U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar recorded an interview with the founders of Outta Wax, a vinyl record pressing plant in south Minneapolis, on April 24, 2024. The recording was later captured on a bright blue vinyl. Photo by Michelle Griffith/Minnesota Reformer.
My personal journalistic highlight of the year came from seeking an answer to a simple question: What did U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar actually say?
The question arose when social media posts asserted Omar said in her native Somali language that Somali-Americans are “people who know they are Somalians first, Muslims second.”
This led to a wave of attacks about Omar’s failing to state her allegiance to the United States, including from her colleague U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer.
Both local and national media kept doing that thing where they refer to a “controversy” without any reference to who was actually correct. They were especially hobbled by their lack of Somali language speakers. So the Reformer hired two translators, and they helped us show that Omar had been smeared by a Somali political rival.
Just a few months later, I edited an investigative story by Max Nesterak detailing Omar’s husband’s business failures. Before publication, his lawyer sent us a letter that included an unsubtle threat of litigation. We ran the story anyway. All in a year’s work at the Reformer, where we take seriously the phrase, “without fear or favor.”
Among the best features of this job is that every day is different, and this year that was especially true. Even as we were publishing stories on the November election last fall, I spent a lot of time with the Rev. JaNaé Bates and her incarcerated fiance Jamel Dontez Hatcher, for a story that explored the nature of redemption, even for someone who has taken a life.
The biggest news event in Minnesota was the selection of Gov. Tim Walz as Democratic nominee for vice president. Because I’ve covered Walz since the spring of 2017, I tried to be ready when his name was included in the list of potential candidates. I wrote an introductory profile that was republished — as a nonprofit news outlet, we allow and even encourage republication — all over the country as the nation tried to get to know an unknown Midwestern governor. I wrote about his various misstatements, as well as a column defending Minnesota values and quality of life to a national audience. And, with Michelle Griffith, I wrote about his post-defeat trip home and what would come next for Walz.
My favorite columns were often written in a flash of anger. Like when Minnesota Republicans endorsed Donald Trump for president during the GOP primary campaign. Or how a wage theft case at a dairy farm illustrated America’s two justice systems — one for rich, and another for the poor. Or when local governments put up roadblocks to pro-housing bills at the Legislature. Or when the Minneapolis Police Department claimed officers were truthful in the Jaleel Stallings case.
As an editor, I consider myself remarkably fortunate to work with the talented reporters we’ve gathered at the Reformer. They make my job easy because they do the laborious work of collecting facts. Often, when we’re discussing stories, I have a follow-up question about their work, and they already have an answer.
The year was at times bittersweet, however. Although it’s high praise when the state’s biggest media organization is recruiting away your people, we were sad to lose reporter Deena Winter and Iron Range columnist Aaron Brown to the Star Tribune.
Both produced top-flight journalism for us, helping our little news organization punch well above our weight.
And, they weren’t just colleagues — they were part of the Reformer family.
Thankfully, even if they’re now friendly competitors, the family part won’t change.
We hope your family and loved ones have a great 2025.