As you are probably well aware, one week ago, on the morning of Wednesday, January 7th, an encounter between local protesters and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents operating in the Central neighborhood of Minneapolis would end with the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman behind the wheel of her SUV by an ICE agent who had placed himself in front of the vehicle.

In less than one minute, the fateful moments recorded from multiple cameras at the scene would become a defining moment for the nation. 

It would be a much-too-familiar moment for local journalists working in newsrooms across the Twin Cities. The first reports of a fatality at the hands of law enforcement would be followed by an official account that, in turn, would be immediately contradicted by the multiple videos made by witnesses on the scene.

The scene, ironically enough, was less than one mile from where a man named George Floyd would die at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers in May of 2020. That scene was also documented on video, primarily by the cellphone of a young woman named Darnella Frazier. That video, first seen on social media and then broadcast by local TV stations, would also contradict the initial police narrative of what actually happened.

Once again in 2026, Minneapolis becomes the scene for a news story that has reverberated far and wide. And for many of the local journalists working to cover the story as it unfolded in the minutes, hours, and days that followed, this is a moment that feels all too familiar.

Last Wednesday, when the first reports came in, we saw strong coverage from all the local newsrooms across the Twin Cities. In those first hours, the local television stations quickly moved to air extended live coverage. While all did admirable work, of note was KMSP-TV, known locally as “Fox 9.” The Fox-owned station produces over 12 hours of local news each day, and on this day, its experience and depth in covering an unfolding breaking news story were on full display in its continuing coverage. Recognizing the importance of the moment, Fox 9 was the only station to keep its coverage going all day, not returning to regular programming until Wednesday evening.

Another newsroom that moved quickly to cover the story, with both immediate coverage and in-depth reporting in the hours and days that followed, was the Minnesota Star Tribune. The newspaper, which won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News, delivered an unmatched depth of coverage and analysis of all the unfolding elements in the story via its online platforms and ultimately in its printed editions.

Given the recent announcement that a major city the size of Pittsburgh will soon be without a major daily newspaper, we admit to thinking that we’re fortunate to still have the resources of “The Strib” during a news event such as this.

But the outstanding news coverage was not limited to just the major outlets in the market. Smaller, reader-supported online news outlets such as the Minnesota Reformer and AlphaNews were the first to bring videos from the scene that would ultimately be seen by millions, as well as delivering strong coverage from their small but dedicated teams of reporters. The online news outlet Sahan Journal, which focuses on covering news “for immigrants and communities of color,” has been uniquely covering the growing number of ICE raids from the perspective of those groups most directly impacted by those actions.

In the same week that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would close its doors, Minnesota Public Radio’s news team would blanket the story with extended breaking news coverage throughout the day of the shooting and the aftermath in the days that followed.

Of course, this story would attract the national media, who would “parachute” in to cover it over the last week. From newly installed CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil to longtime Fox News Channel anchor Laura Ingraham, they, along with countless reporters from other various networks and outlets, would come into Minneapolis to report for a day or two before most would head back to their respective newsrooms in New York or wherever.

But this story is far from over. The protests over the presence of a growing federal law enforcement force continue daily. As we write this, a vigil is being held at the spot where Renee Good’s life ended. The Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota are in Federal court seeking a temporary restraining order to limit ICE’s ongoing actions. Six of the veteran federal prosecutors who were leading multiple investigations into fraud and waste in social programs resigned yesterday in protest.

As we noted earlier, this all feels similar in some ways to what happened here in 2020. But in other ways, it seems so much worse. Obviously, it is a story that is far from being over.

We’ll express our gratitude here for all of the working journalists who call Minnesota home and cover it every day. This past week, all of their work has been an invaluable asset to the community. We appreciate that they are still on the job and seeking to deliver the facts in this difficult time that definitely seems all too familiar.

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