June 22nd, 1995
Determination 105: University of Minnesota Women’s Studies Department v. Star Tribune
The Department objected to two articles in the Star Tribune on July 21, 1994. The Department made three claims of unfairness: first, that the articles distorted the reality and hurt the image of the Department by focusing on one course, which the Department said was unrepresentative of its offerings. Second, that the paper committed an ethical violation by using an undercover reporter in a classroom and by mischaracterizing the story it was working on when it approached the acting department chair, Jacqueline Zita, for comment; and finally that the main article relied uncritically upon the writings of Christina Sommers, whose work has been funded by organizations the Department characterized as “right wing.”