>> THE "STAR TRIBUNE"HAS A NEW LEADER AT THE TOP OF THE ORGANIZATION, AND THIS WEEK WAS HIS FIRST WEEK ON THE JOB.
PUBLISHER, STEVE GROVE, IS A FORMER GOOGLE EXECUTIVE, WHO MOST RECENTLY HEADED D.E.E.D.
MINNESOTA'S DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
YOU COME FROM A HIGH-TECH BACKGROUND.
THANKS FOR COMING, BY THE WAY.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WHERE DOES OUR -- WHAT IMPACT DOES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE GOING TO HAVE?
>> IT'S CHANGING EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES.
IT'S ASKING US QUESTIONS ABOUT WHO WE ARE AS PEOPLE THAT ARE EVEN DEEPER THAN ANY TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT IN HISTORY.
I THINK FOR AN ORGANIZATION LIKE THE "STAR TRIBUNE," LIKE ANY COMPANY TODAY, WE HAVE GOT TO LEAN INTO TECHNOLOGIES LIKE THAT.
THOUGHTFULLY.
BUT WITH A MIND TOWARDS WHEN COMPANIES ARE IN FLEXION POINTS AND WANT TO BECOME RELEVANT TO A NEXT GENERATION OF USERS, YOU HAVE TO FIND THE WAYS TO CAPITALIZE ON ADVANCEMENTS LIKE THAT.
SO WE'LL EXPERIMENT IN WAYS THAT ARE SAFE AND ULTIMATELY KEEP THE "STAR TRIBUNE"'S CORE VALUES OF BEING A GREAT AND TRUSTED SOURCE OF NEWS THE CENTER OF WHAT WE DO.
>> ARE YOU SEEING ANY SAFEGUARDS IN THE NEWSROOM O VET VIDEOS AND OTHER INSPECTION THAT WILL BE OUT THERE THAT COULD BE FAKE?
BECAUSE OF A.I.?
>> IT'S CRITICAL, ISN'T IT?
>> RIGHT.
>> WE LIVE IN A WORLD THAT PARADOXICALLY HAS MORE SOURCES OF INFORMATION THAN EVER BEFORE, BUT IS HARDER TO FIND WHAT THE QUALITY OF INFORMATION IS.
AND I THINK JOURNALIST ARE THE CREATORS AND CURATORS.
WE NEED TO POINT IN THE DIRECTION OF WHAT IS USEFUL AND VALUABLE.
THAT IS A SERVICE TO SOCIETY.
AND I THINK NO ONE WOULD ARGUE WITH THE FACT THAT COMMUNITIES LIKE OURS HAVE STRONG JOURNALISTIC INSTITUTIONS, LIKE THIS ONE.
DO BETTER ON A WHOLE HOST OF METRICS.
VOTER TURNOUT, BELIEF IN WHAT IS HAPPENING.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A STATE THAT HAS GREAT JOURNALISM AND THAT'S WHY I TOOK THE JOB.
>> PARTICULARLY SINCE GEORGE FLOYD, THE PAPER MADE STABS AT INCREASING DIVERSITY.
AND I WONDER -- HERE COMES ANOTHER WHITE GUY AS THE NEW CEO, AND I WONDER HOW YOU'LL HANDLE THAT WHOLE DIVERSITY ISSUE.
>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
AND THIS WAS A CENTRAL MISSION OF OUR AGENCY, TO REALLY FOCUS ON EQUITABLE OUTCOMES IN OUR STATE AND TO DO SO IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS.
IF WE KEEP DOING THE SAME THINGS AS A STATE, WE'RE GOING TO KEEP GETTING THE SAME RESULTS.
AND I SAME SAY THE SAME OR THE "STAR TRIBUNE."
THIS IS A PAPER THAT WON A PRIZE.
I CAN TELL HAS ITS HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
WE NEED TO DO MORE.
THE "STAR TRIBUNE"SHOULD BE TELLING THE STORY OF MINNESOTA, AND THAT IS A STORY OF VERY MINNESOTAN, NOT JUST THOSE WHO LOOK LIKE YOU AND ME.
>> YOU SPENT TIME AT OOGLE NEWS LABS.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN THAT EXPERIENCE?
>> I LOVED THAT.
I STARTED AFTER A CAREER OF GETTING GOOGLE PLUS OFF THE GROUND AND THEN SEEING IT PLUMMET TO EARTH.
ONE OF OUR FAILURES, BUT A LOT OF FUN.
GOOGLE NEWS, WE STARTED, BECAUSE IT SHOULD HAVE A BRIDGE BETWEEN ITS ENGINEERS AND NEWS ROOMS TO MAKE JOURNALISM FUNCTION MORE EFFECTIVELY.
AND, BOY, I LEARNED A LOT.
I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE GOOGLE OF JOURNALISM, AND TRYING TO BRIDGE THAT SPACE IS IMPORTANT.
WHAT I LEARNED BY GOING TO NEWS ROOMS AROUND THE WORLD IS THIS.
ORGANIZATIONS THAT DON'T UNDERSTAND THE CHANGE OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS IS GOING TO BE A LOT FASTER THAN CHANGE THE LAST TEN YEARS.
AND DON'T FIND WAYS TO LEAN INTO THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FACE REAL CHALLENGES.
AND FOR THE "STAR TRIBUNE"AND MEDIA IN GENERAL THIS IS AN INFLEXION POINT.
WE CAN PRESERVE A FUTURE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE DECADES, BUT UT WILL TAKE HARD WORK.
>> WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC MODEL FOR -- FOR DIGITAL?
I MEAN, IS IT UNDERWRITING?
IS IT A PAY WALL?
IS IT SUBSCRIBERS?
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE MONEY IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS?
>> IT'S REALLY INTERESTING.
JOURNALISM HAS LARGELY BEEN BASED ON ADS.
COMPANIES LIKE GOOGLE HAVE CHANGED THAT MARKETPLACE.
MARKEDLY.
WE WILL STILL BE A COMPANY THAT TAKES ADS.
WE HAVE GREAT RELATIONSHIPS WITH ADVERTISERS.
BUT IT IS INCREASINGLY READER REVENUE, ASKING USERS TO PAY FOR THIS CONTENT THAT'S GOING TO HELP ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OURS THRIVE, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN'T JUST BE ABOUT THE NEXT DIGITAL DO-HICKEY.
YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE SOMETHING, VALUE FOR OUR USERS AND CUSTOMERS.
THEY HAVE TO THINK, GOSH, I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT "STAR TRIBUNE"SUBSCRIPTION.
AND WE WANT TO CREATE THAT VALUE TO PEOPLE WILL TAKE THEIR HARD-EARNED MONEY AND TRUST IT WITH US O GIVE WHAT THEY NEED.
>> YOU HAVE VERY EXPENSIVE, I ASSUME, OFFICE SPACE IN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS.
AND THE PLACE IS A GHOST TOWN MANY DAYS.
A LOT OF YOUR WORKERS ARE GOING FROM HOME OR ELSEWHERE.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO TELL THE GUILD?
ARE YOU GOING TO SAY, YOU GUYS ARE COMING BACK TO TOWN, OR WHAT HAPPENS THERE?
>> FAIR QUESTION.
I THINK I'M PROBABLY TOO EARLY TO FIGURE WHAT OUR PLAN SHOULD BE.
MONDAY, MY FIRST DAY, WE HAD A TOWN HALL.
YOU COULD FEEL THE ENERGY IN THE ROOM.
THERE WAS AN EXCITEMENT.
WE LIVE IN A HYBRID WORLD, PEOPLE ARE WORKING IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
THE REPORTERS NEED TO BE DOING THEIR JOBS.
WE'RE GOING TO BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT IT, AND I THINK FOR ME, WORK SHOULD MATCH THE TASK.
IF YOU'RE COLLABORATING, WORKING TOGETHER, BEING IN PERSON MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
IF YOU'RE OUT THERE REPORTING, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER YOU'RE IN A NEWSROOM OR WRINKLES WHERE.
>> CAN'T AIT TO HEAR WHAT IT IS PEOPLE ARE MISSING AND I WANT TO HEAR WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT WHAT OR VALUE PROPOSITION IS, WHAT WE SHOULD COVER.
WE ARE BLESSED WITH ONE OF THE LARGEST -- IN FACT, THE LARGEST NEWSROOM IN THE UPPER MIDWEST.
OVER 220 JOURNALISTS.
SO OUR SCOPE AND SCALE AND STRENGTH, ARE WE USING IT CORRECTLY, THOUGHTFULLY.
ARE WE MEETING WHERE THEY ARE.
WE SHOULD MEET YOU IN PRINT AND DIGITAL.
>> AND IF YOU LIKE VIDEO?
A YOUNG PERSON WHO LOVES VIDEO?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT?
PARTNER WITH PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO DO VIDEO?
>> WE NEED TO, RIGHT?
>> NEWSROOM?
>> I THINK THAT'S RIGHT.
MUSIC VIDEO IS IMPORTANT.
PARTICULAR TO GO, INSTAGRAM.
WE ATTACK MORE TOWARDS DEMOGRAPHICS MY AGE AND ABOVE.
AND WE NEED TO LOOK FOR YOUNGER USERS AND THEY CONSUME IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
>> REAL PAPER HAS BEEN ON MY DOORSTEP FOR 40-SOME YEARS.
>> TRUE.
>> GOOD LUCK TO YOU.
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