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 »

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.

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The Winona Post ran an editorial critical of the practices of the Winona County Board of Commissioners following a committee of the board meeting on January 9, 2001. After reading an incorrect report in the Winona Daily News that said the board had decided to buy a former school building in an effort to recover lost office space after a courthouse flood, the Post’s editor called the board and obtained a denial of the report. The editor concluded that if such a decision had been made, it would have to have been at an illegal meeting.

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Participants included the complainant, Marcia Eland, and Eden Prairie News editor Mark Weber.

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Participants included the complainant, Nancy Barsness and editor/general manager of the Morris Sun/Tribune, Jim Morrison.

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This complaint was heard on written submissions only. The Fargo Forum declined to participate.

Bob Shaw and Nedra Wicks, former Council members, took part as public members in order to ensure a balance of public/media members. The proceedings took place at South Central Technical College in Faribault.

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Participants included the complainant, Morris Kurtz, accompanied by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities’ vice chancellor for human resources, Bill Tschida; from the St. Cloud Times, Susan Ihne, executive editor, and Dave DeLand, sports editor.

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Attending the hearing were the complainants, Dr. Patrick Michaels, Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, and Dr. Robert Balling, Director, Office of Climatology, Arizona State University. Respondents for the Star Tribune were Susan Albright, Editorial Page editor; Jim Lenfestey, formerly employed at the Star Tribune and writer of the editorial in question; Kate Stanley, current global warming editorial writer; and Eric Ringham, Commentary Page editor.

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Attending the hearing was the complainant, Joe Rudberg, Becker City Administrator, and Dave Hinnenkamp, Becker City Auditor with the firm of Kern, DeWenter, Viere. Representing the Sherburne County Citizen was Jake Jacobson, editor and publisher. Also attending, at the News Council’s request, was Jerry Mahoney, a municipal bond specialist recently retired from the law firm of Dorsey Whitney.

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