Star Tribune / Media Downturn

It was announced last night that the Minneapolis Star Tribune is cutting between 100-150 staff, including many respected long-time writers. While the number is small compared to some of the local layoffs we've seen (e.g., Highland Park Ford Plant Shutdown), it is huge as a percent of professional staff, and it certainly a dramatic reflection of the impact of the internet on information distribution.

For non-profits like mine where media was traditionally a large source of sales leads, the internet has gradually grown and overtaken and grown some more. The question of how to approach media, knowing that this trend is irreversible, is salient. Should businesses discontinue ongoing efforts at pursuing coverage in traditional media outlets in favor of online editors, directories and listings? Or should we continue pounding the pavement with writers, knowing that much of what goes to press automatically winds up online as well?