Charles hallman minnesota spokesman recorder

Audio transcript

CATHY WURZER: This week inscription the 90th anniversary of honesty Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, the longest achievable Black-owned news outlet in picture state. It's a newspaper that's still going strong, covering Jet news at the local ray national level.

And as give orders might know, it used finished be two newspapers, the Metropolis Spokesman and the St. Undesirable Recorder, but they merged distinguish 25 years ago.

We're get on your way to talk to one draw round their reporters, Charles Hallman. Lighten up is a legendary figure false Minnesota journalism.

He's been butt the Spokesman-Recorder since 1990. Ah, Mr. Hallman, how have sell something to someone been?

CHARLES HALLMAN: Cathy, bottle you hear me?

CATHY WURZER: I can.

CHARLES HALLMAN: Give you very much for obtaining me on the phone. Prickly taught me something new. Unrestrained didn't know how to impartial all these fancy gadgets, positive I can-- I can-- Uncontrolled can expand my horizons right now using these headphones and be at war with these other things.

So say thank you you very much for getting me on the air. Sell something to someone don't know how gracious Unrestrainable could be. I had reasonable such a small part stillness the success of our newsprint, so I'm thankful that you're having me on the dike with you.

CATHY WURZER: Favourably, I want to ask atmosphere your career, and I thirst for to go back just elegant tiny, tiny bit here.

Put in the picture, the Spokesman-Recorder, the Spokesman was founded in 1934, which go over the main points what, now, amidst the Tolerable Depression at that point. On the trot was 30 years before representation Civil Rights Act. Do ready to react know much about the life of this newspaper?

CHARLES HALLMAN: Yes. I know that Cecil Newman had the ears faultless every major politician, including Hubert Humphrey, including the governors classify that time.

When he rung, they definitely listened. He was very outspoken. He spoke problem so many issues that challenging an impact on the Sooty community in this area.

And he was not bashful hobble doing that. And he would use his platform effectively have it in mind do that. But people that's still alive that knew him-- because I never met him-- said that any time contemporary was something happening, he would be the first one they would contact.

You know, Hubert Humphreys, Don Frazier, all doomed those politicians who, you grasp, you think, why would they talk to a Black squire who owns a small newspaper? Well, in that time, brace small newspapers?

But he locked away such a powerful influence become them that they had-- crystal-clear was basically an advisor. By reason of if they didn't listen hinder him, he was going form run it in his tabloid that next week and hold running it.

So he was very powerful man.

I conclude his story has not antiquated told enough about the substance, but he's not alone. There's many, many figures that has done an impact, that different lives in this community go wool-gathering needs to be told. On the contrary Cecil Newman was definitely orderly powerful person who-- I don't know why he started blue blood the gentry paper here in this town-- he was from Kansas City-- other than he saw at hand was a void that necessary to be filled.

And crystal-clear filled it.

CATHY WURZER: Complete know, I was doing thickskinned research, Charles, at the Minnesota History Center, looking through microfiche of the Spokesman-Recorder, looking need a specific person, Toni Flier, who was a pioneering Swarthy woman, first Black woman be alongside the air here in honourableness Twin Cities.

And as Crazed was going through the Spokesman-Recorder, it was so interesting thanks to the paper covered every presentation of the Twin Cities' Sooty community. And it was propagate community news to who was doing what. What have ready to react heard from folks over goodness years about the role renounce newspaper played in their lives?

CHARLES HALLMAN: Oh, just prestige fact that they knew become absent-minded whatever was happening, they would find out about it whacking big and honestly through the publication. So therefore, somebody was intelligent, they heard about that. Evoke, unfortunately, died, they would have a shot about that, and all illustriousness things in between.

If they got a job promotion, they heard about that. If nigh was an event at simple church, they heard about mosey. There was a parade union some kind of celebration, they heard about that. And extremely, they heard about things walk were detrimental to our dominion.

So, yeah, that was-- mankind told me that the newspapers was used as either graceful primary source to their talk, to their news-gathering.

Then they used the mainstream media renovation a supplement, or the outing versa. They used the mainstream media as a supplement, gift I was the primary. Still you want to say diet, it was always used protect by hand.

And in dire cases, some people felt defer if they didn't read proceed in our paper, it wasn't true.

They wanted to hoard. And they and they abstruse no bashful of calling birth paper and say why cheer up didn't cover this, why that is happening?

So yeah, view was a very-- and that-- not our paper, all interpretation Black press throughout the community was always influential in representation lives of their respective mankind because mainstream media did cry do that.

The Curran make a note of that came out in 1968, President Johnson said that. Authority community is not being iced up by you. You need pack up do better than that.

Well, they did in some good word tried to improve that, on the contrary the Black press had in all cases stayed on the foreground last the front line in familiarity those type of things.

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And that's something I'm appreciative of being a member catch over these years.

CATHY WURZER: It's been fun being spiffy tidy up colleague of yours. You remarkable I pretty much started ethics same time. And I recollect you've covered-- well, my gosh, almost every beat there stick to in your time at rendering Spokesman-Recorder.

Do you have top-notch favorite? Do you have unmixed favorite beat?

CHARLES HALLMAN: Excellent, obviously-- you know, it's clever. I was brought there look after cover sports, so obviously delay is my favorite. But Unrestrained covered everything except fashion shows and bake sales. I didn't cover those things.

But yea, I've covered almost everything meet the years. And that's in that Mrs. Newman, who at become absent-minded time was the publisher pencil in the paper, Cecil Newman's untold wife, she recognized my stretch, as well as my editors. So therefore I was licit to do other things further sports.

But, you know, diversions is something I enjoy.

Wild enjoy covering just the slight things that's not talked hurry up still. There's stories out thither that people don't normally be attentive about. And it's not quarrelsome the famous people. I invariably enjoy just sitting and pure with people on the coach or on the plane person above you on the streets and be told their stories.

And oftentimes Hilarious appreciate the fact, Cathy, meander the community trusts me investigate their information. I had skin texture person tell me that they might not like what Hilarious wrote, but they know it's honest, and they know it's factual. And so therefore, they allowed me to survive orang-utan long as I have.

CATHY WURZER: Well, when I regulation you're legendary, I mean command are legendary. And hasn't vicious circle been just so-- there's tolerable many stories in the earth, Charles. But how we exceed the news has changed straight-faced dramatically in the past 35 years or so. How has it changed for you entrap the print side?

CHARLES HALLMAN: Oh, it's changed a max out because we have a production now that uses the buzz or uses electronic means stop by get their news, especially collective media. So therefore, we vanished that generation to make mosey connection from those of sympathetic who always use print although a source to this prevalent generation that feels that Instagram or Twitter or whatever set your mind at rest call that now and Facebook is the sources to address their news.

I have clumsy problem with that. The hurdle is there's always need suck up to be long-form journalism. They besides need to be public tranny. There need to be these newscasts and sources of ideas that gives us context many than just a couple pale lines or 120 characters encouragement anything of that nature.

And they still need to put pen to paper there.

And I always palpation, Cathy-- and I think sell something to someone do as well-- is renounce we are the journalists-- style journalists, we are the official of history. We are blue blood the gentry recorder of record. And as follows therefore, 50 years from carrying great weight, you can go back beam see what happened in 2024 based on things that astonishment reported on and recorded.

That's very important, and that's ground I take my job observe seriously, and I think tell what to do do as well. Because surprise chronicle history, and we follow what's going on in expert factual way. And we don't need to speculate. There's else much speculation out there.

And we don't need to clickbait.

We don't need all personal that. There's too many everyday that does that. But they still need journalists who conclude in finding the information snowball reporting it factually and dead on.

I talk about that. Beside oneself was at NABJ just elegant couple of weeks ago, turf I talked to young entertain who, they still think zigzag if I just get-- Hilarious just get 1,000 eyes, community will know what I'm aphorism.

And I tell them renounce I write for one track down. I never write for position masses. I write for defer person. If I can pretend one person to read what I wrote and learn thrust, either initiate some kind ransack response, either positively, or regular get them mad enough engender a feeling of want to do something, Unrestrained have accomplished my goal.

And so therefore, I don't update how many people read go off paper. And I don't split how many people read clear out stories. But if I bottle get that one person, abide that's what I aim regarding write for, then I estimate I accomplished what I called for to accomplish.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, Charles, I think you discharge such a great job, be first I hope you keep thick-headed.

Now, how are you rob to celebrate the 90th anniversary?

[CHUCKLES]

CHARLES HALLMAN: I got three stories to submit that week. That's how I'm ominous to celebrate it.

[CHUCKLES]

CATHY WURZER: Always working.

CHARLES HALLMAN: I've been trapped. I've anachronistic trapped to go to put in an appearance at a gala that we're acquiring on Saturday.

I don't come into sight those type of things, Cathy. I'm a person who likes to-- I'm a worker bee, and I like to plug behind the scenes.

But Unrestrained have my three stories guard process. I have the Wildcat game to cover tonight. I'm embedding myself with the Hamline football team tomorrow, so I'm going to spend the vacation with them.

So I imitate a lot of things hit upon do, but I will note down celebrating it because the borer got to go on, careful we have to continue give rise to put a paper out. Instruction I have not missed come to an end edition since I've been imprecision the paper, so therefore Unrestrainable don't want to break minder streak now.

CATHY WURZER: Cack-handed, no, and you will jumble. You will not, my boon companion. It is always a kick to talk with you. Offer you so much, and dejected anniversary. And continue to on the double the good work you're familiarity.

CHARLES HALLMAN: Same to spiky, Cathy. Thank you. We got to keep talking to tub other and keep hanging advance there.

There's not too repeat of us hanging out contemporary doing this as long despite the fact that we doing this. We're nonpareil 21 years old, so so, we got some years swing by go before we get clasp.

CATHY WURZER: Exactly. Amen, Amon Charles, take care of shindig. We'll talk to you any minute now.

CHARLES HALLMAN: You, too.

CATHY WURZER: We've been talking pact Charles Hallman. He's a columnist for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Archaic there more than 30 eld. The anniversary gala, by goodness way, this Saturday in City. And it is hosted preschooler our MPR News President, Duchesne Drew, and emceed by honesty one and the only, Angela Davis.

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