Twin Cities

Media Alliance
A NNU A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 9

www.tcdailyplanet.net

local news for global citizens

Twin Cities Daily Planet editor’s report

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Taking it to court in Minneapolis: Fight against foreclosure and eviction.

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Somali hip-hop: It’s a culture. It’s a people’s life.

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At a Minnesota market, tales of a hidden Ethiopian war.

republish. Daily Planet articles appeared

in La Prensa de Minnesota, the Minnesota
Spokesman-Recorder, the African News
Journal, Hmong Today, and many other
publications. In some cases, we even
shared our editorial budget with media
partners so that they could cover
important stories.

As mainstream media cut their budgets

for arts reporting, our knowledgeable

T he headlines tell the story: in 2009,

the Daily Planet published more
original reporting and stories from our
writers made the Daily Planet a top local
venue for reviews and analysis of theater,
music, and dance. Our continually
neighborhood, community and ethnic updated event guide, Arts Orbit, high-
media partners than ever before. We lighted both “on the radar” mainstream
focused on the issues and communities events and “under the radar” lesser-
that are under-covered by other media – known events, and our arts section
from home foreclosures to light rail’s grew into a go-to place for coverage
impact on Central Corridor residents of the local arts scene from Tou Saiko
and businesses. to Tchaikovsky. It’s all tweeted via
@ArtsOrbit, which l’etoile magazine
When the recession forced our named the best local Twitter account
community and ethnic media partners of 2009.
to slash their editorial budgets, many
turned to us for articles they could Editor Mary Turck / Arts editor Jay Gabler
 Diversity and outreach
F rom the beginning, bringing new
voices into the media mainstream
has been at the core of our mission.
So is giving Twin Citizens from every
segment of our community access to
the media tools and training that they
need to have in order to participate
fully in the life of our community.
In 2009, community engagement
coordinator Lisa Peterson-de la Cueva
and her successor Ann Alquist fulfilled Pioneer Press. And our fall media forum,
that mission by reaching out to held at the Hennepin County Library
neighborhood and community in downtown Minneapolis, brought
organizations and recruiting participants together new media creators, activists,
in our citizen journalism classes, media bloggers and journalists to explore the
skills workshops and weekly writers theme of Networking Across the New
groups. Classes ranged from Citizen Media Landscape.
Journalism 101 and Reporting as a
Two-Way Street to Introduction to Beyond covering under-served
Podcasting, Twitter as a News Tool, and communities, the Daily Planet gave
Accessing Court Documents. ethnic and immigrant communities
space to tell their own stories. We
Our monthly brown bag lunch with published work by Deb Pleasants,
a journalist series gave community Nekessa Opoti, Ramla Bile, Diana Vang,
members the opportunity for face-to- and Dwight Hobbes and many others,
face conversation with newsmakers and republished articles from the
such as Laura Yuen of Minnesota Public Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, African
Radio, Joel Kramer of MinnPost, and News Journal, Mshale, Hmong Today
Julio Ojeda-Zapata of the Saint Paul and other media partners.

mission and vision statements

Mission: The Twin Cities Media Alliance brings together media professionals and
engaged community members to improve the quality, accountability and diversity of
the local media, and to enable community members to play a more active role in the
emerging media environment.
Vision: We envision a participatory democracy in which citizens from all segments of
society – and especially those who have been traditionally denied access – are able to
use the media to share information, hold the powerful accountable, build community,
and work together for the common good.
The year ahead

20 and attractions, and thumbnail photos of

every registered user of the Daily Planet
who lives in the neighborhood – or at
least those who have supplied their
addresses and photos.

We want you to be part of that picture.

If you aren’t already a registered user,
please sign up. Our expanded member

10
C itizens in a democracy need more profiles help Daily Planet users learn
than just information. They need more about each other. If your favorite
tools that enable them to act on that attraction or business is missing from
information. Our goal for 2010 is the our listings, it’s easy to add it.
transformation of the Daily Planet from
The Twitter feeds that now accompany
a local news website to a community
many stories give Daily Planet users a
resource that helps Twin Citizens share
new way to connect with one another
information, make choices, organize and
and keeps our stories current with
connect to their communities. We even
up-to-the-moment discussion
have an interactive Daily Planet iPhone app.
about a topic.
We have added individual pages for all You can expect many more changes
81 Minneapolis neighborhoods and all 17 in the year to come.Your support an
St. Paul neighborhoods. Visit any of those participation can make it all possible.
pages, and you will see a description of the
Executive Director: Jeremy Iggers
neighborhood, a map of local businesses
Numbers and milestones
Expenses
2008 2009*
Program service $167,450 $152,929
Management and $27,888 $36,185
general operations
Fundraising $11,822 $11,649
Financial statements are
Total expenses $207,160 $200,763
available for review in
the Twin Cities Media
Revenue Alliance office, containing
2008 2009* all required disclosures
 ontributions
C $222,860 $172,123 and financial statements.
and grants
Program service $414,591 $1,975
revenue
Investment income $837 $279
Other revenue $0 $7,722
Total revenue $238,288 $182,099
*Estimated. Final 2009 summary 990 statements will be available on the TCMA website at www.tcmediaalliance.org

In May, the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists named the Daily Planet

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“Best Independent News website” for the second year in a row. Here’s
what the SPJ judges said:
The breadth and depth of this site is terrific. It connects on

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multiple fronts: reader engagement, neighborhood coverage,
local opinions, 24/7 updates and a strong commitment to a
diversity of voices. Tcdailyplanet.net really taps the power of
the medium to make the community part of the conversation...

Daily Planet readership, measured by Google Analytics, increased by25 percent

in 2009 to 641,000 unique visitors. We published more articles than ever
before – about 100 every week, including more original, professionally edited
news stories and reviews by citizen journalists than any other local news site
in the US.
Twin Cities Media Alliance Board and Staff
Chair: Sheldon Mains, independent Ann Treacy, web consultant, Treacy
technology consultant Information Services
Vice chair: Barry Madore, web developer, Laura Waterman Wittstock, Wittstock &
Advantage Labs Associates, past president Migizi Communications
Secretary: Pam Colby, executive director, Staff: Mary Turck, editor, Twin Cities
Minneapolis Television Network Daily Planet
Treasurer: Troy Pieper, ARP! (Art Review Jay Gabler, arts editor, Twin Cities Daily Planet
and Preview) Emily Pearson Ryan and Luce Guillen-Givens,
Sarah Bauer, executive director, Minnesota operations managers, Twin Cities Media Alliance
News Council Jeremy Iggers, executive director,Twin Cities
Richard Broderick, professor, Anoka-Ramsey Media Alliance.
Community College Ann Alquist, community outreach coordinator.
Leola Johnson, professor, Macalester College Previously, Lisa Peterson-de la Cueva.
Howard Kling, director, Labor Education Service,
U of M

Thanks to...
F.R. Bigelow Foundation •The Minneapolis Foundation • The Otto Bremer Foundation •The Saint Paul Foundation •
The McCormick Foundation • The McKnight Foundation • The Still Ain’t Satisfied Foundation

In-kind contributions
Advantage Labs • Triangle Park Creative • Hennepin County Public Library • The Databank

Individual donors
Kathleen C Anderson Paula L Fleming Emily P Lala Paul J Schadewald
Anne Aronson Kathee Foran Amy Lange Dennis Schapiro
Tracy and Luke Babler Daniel E Freese Kristal Leebrick Neala J Schleuning
Mary Kay Bailey Lara Friedman-Shedlov Annie Levenson-Falk Andrea R Seebach
Leann Lisana and James Fuller Pat Lindquist David Weissbrodt and
Joe Bartsh James and Jean Gabler Lu J Lippold Pat Schaffer
Kristin Henning and Dyane Y Garvey Catherine Lundoff Lara and Dan
Tom Bartel Wendy J Gaskill Barry R Madore Friedman-Shedlov
Pearl L Bergad Beth Gauper Sheldon and Alan P Shilepsky
Kathrine A Blauvelt Paul A Gilje Beverly Mains David H Skarjune
Peg Bouska Carl H Griffin Polly Mann Niki T Stavrou
Carol J Bouska Steven J Gulitti John and Connie Marty Mark S Sulander
John and Marie Braun Kit Naylor and Susan Maryn McKenna Karen (Kaia) O Svien
Rich J Broderick Thurston Hamersk Maggie and Dennis Amanda L Tempel
Mary McFarland and Stephanie Hankerson Montgomery Pat Thompson
James Brooks Dianne C Heins Jill A Nicholson Elizabeth j Tisel
Alan & Jill Carlson Susan L Herridge Kelly M O’Brien Ann T Treacy
Melisande Charles Curt Hillstrom Joanna O’Connell Elaine Treacy
Steve D Clemens Janet M Hively Nancy B Olsen Mary Turck
Joel Clemmer Jill Meyer and Randy R Peabody Kate Hoff and
Tyler M Cohen Louise Hotka Lisa M Peterson Bob Weidman
Pam R Colby Kate Hoff Troy D Pieper Luke Weisberg
Bruce Corrie Georg and Wilma Iggers Deb Pleasants Barbra Wiener
Leslie Davis Elaine Wynne and Lisa Pogoff Shayna Berkowitz and
Richard L Dechert Larry Johnson Dominic J Postiglione Phyllis Wiener
Martha Delaney Nancy R Johnson William Price Linda J Winsor
Brian DeVore Howard L Kling Barbara E Raye Adam Zielie
Beverly J Ferguson Nancy A Klock Joann G Rice
Henry Fischer Barb Kucera Scott Russell
Debra Fisher Goldstein Gabriele Kushi Laurie Savran