Front Page: Minnesota's Star Tribune - Josh Engen

Digital Underground Behind The Attack On Target
By Jennifer Bjorhus

Back in November/December, a shifty bunch of hackers managed to get their hands on the credit card numbers and debit accounts for about 40 million Target customers. The breach has been front-page news across the country, and, because Target is a local company, it continues to be here in Minnesota.

Jennifer Bjorhus' report caught my eye partially because it was conveniently placed at the top of the front page, and partially because the StarTribune's designers emphasized the story with some clever typography. Plus, the headline indicated that the authorities have uncovered a suspect, and the piece included a picture of a suspicious-looking character.

Bjorhus didn't inject much of her own opinion, but the piece is filled with some fairly speculative information from outside experts. Even though Bjorhus' sources are extremely credible and the facts have been checked, nothing has been confirmed by Target's investigators.

Source: StarTribune

Over 50, Working Against Time
By Adam Belz

Even with a growing economy, people are still struggling. In this piece, Adam Belz has essentially found a case study that illustrates the kind of ageism that’s happening within the current job market. He followed 62-year-old Michael Duffy who went from earning six figures to becoming a part-time Starbucks employee at $7.75 per hour.

It was hard to miss this article on the StarTribune's front page, as its title image and gigantic, uppercase typeface swallowed the majority of the paper's real estate. Articles like this are frequently found across the country's newspapers, because the economy continues to negatively effect people like Michael Duffy.

The article's message is equally hard to miss. It definitely has a one-sided slant, but it's backed with data instead of opinion.

Source: StarTribune

His Last, Kind Act Repaid in Gunfire
By Joy Powell

North Minneapolis has an infamous reputation. In the 90s, residents started using the term Murderapolis with disturbing frequency. And even though the crime rate has been steadily dropping over the last couple of decades, this kind of story isn't exactly surprising.

But that doesn't make it any less heartbreaking.

69-year-old Thomas Sonnenberg was killed, and his wife was nearly strangled to death during a home invasion on January 31st. The killer gained access to the home by pleading “Let me in! Somebody’s going to kill me!” Sonnenberg obliged, and was gunned down moments later.

The author doesn't editorialize, but her piece does have an appropriately somber tone. This kind of subject matter is often difficult to handle without sounding callous, but Powell deals with it nicely.

It's hard to say what attracted me to the story. The paper's typographic hierarchy played a role, but the headline is what probably drew me in.

Source: StarTribune

Tighter Screening Being Sought for Minnesota's Caregivers
By Chris Serres

The state of Minnesota has a magnifying glass on its licensed day-care centers and nursing homes. Rising complaints and outdated facilities have brought unwanted attention to the care industry, but people are understandably concerned.

In order to better protect vulnerable residents, the "Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is seeking broad new authority from the Legislature to collect fingerprints and to conduct FBI criminal background checks on prospective employees of child-care centers, homes for the disabled, and other sites that care for the needy," writes Serres.

In this post-Snowden world, governmental suspicion is common, and newspapers like the StarTribune are more actively seeking to educate the public on privacy policies. And since the collection and storage of personal information can be an intensely partisan topic, seeing this on front page was not surprising.

Source: StarTribune