of our content. And sometimes that results in rewrites, additional reporting, and fairly substantial changes to the prose. If you're asking whether we "censor" our writers in terms of the points of view that may be represented in what they write, the answer is no.

Smart Politics: You have had well known and respected Twin Cities journalists write for Minnesota Monitor, such as Eric Black and Britt Robson. Have you found the content or style of reporting at Minnesota Monitor to have evolved over the years with the influx of new journalists?

MM: Well, remember that I've only been at Minnesota Monitor for a little over two months. But I do think it's fair to say that the emphasis has shifted over time from the kind of filtering and thumbnail analysis that happens at pure blogging sites to a greater emphasis on original reporting. Both elements have been part of the mix from the start, and that remains the case, but we're certainly devoting more resources to reporting now.

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