This matter raises consideration of whether, and under what circumstances, the news media should disclose the identity of a witness to a crime. We set forth what we regard as the general considerations for making this determination and decide, on balance, that the newspaper here inappropriately published the name of a witness to a violent crime.
Appearing at the hearing for grievant Medtronic, lnc., were B. Kristine Johnson, vice president of corporate affairs, and Raymond J. Dittrich, vice president and general counsel. Other Medtronic representatives present were William E. Drake, vice president, deputy general counsel and secretary; Celia K. Barnes, director of public relations; and James G. Foster, vice president, Medtronic Blood Systems. Appearing for the Minneapolis Star and Tribune were Tim J. McGuire, managing editor, Robert J. White, editorial editor, and Lou Gelfand, readers’ representative.
On September 9, 1986, KARE broadcast two versions of a story by reporter Bernie Grace concerning the opening day proceedings in a Hennepin County murder trial. At the outset of those proceedings, Judge Delila Pierce granted a motion by Phillip Villaume, the complainant, allowing him to withdraw as the court-appointed counsel for the defendant because of repeated threats made against him by the defendant’s father. In his grievance, Villaume complained that the KARE news reports were “incomplete, inaccurate, unbalanced, biased, excessively sensationalized (and) unfair,” and held him up to public ridicule. Representatives of KARE responded that the reports were a fair and accurate summary of what had transpired in the courtroom.
Present at the hearing were Bill Batcher, the grievant, and Douglas Hennes, Metro Editor for the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch.
On May 12, 1986, the Minneapolis Star and Tribune published an article about a new county land-bidding policy which repealed the city’s right to bid competitively on tax-forfeited, blighted properties. A city councilman was quoted as displeased with George Grant, the complainant, who had outbid the city on a house the city had wanted to purchase. The article portrayed Grant as a landlord troublesome to the city.
Thereafter, when the newspaper’s reporter contacted Grant for his side of the story, Grant gave an interview which resulted in an article published May 20, 1986, with the headline, “Ex-legislator spurned politics, farming to become controversial city landlord.” Grant claims this article is unfair, biased, and fails to tell his story.
John Polis claimed that his letter to the editor had been improperly edited by the newspaper.