A “Personal Complaint” is a complaint filed by an individual who is named or clearly alluded to in the news report in question, as published or broadcast in Minnesota. These are the only complainants that may be eligible for a public hearing if their complaint remains unresolved. The outcomes of personal complaints eligible for hearings and are publicly reported, with names of the parties included.
Privacy Statement
All complaints received are logged in the News Council complaints records. If asked about a personal complaint, News Council staff may say that a complaint has been received and will provide a brief description of the nature of the complaint and the names of the parties involved.
For general complaints: The complainant’s contact information will be shared only with the news outlet so it may respond to the complaint. Information about general complaints will be reported in the News Council’s monthly newsletter and on the News Council’s Web site. Neither the complainant nor the news outlet is named in these venues, the purpose of which is to report on trends in complaints about Minnesota news coverage.
For personal complaints: The complainant’s contact information will be shared with the news outlet so they may respond to the complaint. If a resolution is not reached, and a public hearing is scheduled, the complainant’s name and the name of the news outlet will be made public. The complaint packet submitted to the hearing panel is considered public information once the hearing has been called to order. Only in very special circumstances will the complainant’s identity be kept private (for example, if the complainant is a minor, specifically requests privacy and shows good cause).
After a personal complaint has been resolved via a public hearing, the documents provided by the parties become part of the public archive, which is kept on file in the News Council’s office. It can be viewed upon request.
On Tuesday, December 16, The Minnesota International Center will host a conversation with Tom Gitaa, president and publisher, Mshale, the African newspaper; Nghi Huynh, publisher and editor, Asian American Press; and Alisa Miller, president and CEO, Public Radio International, to explore how media consolidation is affecting the news consumption of the American public, and how this shift allows for new voices, perspectives and news media to emerge.
Go to http://www.mna.org/mna-resources/911-MNA.html to read the entire issue! MNA monthly columnist and News Council member Jim Pumarlo talks about letters to the editor.
by Jim Pumarlo
Letters to the editor truly are the lifeblood of editorial pages. Letters underscore the value of editorial pages and represent an active citizenry.
But the letters column, if it is to serve its greatest purpose, must be monitored or it can quickly become nondescript. The dos and don’ts of letters should be well understood by everyone at the newspaper, and it is equally important to let readers know the ground rules.
Too often, editors give free reign to letters and are hesitant to impose restrictions on “free expression” of ideas. In reality, a letters column without policies may prove more detrimental than beneficial to the exchange of ideas. More »
FROM WISCONSIN FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COUNCIL
3 in 10 public-records requests not properly fulfilled, new study finds
A statewide public records audit found that one in 10 requests for basic documents were denied or ignored by local governments.
Another two in 10 requests were fulfilled only after records custodians
required the requesters to identify themselves or explain why they
wanted the documents, in violation of state law.
The audit, conducted by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication, involved 318 public records requests filed in 65
counties.
“We were not trying to trick anyone,” says Bill Lueders, the Council’s elected president and news editor of Isthmus newspaper. “We asked for basic information that no one should have any problems getting. And yet
there were problems.” More »
After more than 21 months of debating, campaigning and political posturing, it appears that the election is (kind of) finally over. Join the Minnesota Pro Chapter of SPJ at Sweeney’s on Thursday, November 20 to re-hash the election season, chat about political ads, and the effect of new technologies on the campaigns.
The Twin Cities Media Alliance will host Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Chris Ison at this month’s Brown Bag Lunch With A Journalist, Wednesday, November 26. The event takes place at the East Lake Library at noon. It is free and open to the public — but you do have to bring your own lunch.
The National Press Club will host a discussion on the state of journalism in an era of media transition from a print, broadcast, online and academic perspective on Monday, November 17 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m in Coffman Union Theater. National Press Club treasurer, Bloomberg News reporter and SJMC M.A. alum Alan Bjerga will moderate the discussion as panelists present their own opinions and engage in a lively exchange of ideas.
The Minnesota Journalism Center will host author Paul Rusesabagina, inspiration for the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda, as he recounts his inspiring story of courage and compassion in the opening days of the Rwandan genocide on Monday, November 3 at Northrop Memorial Auditorium. The event takes place at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.