As you may have read in the media, the Board of Directors of the Minnesota News Council has made the painful and difficult decision to close our doors.

After 41 years of existence and more than 155 hearings involving consumers of the media and its outlets, in the past couple years MNC has been overtaken by a combination of forces, many of them common to other charitable organizations.  The recession of 2008 and 2009 had a terrible impact on our funding.  Many of the corporations that had contributed to our efforts over the years for their own budgetary reasons cut back on their charitable giving, often refocusing their efforts to a narrow list of vital functions, such as children’s issues, healthcare and education.  Minnesota’s two major daily newspapers, facing bankruptcy, ownership changes and other issues, also either trimmed their contribution or eliminated it altogether.

Finally – times change.  The growth and expansion of the Internet had a profound impact on our efforts.  The proliferation of blogs, which allowed news consumers their own distinct voices, email and comment  sections to online news stories, provided an instantaneous outlet for complaints, concerns and commentary on the news.  Our hearing process, which was both thorough and, as a result, time-consuming, couldn’t measure up to the instant access allowed by electronic media.

You should be aware that the Board of the News Council explored every possible avenue to keep the organization alive:  We asked both the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and the University of St. Thomas’ School of Journalism if either institution would like to take over the organization; we also asked both our board members and hearing panel members if anyone would like to continue the organization’s work on a purely volunteer basis.  None of these avenues bore fruit.

We are now in the process of filing the necessary legal documents to formally close down the organization and will be posting this on our website as further notification.  Eventually, we will be working to transfer the approximately $270,000 in our endowment – upon which we had been drawing heavily for operating money before we eliminated our paid staff and moved out of our offices – to the Minnesota News Media Institute, the 501(c)(3) arm of the Minnesota Newspaper Association.  The funds will be used for the continuing education of working journalists, to continue the Minnesota News Council’s public forum program, and for research projects at the graduate and undergraduate level.

To all those who have supported our efforts, participated in our hearings and donated to our operations, thank you.  Without you all, we wouldn’t have succeeded as long as we did; becoming the longest-living organization dedicated to fair and trusted journalism in America.  That’s something to be proud of.

Best wishes,

Tony Carideo
Chairman of the Board
Minnesota News Council

Confused about how and when Fair Use applies to entries on Facebook, Twitter and blogs? Paul Hannah provides pointers on Copyright law for journalists, concerned citizens, bloggers and all concerned about Fair Use in online expressions. As a well-known Twin Cities media attorney, Mr. Hannah knows the law and can clarify it for those who may be intimidated, confused or overwhelmed by it.

Time: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 | 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Location: Women Venture Meeting Room
2324 University Ave West, St. Paul (just East of Raymond)

Free parking available.

COGI-tations are public forums sponsored by Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, www.mncogi.org

When:

Thursday, May 27 | 4:00 p.m.

Where:
Ted Mann Concert Hall
2128 4th St. S, Minneapolis, MN

This presentation is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

The Humphrey Institute’s Center for the Study of Politics and Governance will host a forum with “Meet the Press” for part of its Across America series– special discussions with key political and community leaders–at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 27, at Ted Mann Concert Hall. Registration is required.

Enter your work now — the submission deadline is April 30, 2010.  Visit http://news-council.org/contest/ to enter online or to download a printer-friendly entry form.

The Minnesota Ethnic & Community Media Awards are open to all ethnic media in the state of Minnesota, and to all community media in the Twin Cities metro area. (“Community media” includes print, broadcast and online media that serve geographic communities, as well as media that serve specific groups such as labor, women, etc.)

Nominations may be submitted by news organizations or individuals. Articles that originally appeared in the Twin Cities Daily Planet are not eligible. All entries will be judged by panels of independent judges including journalism faculty, professional journalists, and members of the communities that the participating ethnic and community media serve.

In this issue:  our fiscal year ends Wednesday, March 31st; sign up to hear about MNC events before anyone else; register for the Midwest Journalism Conference; and read about upcoming events.

You can view Newsworthy Online by clicking here.

A variety of different registration options are available (one- and two-day passes).  Make your hotel reservation by March 23rd to ensure the group rate.

Download the conference program and registration form here.

More information is available at the Northwest Broadcast News Association Web site.

The Midwest Journalism conference is a collaborative effort, presented jointly by the the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Minnesota Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Minnesota Associated Press and the local chapter of the Radio Televion Digital News Association.

March 14-20, 2010

Sunshine Week is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know.

Sunshine Week is led by the American Society of News Editors and is funded primarily by a challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Miami.

Locally, check for daily updates from the League of Women Voters Minnesota at: http://www.stateofdemocracymn.org/

Read more about what’s going on nationally to celebrate Sunshine Week: http://www.sunshineweek.org/About.aspx

Join the News Council on Tuesday, March 16 for a FOIA Day Celebration at Minneapolis Central Library.

We are pleased to offer our monthly newsletter in an online format. If you have not signed up to receive this monthly update, please sign up to join our mailing list at the top of our homepage.

In this issue:  check out a complete recap of the Jan. 27th Major Parties Gubernatorial debate; sign on as a MNC contributor before our fiscal year-end; and sign up to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

You can view Newsworthy Online by clicking here.

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MnCOGI) announced Feb. 8 that Reed Anfinson, publisher of the Swift County Monitor-News, will receive the 2010 John R. Finnegan Freedom of Information Award.    Anfinson will be honored at the annual Freedom of Information Day recognition event, on Tuesday, March 16, noon-1:00 at the Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.

Anfinson is a long-term journalist and advocate for access to government information at the local, state and national levels.  He has testified frequently before both the Minnesota Legislature and the U.S. Congress on Freedom of Information and First Amendment issues.

Since 1994 he has co-chaired the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s legislative committee and currently chairs the National Newspaper Association Government Relations Committee. In 2012 Anfinson becomes President of the National Newspaper Association.

For the past 30 years Anfinson has been associated with the Swift County Monitor-News as a reporter, managing editor, and now publisher and owner.  In this role he has published frequent editorials and articles on open government, including articles on the state’s Data Practices Act, open meeting regulations and discussions of the impact of video and digital technology on public access.

The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, a nonprofit corporation formed in 1989, is dedicated to ensuring access to government information and public records.  MnCOGI provides public education programs, manages a website and blog, maintains links with other state coalitions and promotes public awareness of information policy issues.  In June 2009 MnCOGI hosted the annual Summit of the National Freedom of Information Coalition in Minneapolis.

The Freedom of Information Award, established by the Coalition in 1989, is named for John R. Finnegan, Sr, retired senior vice president and assistant publisher of the St Paul Pioneer Press. Finnegan is founder and stalwart of the Minnesota Joint Media Committee which has consistently supported open records, open meetings and other First Amendment-related causes in the Legislature and other public arenas in Minnesota.

The Freedom of Information Day event is free and open to the public.

Additional information on the MnCOGI website at www.mncogi.org or contact mtreacy@onvoymail.com or 612 781 4234.

The full photo gallery from the Jan. 27 Major Parties Gubernatorial Debate is now available.

All photos by Scott Theisen for the Minnesota News Council.