When the business story is your own paper

Minneapolis Star Tribune reader representative Kate Parry examined the coverage by one of the paper’s business reporters in covering the story of the sale of the paper and how its current publisher switched from the rival St. Paul Pioneer Press, resulting in a lawsuit.

Parry wrote, “That unusual assignment has gone to Business reporter Matt McKinney. ‘I can’t deny I love this industry. It’s been my life. I’ve worked for eight daily newspapers. I get to sit down and ask questions important to this industry and this job that I love,’ he said. McKinney, 37, has reported from Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand and Kosovo during his career.

“He began covering the Star Tribune when it was sold to Avista Capital Partners in December. ‘Until the lawsuit, it was just a business story. It felt familiar writing about it. The sale of a newspaper isn’t that unusual.’

“McKinney said he sensed many eyes were examining his stories about the sale, but the only suggestions he got from editors involved adding information that ‘strengthened the stories.’

“He did think the newspaper played the sale stories too prominently (they ran on page one, the Twin Cities + Region section cover or the Business cover). ‘I cover Cargill, the largest private company in Minnesota and until recently the largest in the world. They’ve run inside the D section,’ McKinney observed.”

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