Crime in Minneapolis
During the summer of 2006, after a seemingly random killing of young white man in Uptown, I suggested to an MPR News editor that we look into the rising violent crime rate and see what was going on. At first, there was resistance to the idea: North Minneapolis is gripped by violent crime … just because one white man was killed didn’t mean that rising violent crime was suddenly a significant trend.
But I felt that the killing in Uptown, and one soon after in Downtown Minneapolis, represented a troubling escalation in violence and suggested something was changing. I suggested we query the Network to find out if crime was indeed more rampant than statistics were telling us. We received a strong response which suggested that crime was far more of a concern than we had known. That query and one that followed led to two stories. I encouraged one of our producers to report a piece that explored rising crime through the stories of the people from our Public Insight Network who were experiencing it. I also came up with the idea of getting a North Minneapolis native and rapper named Shakademic to report on rising violent crime from his point of view. His “rap-portage” was featured on our new show In the Loop for its “Crime Hits Home” episode.
Groundtruth: The Business of War
This project began with a query to our Public Insight Network inquiring about the role of military contractors in America’s war effort. We reached out to military contractors and members of the military via our Network, web sites and industry groups and heard back from dozens of people who had direct experience with military contracting. Their insights and experiences led me to report and produce the lead story (a longer version of which is featured as part of an online audio slideshow) and work with a web producer and Public Insight analyst to develop other profiles, a timeline and other contextual information. This project was a first of its kind for Marketplace, featuring a mix of audio slideshows, a timeline and a call for further contributions from the audience to help push the story forward. What we learned from the response is leading to further coverage of military contracting.
Sputnik: 50 Years Later
In advance of the 50th anniversary of Sputnik’s launch, I had the idea of reaching out to our Network and to physicists and scientists to learn about the galvanizing effect Sputnik had on them as children. More than 200 physicists, scientists and others who were deeply affected by Sputnik replied to our call for knowledge and insights. I took what they shared with us and worked with two American Public Media programs (Weekend America and The Story) to develop content exploring the significance of Sputnik then and now. This project features photos from the 1950s submitted by those who responded to our call for Sputnik stories.
Budget Balancer
The Budget Balancer gives our audience the chance to grapple with the trade-offs involved in balancing the state budget. We give users more than 100 options to raise or cut spending or taxes to achieve a balanced budget. Every time they choose an option, we give them information about the potential consequences, and show how that move affects the overall budget. At the end, users can send their budget highlights and a message to their legislator.
Idea Generator
I first came up with the concept of an Idea Generator in 2003 as a way to get our audience sharing solutions to a pressing social issue. The Preserving the American Dream idea generator was the fourth I have helped produce, and the first national example. I edited and wrote much of the background information and moderated the project.