Attending the hearing were Mike Strand, vice president of communications and marketing for the St. Paul Port Authority and Robyn Hansen, attorney with Leonard, Street & Deinard, the Port Authority’s bond counsel, and from City Pages, Steve Perry, editor, and Monika Bauerlein, managing editor.
Attending the hearing was Minneapolis Police Chief John Laux. KARE-TV declined to attend, or to respond in writing. This hearing was televised on Minneapolis Telecommunications Network. Chairman John Simonett did not attend or participate in the hearing because two complaints relating to the homicide case could lead to appeals before the Minnesota Supreme Court, of which he is a member. Vice Chairman Ron Graham chaired the hearing.
Chief Laux brought three complaints before the Council:
Reiva complained that the Northwest News, a free paper, was unfair in publishing a letter on the eve of a primary election that misled readers to believe he was an atheist, and that the newspaper’s coverage showed a pattern of bias against him. In alleging bias, Reiva pointed to several examples: an editor’s note attached to his campaign manager’s rebuttal letter, which Reiva characterized as “hostile;” the lack of publication of his and his supporters’ rebuttal letters to a letter attacking him by a former mayor; failure to edit out incorrect references to him in a letter by Ron Christensen, although it was brought to the editor’s attention that the information was incorrect and she edited out references to other politicians; and finally, editing of one of his letters to remove information critical of Dean Nyquist (who once worked as the paper’s legal representative.)
Appearing for the Hennepin County Medical Society were Dr. Eugene Ott, Dr. Edward Maeder, Dr. Burt Schwartz and Thomas Hoban. KARE-11 appeared by a written submission only. The grievance centers around a four-part investigative report presented by KARE on the excessive use of cesarean sections.
The City, Inc. is a social and educational community service organization working with troubled inner-city youth and their families, particularly in the African American and American Indian communities in Minneapolis. On October 7, 1989, the Star Tribune published an article titled “The City Inc. and The Way survive criticism.” The complaint is twofold:
That the article gives an inaccurate and racially insensitive portrayal of The City.
That a representative of the organization is misquoted as making a racist remark.
Veda Ponikvar, publisher of the Chisholm Free Press-Tribune Press, did not attend but responded to complainant and to the Council in writing and met with the Council’s executive director in Chisholm on March 2, 1988. Complainant Edward Tekautz attended the hearing.
Appearing at the hearing for grievant Medtronic, lnc., were B. Kristine Johnson, vice president of corporate affairs, and Raymond J. Dittrich, vice president and general counsel. Other Medtronic representatives present were William E. Drake, vice president, deputy general counsel and secretary; Celia K. Barnes, director of public relations; and James G. Foster, vice president, Medtronic Blood Systems. Appearing for the Minneapolis Star and Tribune were Tim J. McGuire, managing editor, Robert J. White, editorial editor, and Lou Gelfand, readers’ representative.
On September 9, 1986, KARE broadcast two versions of a story by reporter Bernie Grace concerning the opening day proceedings in a Hennepin County murder trial. At the outset of those proceedings, Judge Delila Pierce granted a motion by Phillip Villaume, the complainant, allowing him to withdraw as the court-appointed counsel for the defendant because of repeated threats made against him by the defendant’s father. In his grievance, Villaume complained that the KARE news reports were “incomplete, inaccurate, unbalanced, biased, excessively sensationalized (and) unfair,” and held him up to public ridicule. Representatives of KARE responded that the reports were a fair and accurate summary of what had transpired in the courtroom.
Present at the hearing were Bill Batcher, the grievant, and Douglas Hennes, Metro Editor for the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch.
The grievance arises out of the news coverage afforded by the three newspapers of the 1984 election campaign for state representative of District 35B, between K. J. McDonald (I-R), the incumbent, and Jim Hoese (DFL), the challenger. McDonald won the strenuous campaign. The Hoese DFL House Campaign Committee raises the following issues …