Jim Bartlett, a deputy sheriff of Mower County, ran for the office of county sheriff against the incumbent, and following a heated election campaign, his campaign committee filed a multiple complaint against the paper, implying that it had contributed to Bartlett’s defeat in the general election. The committee complained that the paper:
- Failed to adequately cover several incidents concerning incumbent Sheriff Wayne Goodnature’s record in office which reflected negatively on the incumbent’s competence;
- Unfairly demanded changes in several of the committee’s political advertisements and refused to publish one ad;
- Unfairly denied Bartlett supporters access to the newspaper’s letters-to-the-editor column; and
- Failed to give proper coverage to the election results.
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