ABOUT US
The Minnesota Reformer is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to keeping Minnesotans informed and unearthing stories other outlets can’t or won’t tell. We’re in the halls of government tracking what elected officials are up to — and monitoring the powerful forces trying to influence them. But we’re also on the streets, at the bars and parks, on farms and in warehouses, telling you stories of the people being affected by the actions of government and big business. And we’re free. No ads. No paywall. The Minnesota Reformer and its articles, graphics, and commentary are also free to republish. In fact, we welcome and encourage it. Please adhere to some simple guidelines, and let us know if you republish our stories.
Freelance submissions: The Reformer is not currently commissioning freelance feature stories, although we are publishing guest commentaries.
The Reformer publishes guest commentaries about issues of interest to Minnesota. Here are our guidelines for publishing a guest commentary. You should read them. Please fill out this form to submit a guest commentary.
Minnesota Reformer is an affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations.
Minnesota Reformer retains full editorial independence.
J. Patrick Coolican
Editor-in-Chief
J. Patrick Coolican is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Minnesota Reformer. Previously, he was a Capitol reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for five years, after a Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan and time at the Las Vegas Sun, Seattle Times and a few other stops along the way. He was named jounalist of the year by the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists in 2025. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and two young children.
Max Nesterak
Deputy Editor
Max Nesterak is Deputy Editor of the Reformer and reports on urban policy, economics and labor. Most recently he was associate producer for MPR’s Morning Edition after a stint at National Public Radio. He also co-founded the behavioralscientist.org and was a Fulbright Scholar to Berlin, Germany.
Michelle Griffith
Reporter
Michelle Griffith covers Minnesota politics and policy for the Reformer. She's also covering the 2026 race for Minnesota governor. Most recently she was a reporter with The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead in North Dakota where she covered state and local government and Indigenous issues. For two years she was also a corps member with Report for America, a national nonprofit that places journalists in local newsrooms and news deserts.
Madison McVan
Reporter
Madison McVan is a reporter covering the impact of the Trump administration on Minnesotans, including issues like immigration, agriculture, Medicaid, food, housing and other safety net cuts. She's also covering the 2026 Minnesota U.S. Senate race. Prior to joining the Reformer, she wrote about labor and environmental issues in the agriculture industry for Investigate Midwest. She moved to the Twin Cities in 2020 after graduating from the University of Missouri with degrees in journalism and Latin American studies. She's bilingual.
Alyssa Chen
Data Reporter
Alyssa Chen is a data reporter at the Reformer with a focus on health care. She was previously a researcher at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Health Care Policy and graduated from Harvard in 2023 with a degree in statistics.