Star Tribune editor comments on the state of newspapers

-- Andrea Jackley

Newspaper journalists are between a rock and a hard place these days. A turbulent industry, due to the increasing popularity of the Internet and other forms of visual media, has resulted in consistently decreasing circulation and revenues. An avalanche of newspaper sales has taken place across the country, including our own hometown giant the Star Tribune. These events caused many print journalists to question the direction of newspapers and if they will even survive.

Not Tim O’Brien. O’Brien is the quintessential journalist in more ways than his current position at the Star Tribune; and he is an eternal optimist on the subject of newspapers.

As I sit in O’Brien’s office, which is nothing more than an enlarged cubicle with a nice view of downtown Minneapolis, I am literally up to my neck in papers. Magazines, newspapers and copy edits are strewn about everywhere, eventually landing in piles in various corners that aren’t already occupied with a pesky office chair. O’Brien sits in front of his two giant computer monitors, one displaying his current writing and the other a brightly-colored Macintosh logo.

"Okay, what do you want from me?" he says, smiling.

O’Brien grew up in the small town of Mapleton, Minn. He attended Mankato State University where he worked for the student newspaper, The Reporter, as a sports and editorial writer and eventually editor.

"I find it fascinating. It’s a constant learning experience," says O’Brien of the print journalism business.

His first job out of college was at the Winona Daily News, where he worked as a copy editor, editorial writer and columnist for approximately 15 months. Tim went on to work for the St. Cloud Times as a copy editor for two and a half years before coming to the Twin Cities to work for the Bloomington Sun Current. That job lasted only two months before he was laid off.

"I was unemployed for four months and crashing on a friend’s couch when a buddy of mine called to tell me he was sure he could get me a job at the Star Tribune, in the sports department," said O’Brien.

That was in 1995. After 12 years, O’Brien is now the letters editor and a weekly columnist. He reads all of the submissions to the editorial department and determines if they’re letters, editorials or commentaries. He also edits all of the letters and most of the editorials. His Saturday column, The Blog House, informs readers about current topics being discussed on the increasingly popular personal Web postings, blogs, where amateur journalists post news updates.

The Star Tribune in Minneapolis has been a staple of journalism in the Twin Cities for 140 years, tracing its roots to the Minneapolis Tribune founded in 1867. It is now the largest newspaper in the metropolitan area and one of the twenty largest in the nation with a circulation that tops 1.5 million people each week.

When asked about the newspaper industry’s troubles, O’Brien is calm. "It’s a period of transition and uncertainty [for newspapers]. But we’ll be just fine. Ten years ago people were writing newspapers off because of 24-hour news channels. But we adapted. Now, people are writing us off because of the Internet. But we learned and will move on. Newspapers are indispensable," said O’Brien.

As for what will sustain newspapers in the future, O’Brien said, "Journalism. There’s a brand of journalism that only newspapers can do. Look at Dana Priest’s stories at the Washington Post, about the state of health care for returning Iraq vets. You would never see anything like it on CNBC, Fox News, Daily Kos (liberal blog) or Townhall (local blog)."

On the Star Tribune in particular, "We have some of the best photography in the country. The editorial page has been right about the war — a national leader [on the subject]. We have an outstanding sports department. We do big news well; when (Minn. Sen. Paul) Wellstone’s plane crashed, it was a great moment in Minnesota journalism. It was a tragic moment in Minnesota history, but when you picked up the paper the next day you couldn’t help but be proud. We’ve taken a lot of hits because of budget cuts and staffing, but sometimes I pick up this paper and say ‘Wow, I work there.’