Charles H. Jones, the grievant, was present, as was Myron J. Schober, editor of the Tri-County Record. Jones’ complaint raises issues about the newspaper’s handling of letters to the editor and the newspaper’s policy with respect to religious columns.
In February 1990, KARE-TV, Channel 11 ran a three-part series depicting abuses in the state welfare system by welfare recipients. At the time, certain remedial legislation was being proposed in the legislature. The general thrust of the series was that large sums of welfare funds were being lost because of fraudulent claims by recipients and that the public authorities were devoting insufficient resources and personnel to investigate the fraud. Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) filed a complaint with the Council, claiming that the program contained factual inaccuracies. As the basis for its complaint, WAMM relied on a two-page fact sheet prepared by the Department of Human Services entitled “Corrections to False or Misleading Statements in KARE 11 Welfare Fraud Series.”A Question of Standing: On occasion, the Council may sponsor a forum to discuss a media topic; in this setting, the question of standing does not arise. When, however, the Council hears a particular charge against a particular newspaper or television station, the Council generally requires that the complaining party have standing, i.e., some immediate, direct personal interest which is adversely affected by the news story. The requirement of standing gives some assurance that both sides of the dispute will be adequately presented and represented; that the issues will be well-defined; and that due process is accorded the party against whom the complaint is made.