Let’s Go Crazy, Star Tribune Edition
1st February 2023
Scott Johnson at Power Line.
Minneapolis’s Star Tribune illustrates how the major daily newspaper of a metropolitan area can contribute to its decline. The owner of the newspaper has a high tolerance for mediocrity and the local news reads like public relations for Minnesota’s DFL. Today’s case in point is Briana Bierschbach’s page-one story on the new abortion law Democrats rammed through the legislature in record time: “Gov. Tim Walz signs law strengthening abortion rights in Minnesota.” Subhead: “It’s the first in a series of bills that Democrats say will help guarantee access to the procedure for decades to come.” This is today’s page one above the fold, just beneath the Star Tribune logo.
The text of Bierschbach’s story reminds me of Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration.” Here is how the song goes: “This is your celebration / Celebrate good times, come on / Let’s celebrate /Celebrate good times, come on / Let’s celebrate / There’s a party going on right here / A celebration to last throughout the years.” It’s the unmistakable subtext of Bierschbach’s story.
One problem with the story is its failure to explain what the bill actually accomplishes. Even readers who are inclined to agree, as most undoubtedly do, won’t get it.