Mukhtar Ibrahim (GNI Fellow)

Mukhtar M. Ibrahim is a digital media entrepreneur and journalist. He’s the founder, editor, and executive director of Sahan Journal, a nonprofit digital news organization dedicated to chronicling the struggles, successes and transformations of Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Mukhtar learned a lot about the news business during his successful tenures at the Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio News. One of the main things? The lack of diversity in the reporting and editing staff was not incidental. It reflected a missing commitment to providing reliable and authentic news for Minnesota’s communities of color. So in 2019, Mukhtar quit his job at the Star Tribune and launched Sahan Journal. Mukhtar has won recognition as an innovative journalist addressing issues of diversity and equity in media. He received the prestigious leadership fellowship from St. Paul–based Bush Foundation; a “Great Immigrant” award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York; Twin Cities Business Magazine’s 100 People to Know; Islamic Resource Group’s “Building Bridges Award in Media”; the inaugural “Emerging Leader of the Year” award from the Institute for Nonprofit News, and “Above the Fold” award, which honors alumni of the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication under the age of 40 who have made exceptional contributions to their fields.