Reflecting All Minnesotans

Feb 15, 2023

We live in a really diverse, really interesting, really complicated state.

When I think about diversity in Minnesota, it’s all the different flavors – I think racial diversity, obviously, and ethnic. But it’s also gender identity, beliefs, abilities, politics and changing age demographics.

Calling Minnesota Home

So many people call this place home. From the native peoples who have been here for thousands of years, and people whose ancestors have been here for generations. To people who arrived in the last week, and people who are going to be arriving a month from now. The great thing about working and living in this region, at this time, is that more of us are aware of the wide range of ways to be and move in this world. And we, at Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), have a responsibility to be attuned to diversity and assist people along their unique journeys.

As president of MPR, it is a privilege to lead the work of MPR as we strive to amplify voices and all the diverse communities we serve.

Authentic storytelling

For MPR to be at our best, we must better understand the people and issues that make up our state and region. Our team is committed to connecting with a wider range of communities to effectively build trust and understanding. Doing this is crucial in telling authentic stories. The work we are engaged with now – focusing on being more attuned to all of who we are – will assure success in fulfilling our mission to serve our whole state.

Our exceptional journalists are dedicated to learning, growing, and getting this right. We’re building our own cultural fluency along with deeper and broader community relationships so we can create content that reflects all the voices, stories, cultures, and communities within our region. We want our storytelling to expand the perspectives of our audiences to help them understand the dynamics and issues of their neighbors.

Leading with empathy

For me, a key dimension of that work is empathy. What does that mean? Fully understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and lived experiences of the people who make up our region and state – will make our reporting authentic and real. I encourage our journalists to engage with empathy in their work, so it comes through our storytelling and better serves and engages our listeners.

We’re adding reporters, editors, and producers to our teams and expanding our news capabilities. I am personally committed to ensure we attract diverse pools of candidates for our hiring so our staff can better reflect the people whose stories we seek to cover. In a future post I’ll share details on the MPR News Diversity Source Tracker, a partnership with the APM Research Lab, that systematically tracks data on the sources we interview and feature in our stories.

Amplifying voices

Over the coming months I will highlight through this series additional successes and ongoing efforts. For now, I invite you to listen to some of the stories we’ve shared recently that reflect the diverse voices from around the state:

Two stories from our Bemidji team:

• Repatriation goes digital: Tribes receive archival copies of cultural materials 

• New Bemidji State degree draws on Indigenous practices to teach 21st century sustainability

Stories from North Star Journey:

• Born 100 years ago and raised in Minnesota, Oscar Pettiford changed the sound of American music

• All mothers care for their daughters: A traditional Korean dish honors motherhood through children’s birthdays

• ‘Finndian?’ ‘Swanishinaabe?’ Some Native people in northern Minn. reconnect with their Scandinavian roots

• A century after a Black church burned, a call to acknowledge history

• More about North Star Journey’s impact

My goal is for MPR to better connect diverse communities with the stories they want to share. If our audience trusts MPR to tell their story, then we can better reflect the world that we live in. We are working to expand that trust by exposing listeners to the diverse stories and people that make up our state.

We are making progress on it every day. And there is much more we can and will do. Member and donor support assures that.

Thanks to you for dialing in!

Duchesne Drew
President, Minnesota Public Radio

About Duchesne Drew

Duchesne Drew is Senior Vice President of American Public Media Group and President of Minnesota Public Radio. In this role, he leads the teams that produce MPR News, The Current, APM Reports and Marketplace. Additionally, he oversees YourClassical MPR as a part of Minnesota Public Radio.

Full Bio