Building Bridges Through Better Listening—Talking Sense
Apr 23, 2024
One of the things MPR is best known for is its deep and comprehensive political reporting. As the work of legislatures, congress, and a presidential election rise to the top of our attention, we also face deep divisions that make all kinds of relationships more difficult. Historians agree. Our country is experiencing more polarization than at any time since the 1850s, the Civil War era.
Surprisingly, this polarization is not primarily about issues. Ours is defined as “affective polarization” or social polarization—how we feel about each other. As this pervasive polarization has invaded our lives, it is the problem that keeps us from solving all the other problems.
That’s why I am so excited about Talking Sense an initiative we launched in February as a partnership between MPR News and Braver Angels, a non-profit based here in Minnesota. MPR News and Braver Angels share a common goal: to foster meaningful connection and conversation among Minnesotans who differ politically. We believe a diversity of perspectives enriches our communities and that civic engagement strengthens our country.
Reporter Catharine Richert brought us the idea as a special project that we funded through our internal innovation grants program, which is named for our founder Bill Kling. Catharine has done a lot of political reporting over the years. Yet even as she worked on fact-checking efforts in political reporting, she concluded that facts alone aren't enough. We need ways to communicate beyond our differences.
Braver Angels has staked out a space locally and nationally for doing just that. They bring concrete tools and approaches to bear on difficult conversations. As co-founder Bill Doherty says, “to encourage people to be bridge builders in a world that is burning down.”
Each Tuesday you can hear a Talking Sense segment on our air. For example, in late February we hosted a kick-off event in Woodbury attended by more than 70 people. (You can watch that hour-long event or listen to a segment Angela Davis did on the event). People in the audience that night talked about everything from leaving their churches to difficulties with longtime friends and family members. They spoke of a sense of loss that they're feeling because things have become so toxic and high stakes.
To be clear, our goal isn’t for people to change their positions or to agree with one another. Our goal is for people to have conversations where they come away with a deeper understanding of why people feel the way they do. And to reduce the contempt that flows through too many exchanges.
We’ve built an online tool to help people prepare for and navigate hard conversations. People place themselves in imaginary conversations around divisive topics like Covid-19, abortion and climate change. They learn their communication style and identify the styles of others, plus tips on how to listen and communicate across differences.
The Talking Sense team spent two days in Ely, where area residents are trying to change the way they talk to each other about mining. They saw 80-year-old men who worked in mining cry when they talked about it. It's just such a part of the culture and economy there.
Catharine Richert also spoke with two St. Paul City Council members to better understand how the Council came together to unanimously pass a controversial resolution that had initially failed to garner full support. As Council member Rebecca Noecker put it, “In some ways taking a stance is the easy thing to do. I think the harder thing to do is to bring people together and…take a beat, and make sure you understand and listen and think. To make sure you understand what it takes to build consensus…. I think politics is about passing well-considered, unifying, official language.”
MPR News will always produce fact-based stories that illuminate, surprise, and challenge our audience. This project shifts the type of information and tools that we're giving people, while also leaning into what MPR News does instinctively, which is to serve as a public forum—whether in person at these events or on the air in a call-in show or using this project as a community engagement tool online.
I invite you to dive into the tips and tools offered through Talking Sense and join us at an event soon. We’re counting on you to be part of the solution and head off polarization during this election year. As ever, it is only with your support that we can innovate across our services and serve you better.
Duchesne Drew
President, Minnesota Public Radio
About Duchesne Drew
Duchesne Drew is Senior Vice President of American Public Media Group and President of Minnesota Public Radio. In this role, he leads the teams that produce MPR News, The Current, APM Reports and Marketplace. Additionally, he oversees YourClassical MPR as a part of Minnesota Public Radio.