Bruce Brisbine, Vice President and General Manager of Spectrum subscription television, complained that an error damaging to Spectrum, which appeared in a popular local sports column, should have been corrected in or near the column. Brisbine also alleged a conflict of interest on the part of the column writer, who is also employed by a Spectrum business competitor.
Scott Shely of Stillwater, a member of Concerned Citizens for a Nuclear Free World, a local group formed to promote a mutual Soviet-U.S. nuclear weapons freeze, complained about unfair and inadequate coverage of the group and of the nuclear freeze movement.
Minnesotans Against the Downtown Dome (MADD), a coalition including neighborhood activists and sports fans opposed to construction of a sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, complained that the Star’s and Tribune’s treatment of the long-standing stadium issue revealed a broad pattern of biased and inadequate coverage.
Dave Locey, lobbyist for the Minnesota Soft Drink Association, complained that the newspaper deliberately slanted its coverage of a litter tax bill and mandatory deposit bill under consideration by the state legislature in its 1977 session.
Drs. Robert Uppgaard and Jack Echternacht, both dentists, complained that the paper failed to meet desired journalistic standards in its overall coverage of the city’s prolonged controversy over fluoridation of its water supply. They further complained that the paper imposed unfair and inconsistent policies on letters to the editor in regard to the controversy.
Vance Opperman and William McDonough, staff members for Gerald Sikorski’s 1976 state senate campaign, complained that the publisher manipulated the newspaper’s letters-to-the-editor policy in order to oppose Sikorski’s candidacy and support his opponent.