The Minnesota News Council denied two complaints against the Morrison County Record by state legislator Al Doty (DFL-Royalton).

Rep. Doty complained to the News Council after the paper published a March 2 story, “Local GOP objects to Doty’s support of gas tax hike.” The Record’s editor and general manager, Tom West, approached Doty for comment “on the gas tax,” but did not tell him it would be used in a news story about Doty’s support of a transportation bill. In an effort to balance a press release issued by Republican leaders in the district, West rewrote the press release to include comments from Doty and the county engineer, as well as additional background information. More »

Rep. Al Doty v. The Morrison County Record

12:15 p.m., August 21, 2008

Hamline United Methodist Church - St. Paul, Minn.

Minneapolis (Aug. 20, 2008) - The Minnesota News Council will convene Thursday, August 21 to consider two complaints against the Morrison Country Record by state legislator Al Doty (DFL-Royalton).

Rep. Doty complained to the News Council in April about the Morrison County Record, a weekly newspaper in Little Falls, Minn. Rep. Doty said the paper approached him for a general quote “on the gas tax,” but did not tell him it would be used in a news feature that critiqued his support of a transportation bill (“Local GOP objects to Doty’s support of gas tax hike,” 3/2/08). Record editor and publisher Tom West disagrees that Doty should have told what the story was about in advance. Doty “gave good answers to the questions I asked him,” West wrote, “and they were reported accurately in the printed article.” More »

June 19, 2008, St. Paul: The Minnesota News Council upheld two complaints against KBJR-TV (Duluth, Minn.) and upheld one complaint against KSTP-TV. More »

The Minnesota News Council voted Thursday to deny three complaints against the Duluth Budgeteer News, affirming the paper’s decision to run a Nov. 4, 2007 opinion column critical of Duluth School Board candidate Gary Glass.

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The Minnesota News Council voted 15-0 to uphold a complaint that a Woodbury Bulletin editorial was factually inaccurate in its portrayal of an Afton City Councilman’s conduct at a city council meeting.  The News Council denied a second complaint, that the paper had a responsibility to check the accuracy of a similar letter to the editor.  The vote was 9-4, with two abstentions. 

Tags: Woodbury Bulletin
Posted in 2008, Complaint Denied/Upheld, Editorial and Opinion, Hearings, Letters, Reputation | No Comments »