Determination 147: Susan & Tim Hatfield v. Winona Post
A complaint by two Winona State University professors against the Winona Post and Shopper was upheld. The Hatfields complained after a Sept. 6, 2006 story challenged the validity and credibility of a survey prepared by Susan Hatfield to evaluate the performance of Winona School Superintendent Paul Durand.
The Post published quotes from two people, stating that the Hatfield survey was “plagiarized,” and did not meet academic research standards. The Hatfields, although interviewed for the story, were not informed of the plagiarism claim, and did not have the opportunity to respond to the charge before the front-page story was published. They asserted that the survey was not plagiarized, but rather adapted from a standard superintendent evaluation used by several school districts.The Hatfields said the paper acted unfairly by failing to investigate the accusations made against them and by failing to ask them to respond.
Responding to the Hatfields’ complaint, Winona Post Editor Fran Edstrom wrote in a letter, “The role of the reporter is to report that there is an argument and explain it to the public, acting as a medium for both sides of the issue, not to attempt to verify that one side is correct and the other is not.” Edstrom maintained that the story was reported fairly and accurately. The Winona Post did not attend the hearing.
The News Council voted 9 to 1 to uphold the Hatfields’ complaint.
“The reporter had an obligation to tell the Hatfields there was an allegation of plagiarism during the interview,” said media member Wendy Wyatt. “If Susan’s quotes had been in the story, it would have read quite differently,” said media member Kerri Miller. “The reader would have known there was a dispute regarding the charges of plagiarism.”
Tags: Winona Post