>> CATHY: WHEN MUKHTAR IBRAHIM FOUNDED "THE SAHAN JOURNAL" IN 2019, HE HAD WORKED IN LEGACY NEWSROOMS FOR NEARLY A DECADE.

HIS GOAL WAS TO CHANGE THE WAY MEDIA COVER IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

IN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS, HE HAS GROWN THE ONLINE NEWS SOURCE FROM A STAFF OF ONE TO NEARLY TWO DOZEN, WINNING LOCAL AND NATIONAL AWARDS ALONG THE WAY.

LAST WEEK IBRAHIM ANNOUNCED HE IS STEPPING DOWN AS CEO AND PUBLISHER OF "THE SAHAN JOURNAL" TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH HIS FAMILY.

MUKTAR IBRAHIM, WELCOME BACK TO "ALMANAC."

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> Cathy: IT'S A BIG DECISION.

SO WHEN YOU AND I WORKED AT MPR NEWS TOGETHER, AND THEN YOU WENT TO THE "STAR TRIBUNE," WHAT WAS MISSING IN THOSE NEWS EXPERIENCES FOR YOU THAT LED YOU TO FOUND SAHAN?

>> YEAH, I SPENT MOST OF MY CAREER IN LOCAL NEWS ROOMS MOSTLY AT MPR AND THEN AT THE "STAR TRIBUNE."

AND I WAS TRYING TO DO GOOD WORK OF REPORTING ON DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, TOPICS, IMMIGRATION, EDUCATION, F.B.I.

AND AS I WAS CHANGING TOPICS AFTER TOPICS, I REALIZED THAT I WASN'T SEEING A LOT OF COVERAGE THAT I -- THAT RESONATES WITH ME.

ESPECIALLY FROM MY COMMUNITY.

I'M SOMALI.

AND THE COVERAGE THAT THEY OFTEN CAME ACROSS WAS SOMETHING THAT WASN'T REALLY REFLECTIVE OF THE TRUE COMMUNITY THAT I KNOW OF.

AND I AM PART OF.

AND IT'S MOSTLY THROUGH TRAGEDY WHEN THERE'S DOUBLE SHOOTING IN SEWARD NEIGHBORHOOD, FOR EXAMPLE, R WHEN YOUNG KIDS TRY TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY AND JOIN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS.

AND THAT WAS JUST THE NARRATIVE THAT KEPT COMING BACK IN THE NEWS CYCLE.

AND I WASN'T SEEING STORIES THAT GO BENEATH THAT AND REALLY SURFACE THE TRUE MINNESOTA THAT I KNOW OF AND -- SO THAT WAS, YOU NOW, THE EXPERIENCE THAT I HAVE CAME ACROSS IN THOSE NEWS ROOMS AND I JUST WANT TO GO BEYOND THAT TO DO MORE COVERAGE THAT TRULY REFLECTS MY COMMUNITY.

>> Eric: DID YOU GET SOME HEAT FROM THE COMMUNITIES THAT YOU MIGHT WRITE SOMETHING THAT ISN'T TOTALLY GLOWING ABOUT THEM?

WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU AND THESE COMMUNITIES?

>> AT AHAN JOURNAL OR IN GENERAL?

>> Eric: YEAH.

>> I MEAN, WE'RE A JOURNALISM ORGANIZATION, SO WE COVER ALSO JUST NEWS AND THAT SOMETIMES TAKES YOU TO PLACES THAT SOME PEOPLE MIGHT NOT LIKE, BUT THAT'S THE NATURE OF JOURNALISM AND YOU HAVE TO COVER THE GOOD, THE BAD, EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.

BUT JUST DON'T BE SO FOCUSED ON ONE SIDE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, AFTER A COUPLE YEARS, YOU GET THAT SINGLE STORY ABOUT THAT COMMUNITY.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO CHANGE AND WANT TO GET THE FULL BREADTH OF THE COMMUNITY AND KIND OF CHRONICLING THEIR SUCCESS, HOW THEY ARE DEFINING OUR STATE.

>> Cathy: DO YOU THINK, THEN, MUKHTAR, GIVEN THE EXPERIENCE OF SAHAN JOURNAL, THAT YOU'VE HELPED OTHER LEGACY NEWS OOMS CHANGE HOVER THEY COVER COMMUNITIES F COLOR AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

ESPECIALLY SIN THE MATTER OF GEORGE FLOYD, WE HAVE BEEN SEEING A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS AROUND THE NATURE OF JOURNALISM AND THE OLE OF JOURNALISM IN MAKING SURE IT TRULY REFLECTS OUR COMMUNITIES.

AND THAT'S WHEN WE ARE BUILDING THE ORGANIZATION THAT WHEN WE CAME TO THE SCENE, AND SINCE THEN, WE HAVE BEEN SEEING A LOT OF CHANGES IN BOTH, YOU KNOW, BIG NEWS ROOMS IN THE STATE, MPR, "STAR TRIBUNE," THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DO A BETTER JOB IN COVERING COMMUNITIES, AND NOT JUST GOING IN, IN A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY WHEN WHISTLEBLOWER SOMETHING BIG HAPPENS.

>> Eric: WHAT'S YOUR SENSE OF WHERE JOURNALISM IS HEADING WITH THE SOCIAL MEDIA, WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?

WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

>> JOURNALISM IS A -- ESPECIALLY LOCAL JOURNALISM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, NEWSPAPERS HAVE BEEN DISAPPEARING ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

AND THERE'S A NEW MOMENTUM AROUND NON-PROFIT JOURNALISM WHERE PHILANTHROPY INSTITUTIONS ARE STEPPING UP BECAUSE THEY SEE THE WHOLE OF JOURNALISM IS A BIG ROLE IN TERMS OF EDUCATING PEOPLE, MAKING THEY ARE CIVICALLY ENGAGED, KNOWING WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE SCHOOL BOARD.

AND COVERING, YOU KNOW, THOSE LOCAL RACES IN A MORE DEEPER WAY.

SO THERE'S A GOOD MOMENTUM AROUND SUPPORT FOR LOCAL JOURNALISM.

AS WE HAVE SEEN, YOU KNOW, THE "PIONEER PRESS," A SIZEABLE NEWSPAPER, JUST COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, IS NOW DOWN TO A COUPLE F REPORTERS AND THAT'S GOING TO AFFECT WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT OUR COMMUNITIES AND HOW -- WANT TO HOLD ELECTED OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE AS WELL, AND IF YOU'RE NOT IN THOSE PLACES.

>> Cathy: PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LEAVE JOURNALISM.

>> NO, I'M NOT.

THIS IS MY PROFESSION.

AND I HOPE TO STICK AROUND AND CONTRIBUTE IN A WAY THAT'S GORCHTHAT'SGOING TO MOVE THE JOURNALISM FORWARD.

>> Eric: YOU GOT A LOT TO BE