About Us
Who We Are
The Minnesota Daily is a student-led newsroom and multi-media organization serving the University of Minnesota campus and the surrounding community. The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation but is also classified as a student organization. The MN Daily “Daily Breakdown” email edition is distributed five days per week during the fall and spring semesters and three days per week (M,W,F) during the summer semester. Content is also published on mndaily.com and updated regularly as news happens. The Daily employs more than 150 University of Minnesota students each year and acts as a training institution, giving them hands-on training in journalism, multimedia, photography, finance, marketing, human resources, information systems, and more.
Mission
1. Provide independent student journalism and comprehensive coverage of news, media and events that serve the public interest and inform the University of Minnesota community.
2. Offer a forum for the free exchange of ideas and civil debate for the members of the University community.
3. Train University students to professional standards, teach best practices and operate an ethical organization in all areas of journalism and the media industry.
4. Operate a fiscally responsible organization that ensures its viability as an independent student media company that continually serves the University community.
5. Support equity, inclusivity and representation in the workplace, appropriately respond to the diverse and changing needs of the campus community and continually build relationships with community members and organizations.
Equity and Inclusion Statement
The Minnesota Daily and MN Daily Media is a legacy institution on the University of Minnesota campus and has the great responsibility and privilege of acting as a public forum for the University and surrounding neighborhoods. As the University’s student newspaper, we have a duty to not only to tell stories in a fair, respectful and equitable fashion but to act that way as employers and leaders in our community. We must continually grow and diversify to more accurately represent and cover the communities we serve.
MN Daily Media is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will continue its commitment to hiring based on position qualification and without consideration to any protected classes. Furthermore, the Daily is committed to increasing access to employment opportunities for potential hires, especially Black, brown, Indigenous and POC talent across all divisions and all levels. As an organization, we will continue – and increase – our outreach and recruitment efforts to diverse communities and student organizations to create a pipeline of opportunity and access into our organization.
More than that, we will also commit to the retention and promotion of individuals from historically marginalized backgrounds and continue the creation of a more inclusive work environment. In order to see this goal to fruition, leadership at MN Daily Media has created a diversity committee to focus on expanding recruitment efforts, improving retention rates and increasing job access outside of our Human Resources department’s dedicated outreach team. This self-checking mechanism will allow us to analyze our role as an employer and student organization, better understand the strategies we use effectively and improve wherever shortcomings may exist.
We pledge to be more accountable and equitable in our hiring efforts and decisions by using our internal resources and consistently gaining external feedback. We value the variety of experiences, wisdom and skills that students of all backgrounds bring to the table and it is our mission to train every one of our students to professional standards and teach them best practices to succeed in their future endeavors. If you are interested in joining our diverse, hardworking team, you can find available job postings here.
History
In 1877, 15 seniors and 26 juniors launched the publishing of a monthly literary magazine entitled The Ariel. The students wanted to provide a forum for student individuality and keep the public informed on the growth of the University of Minnesota. In 1900, The Ariel began printing daily and was renamed the Minnesota Daily. The daily printing schedule was in response to a competing publication, The Football. After a few months of a daily printing schedule, the Minnesota Daily combined itself with The Minnesota Daily News, another competitor within the campus community.
Since its origin, the Minnesota Daily has been a force for change on the University of Minnesota campus. The Minnesota Daily has covered many big events, including the end of compulsory military drills, the beginning of women’s suffrage, and campus riots. The Minnesota Daily believes in the power of the press to bring about change. Since its beginning, the Minnesota Daily has been at the forefront of technological advancements, and it was among the first college newspapers in the country to be available online. Notable alumni of the Minnesota Daily include Steve Sack, Harry Reasoner, Ka Vang, Roy Wilkins, Henry Fonda and Chris Ison.
Today, the Minnesota Daily is entirely student-run, with the guidance of a general manager and the governance of its Board of Directors. It operates independently from the University as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, but maintains status as a student organization.
Leadership
Editor in Chief & Co-Publisher
Spencer White | Contact
Business Operations Officer & Co-Publisher
Destanee Ulrich | Contact
Executive Director & Co-Publisher
Charlie Weaver | Contact
Director of Sales
Ivan Johnson | Contact
MN Daily Media Board of Directors
Board Chair – MN Daily Alumnus, Editorial and Fundraising Experience
Brady Gervais
Secretary – Business and Sales Professional
Erik Bonhoff
Treasurer – MN Daily Alumnus, Finance Professional
Rance Rand
Director – MN Daily Alumnus, Human Resource Experience
Eli Mattison
Director – MN Daily Alumnus, Digital Media Professional
Drew Geraets
Director – MN Daily Alumnus, Digital Media Professional
Kent Erdahl
Director – Student Training Expertise & HSJMC Faculty Member
Seth Richardson
Director – News Professional & HSJMC Faculty Member
Regina McCombs
Editor-in-Chief & Co-Publisher
Spencer White
Student Director
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Student Director
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Ex Officio Member – MN Daily, Executive Director & Co-Publisher
Charlie Weaver
Ex Officio Member – Finance Professional/Accounting Adviser
Bill Conroy
Ex Officio Member – UMN, Office of Student Affairs Liaison
Kendre Turonie