User:Mrfeek/Minnesota Monitor

Minnesota Monitor is an online newsmagazine. It launched in August of 2006, with a focus on coverage of political issues. The newsmagazine was funded by the Center for Independent Media, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that supports community-based reporting with a left-leaning ideological bent. The site publishes daily, and is free to view.

Background
Minnesota Monitor is staffed by fellows who are paid $1500 a month for their writing contributions. The initial pool of writers included a number of liberal Minnesota bloggers, including site editor Robin Marty of the Power Liberal weblog.

During the Keith Ellison Qur'an oath controversy, the Monitor's Abdi Aynte reported that Keith Ellison would not change his mind about being sworn in on the Qur'an.

The Monitor also was the first to report that Living Word Christian Center may have violated IRS guidelines during a speech at the Church by Michele Bachmann. The story resulted in an ethical complaint being filed by CREW against the church.

Controversy
The Minnesota Monitor came under fire from Minnesota blogger Michael Brodkorb in October of 2006. He asserted that the Center for Independent Media was funded by Media Matters for America, and by extension, George Soros. In a response, Monitor editor Robin Marty stated that "the Center for Independent Media is not receiving funding from Media Matters for America.", but has not answered direct questions regarding Soros himself. No evidence has been brought forward to indicate that the site is funded by Soros, but conservative bloggers have still taken the editor's unwillingness to explain the site's funding source as license to refer to Monitor staffers as "Soros employee[s]." One Monitor fellow, Jeff Fecke, has joked about receiving the "sweet, sweet Soros money." 

Editorial Stance
The Minnesota Monitor's focus and editorial slant is politically liberal. For the most part, fellows have been drawn from the liberal blogging community in Minnesota. However, the site features a code of ethics that reads in part, "New Journalist Fellows should be honest, tireless, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information for the public." While the site leans left, it attempts to be more fact-based than a typical weblog.

Contributors

 * Robin Marty (Managing Editor)
 * Abdi Aynte
 * Andy Birkey
 * Joe Bodell
 * Craig Cox


 * Jeff Fecke
 * Matt Martin
 * Leigh Pomeroy
 * Sara Reller
 * Paul Schmelzer