MN Alliance for Democracy

How important are local grassroots news outlets to you? How do you know what is happening in your community?

What does grassroots or local media have to do with democracy?

"According to the University of Minnesota’s Journalism Center Ecosystem Mapping Project, 97 local news outlets across the state have closed since 2018 - around a dozen per year. For every two outlets that shut down, only one new one has launched. Among the closures are papers that served their communities for over a century. When newsrooms go dark, no one covers the city council meeting. Nobody examines why the budget changed. Nobody asks hard questions of elected officials. And nobody reports crucial information in the languages their community speaks. Research consistently shows that when local news disappears, civic participation drops, government spending rises, and corruption goes unchecked."

Media & Democracy is one of our pillars at Common Cause MN. I sit on the steering committee for the newly formed True North News Alliance. One of the bills we have endorsed and are supporting deals with a payroll tax credit. Why?

😍A payroll tax credit helps address the lack of diversity in local news by:

👉Preventing layoffs that disproportionately harm BIPOC journalists.
👉Lowering financial barriers to inclusive hiring
👉Sustaining ethnic and community‑based outlets
👉Stabilizing jobs so journalism is accessible to a wider range of people

In short: you can’t build diverse newsrooms in an industry that’s constantly shrinking. Payroll tax credits give local media the financial breathing room needed to reflect the full diversity of the communities they serve.

Why does this matter?

At its core, local news is democratic infrastructure. It is how people learn what government is doing, how to participate, and how to hold power accountable. When local news weakens or disappears, democracy doesn’t erode evenly -it fails first and hardest for communities that are already marginalized.

Democracy depends on more than the right to vote, it depends on access to timely, relevant, trustworthy information that allows people to:

👉Understand what government decisions affect them
👉Know when and how to participate (vote, testify, attend meetings)
👉See themselves reflected in civic narratives

Minnesota has lost 97 local news outlets since 2018, roughly a dozen per year. For every two outlets that close, only one opens. Many of the hardest‑hit areas are: [source: startribune.com]

Minnesota has lost 97 local news outlets since 2018, roughly a dozen per year. For every two outlets that close, only one opens. Many of the hardest‑hit areas are: [startribune.com]

👉Greater Minnesota counties
👉Communities with fewer institutional civic resources
👉Places where local government already operates with limited scrutiny

When newsrooms go dark:

👉City councils meet with little to no public oversight
👉Budget decisions go unexplained
👉Policy impacts on working families, renters, tribal members, and immigrants go underreported

For many Minnesotans, local news outlets are the only consistent translators of democracy:

👉Explaining how laws affect renters, workers, or elders
👉Reporting in languages besides English
👉Covering issues mainstream outlets overlook
👉Acting as trusted messengers where institutional trust is low

When these outlets disappear, people don’t just lose news—they lose:

👉Visibility
👉Voice
👉A pathway into civic life

Bottom Line: A stronger local news ecosystem helps ensure democracy is not limited to those with time, wealth, or insider knowledge, but shared across race, geography, language, and income.

THAT is why we are very engaged in saving local grassroots ethnic media and news outlets.

Minnesota Internship - Organizer
This part-time internship is a hybrid role located in St. Paul, MN (20-25 hours per week, $17.50 - $17.50 an hour). You will report to the State Director. APPLY HERE: https://jobs.lever.co/commoncause/c42f6400-0f83-4b6b-8029-79da562afde2/apply

Common Cause is seeking an intern to work with our Minnesota team on voting and elections, redistricting, and democracy reform. Interns will assist with advocacy campaigns, grassroots engagement, research, policy development, communications, and/or member outreach and events. This is an exciting opportunity for someone committed to a fair and transparent democracy and interested in learning more about government affairs and the legislative process.

Common Cause Minnesota is seeking a passionate, creative, and community-rooted intern to support our digital organizing efforts. This intern will play a key role in amplifying our democracy work across social media platforms and engaging our base through compelling digital content.

Skills you will build and work you will be involved in:
👉Content Creation: Design and draft engaging posts for Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, and reflect our campaigns, values, and community stories.
👉Scheduling & Strategy: Use our tools to schedule posts, track engagement, and optimize timing for audience reach.
👉Newsletter Support: Assist in drafting short, action-oriented content and visuals for our e-newsletter, helping mobilize our base around voting rights, redistricting reform, and civic engagement.
👉Community Engagement: Monitor comments and messages, uplift community voices, and help grow our digital presence.
👉Collaboration: Work closely with our digital/comms team to align messaging with campaign goals and ensure consistency across platforms.

Qualifications
You will be a good fit for this internship if you have:
👉Strong writing and storytelling skills, especially for digital audiences.
👉Experience with Canva, WordPress, or other design tools.
👉Familiarity with social media platforms and scheduling tools.
👉Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
👉Passion for democracy, racial justice/equity, and civic engagement.
👉Multilingual skills are a plus, especially in Spanish, Hmong, or Somali, to help us reach and reflect Minnesota’s diverse communities.

Common Cause is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants of any race, creed, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, income class, political affiliation, s*x, s*xual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or marital status, as well as applicants who have been previously incarcerated.

Common Cause (501(c)(4)) and Common Cause Education Fund (501(c)(3)) are nonpartisan, nonprofit grassroots affiliate organizations dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create an open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.

Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Washington, DC, Common Cause has members and supporters living in every congressional district in the United States, and offices in 23 states around the country.

Common Cause - Minnesota Internship Common Cause seeks to attract, develop, and retain a diverse and talented staff. As part of these efforts, Common Cause requests that candidates voluntarily answer the demographic questions below so we can evaluate and improve our recruiting and hiring processes. Providing this information is ...

HAPPENING NOW! Watch House Elections Committee to take up HF2688, resolution memorializing Congress to overturn Citizens United:

HTV2 Legislative television programming produced, created and brought to you as a public service by the Minnesota House of RepresentativesView current and upcomin...

Happening now! MN Senate Elections Committee hearing where they will walk thru the proposed Elections Policy Omnibus bill. Watch here:

Committee on Elections - 03/24/26 Agenda:S.F. 4734 (Westlin) "I VOTED" stickers design update periodic competitions authorization provisionS.F. 4552 (Boldon) Independent School District No. 5...

What are your senators saying on your behalf? Watch MN Senate Elections Committee happening now: https://www.youtube.com/live/h_EvWVeV854?si=4A9AT2gcwviPwrtq

Agenda:
Elections-Committee-Agenda-03_17_26.pdf (PDF)
S.F. 1851Westlin - Misrepresentation of campaign authority prohibition

Prohibiting Scam PACs
S.F. 0828Boldon
Working group on local campaign finance reporting establishment and appropriation

SF-828-A-9-Boldon.pdf (PDF)
S.F. 4086Koran
Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board conducting a study and pilot project administration related to the use of the campaign finance reporting software by local candidates requirement provision

Committee on Elections - 03/17/26 Agenda:S.F. 1851 (Westlin) Misrepresentation of campaign authority prohibition Prohibiting Scam PACsS.F. 828 (Boldon) Working group on local campaign finance...

"According to DHS, only about 3% of illegal immigrants have any criminal convictions,” said Cato’s in testimony before the Senate Budget Committee.

Source:

Testimony Before the Senate Budget Committee on Sanctuary Cities Congress must require DHS to focus on real threats, and it must empower Americans to sue federal agents for violating the Constitution. We need accountability and constitutionality to restore trust.

Department of Human Services Investigations of Alleged Kickbacks in the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Program - MN Office of Legislative Audit releases report today.

"Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) officials asserted that, prior to 2025, the department did not have authority to investigate allegations of kickbacks in the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Program (EIDBI) program unless the allegation also included non-kickback conduct that met the definitions of fraud, theft, abuse, or error. We found, however, that DHS has long had legal authority to address allegations of kickbacks. We also identified a decades-old error in DHS’s administrative rules that may limit the department’s ability to suspend payments while investigating kickbacks."

Department of Human Services Investigations of Alleged Kickbacks in the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Program Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) officials asserted that, prior to 2025, the department did not have authority to investigate allegations of kickbacks in the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Program (EIDBI) program unless the allegation also included non-kickback...

Watch Governor Tim Walz Keith Ellison testify before US House Committee on Oversight. Listen to what is ACTUALLY said, don't just parrot partisan soundbites. Watch who spins what to lead Americans to believe conjecture over facts. https://www.youtube.com/live/gI1aY-5kxWU?si=NMlr8NpdPslsWaXt via

US Senate LIVE: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Testifies to House Oversight & Accountability Committee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are due to appear before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee to testify as part o...

✍️SIGN NOW: No illegal war with Iran. Demand Congress do its job and pass a War Powers Resolution now >> https://bit.ly/NoToWarIran

Congress must pass a War Powers Resolution, block funding for further escalation, and get every member on the record – so voters like us can see exactly where our lawmakers stand and hold them accountable now and at the polls this November.

Every member of Congress has a choice right now: do their jobs and rein in a rogue executive, or – through their inaction – endorse the President's illegal actions of war?

This bloodshed isn’t happening in a vacuum; it’s happening because Congress has repeatedly failed to exercise its authority and hold the President accountable.

Heading into the 2026 midterms, the president knows he’s failing to lower costs for working people. This administration knows we are demanding answers about ICE violence in Minnesota and across our nation.

Our members of Congress have a duty AND the power to stop this. They must do their jobs, center constituents, and not hide behind the president. Join us in making that clear!

✍️SIGN THE PETITION: No illegal war in Iran. Congress must pass a War Powers Resolution and reassert its authority – NOW. https://bit.ly/NoToWarIran

Starting this illegal war without Congress – and without a real threat – makes Trump’s motive clear. This is one more way to consolidate power. And one more crisis that could be used to try to justify undermining voting rights, silencing dissent, and targeting Muslim communities.

Trump ran as the anti-war candidate, promising not to start new wars. [3] Yet in a little over one year, he’s launched military strikes against more countries than any modern president – with little to no congressional oversight. [4]

Meanwhile, families across this country are still waiting for action on rising costs. Every dollar spent on war is a dollar taken away from our healthcare, schools, and infrastructure.

✍️Tell Congress: Do your job. Use the power your constituents gave you to stand up to Trump’s one-man march to war >> https://bit.ly/NoToWarIran

P.S. You can read our full policy statement on Trump's illegal Iran war here.
________________________________________
[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/2/iran-death-toll-reaches-555-as-us-israel-escalate-attacks
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/02/iran-attack-fourth-us-service-member-killed
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/01/trump-promised-no-wars-now-hes-a-bush-style-regime-change-president
[4] https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/trump-iran-war-military-strikes-maga

Tell Congress: No illegal war with Iran Every member of Congress has a choice right now: Will they do their jobs and rein in a rogue executive, or – through their inaction – endorse Trump’s illegal march to war? Trump’s illegal war with Iran has already killed Iranian civilians and American servicemembers. This bloodshed isn’t h...

Truth before partisan rhetoric…the place for Minnesotans to find accurate info. and ZERO campaign fader about our fight against fraud 👇👇. Please read and share widely.

Program integrity / Program Integrity - Department of Human Services Minnesotans are concerned about fraud, waste and abuse in Medicaid programs. At DHS, we understand these problems and are taking action. Employees at DHS and people across the state are working together to strengthen our human services programs to protect these vital services for years to come.

"We want a system that's fair, and fairly applied. Americans want and deserve an even playing field with equal protection under the law, equal access and fairness." Rev. Jesse Jackson, RIP on your Homegoing. 🕊️