I began my career as the retail reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune in January 2025. During my first week, Target announced it was rolling back its DEI efforts, catapulting me into the complex landscape that is retail reporting. My days are often filled with conversations with Minnesota-based companies like Target and Best Buy, the state's most popular malls and experts who've spent their careers analyzing the topics I'm covering.

As a young reporter, I'm fortunate enough to play a role in shaping the modern media landscape. I graduated from the University of Iowa in December 2024 with a degree in journalism and mass communications and social work where I worked as the opinions editor for the Daily Iowan and completed several internships with local nonprofits and food pantries.

When I'm not at work, I can almost always be found within five feet of my pit bull mix, Freddie. We spend our off days walking to Duck Duck Coffee, cuddling on the couch with a good read or playing fetch while a podcast plays in the background. As proud Illinois natives, we frequently travel back to visit family, go to Cubs games and shuck corn at our local farm stand.

Freddie, my sweet, almost six-year-old pit bull mix

If I had to offer a few book recommendations for the rest of my life, a few of them would include:

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff

If you have any book recommendations or challengers to my all-time favorites, send me a message at carson.hartzog@startribune.com.

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