More than 800 Minnesota newspaper professionals, including publishers, decision makers and their staff members will gather at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, Minneapolis South, January 28-30, 2009 for the 142nd Annual MNA Convention. The 2009 convention theme is “Still The One.”
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The Minnesota News Council received 20 complaints during September, November and the beginning of December. The majority of those complaints were general complaints, commenting on issues of fairness, accuracy and balance in regards to political coverage.
A sample of the issues encountered follows (the complaint record number is parentheses):
Election-related:
(1) One complainant felt a local newspaper was biased in printing photos of candidates and their biographies, complainant felt some candidates may have been left out. (1823)
(2) Another complainant was concerned about the “lipstick on a pig” controversy and the representation of the issue by the local broadcast media. (1825)
(3) Two individuals complained about inaccuracies and misrepresentation in a local newspaper’s coverage of events during the Republican National Convention. (1827)(1828)
(4) One complainant voiced concern about a fee to print letters to the editor which included commentary on political issues. (1831)
(5) Another individual complained about coverage of Michele Bachmann in an opinion column, alleging the column was “inappropriate” and lacking balance. (1834)
(6) One reader questioned the fairness of a local paper’s policy of not printing election material a certain number of days before the election. (1835)
(7) In a complaint about a local news blog, one complainant alleged that a comment made in the “comment” section by the blogger was “inappropriate.” (1836)
School/University-related:
(1) One complainant felt that a letter to the editor unfairly criticized the views of a local professor. (1826)
“Business as usual”:
(1) One individual complained about an anonymous column in a small-town newspaper. (1830)
(2) Another complainant alleged that a local journalist had been “inaccurate” and “misleading” regarding coverage of an important local issue of healthcare. (1833)
(3) One individual complained about a local broadcast news station’s prediction regarding the drop in price of gasoline throughout the Metro area. (1837)
(4) An anonymous individual complained about the conflict of interest of reporter covering a trial in which the reporter had a special interest. (1839)
(5) Another individual complained about a news story written by the newspaper’s managing editor which, the individual alleges, the editor was biased. (1840)
(6) One individual complained that a local news paper had printed the names of two individuals accused of performing “illicit acts.” The individual stated that it was inappropriate for the newspaper to release the names.
Council members must arrive prior to the start of a hearing. If a Council member arrives after opening statements have begun, that member will not participate in the hearing. Members may not vote before the hearing ends.
There must be 15 or more members present for the Council to conduct a hearing (a minimum of six if the Council is traveling outside the Twin Cities). Additionally, there must be an approximate balance of public and media members (not more than 60-40 either way). If the Council cannot meet these two criteria, it may call upon former Council members of the type (media or public) needed to fill out the roster.
Seating
1. The complainant, respondent and any witnesses will sit at separate tables in the front of the room.
2. Council members sit facing the parties. The hearing chairman sits in the center of the parties, with the Executive Director to his or her left. Neither votes. Council staff takes minutes of the hearing as a basis for the final written determination.
3. Visitors (including reporters) sit at the back or side of the room. Seating is usually limited and will be first-come, first-served. Videographers or sound technicians should arrive 30 minutes prior to the hearing to set up equipment. They are not allowed into the center of the U during the hearing and must remain unobtrusive.
Order of the Hearing
1. The Chairman convenes the hearing, introduces the parties, reviews the procedures, and states the question(s) to be placed before the hearing body for a decision.
2. Video or audio presentation, if relevant
3. Complainant states position in 10 minutes or fewer. This period includes statements by witnesses.
4. News outlet responds to complaint in 10 minutes or fewer. This period includes statements by witnesses.
5. Complainant may rebut statements of news organization in five minutes or less.
6. News outlet may rebut statements of complainant in five minutes or less.
7. News Council asks questions of both parties. The chairperson will maintain order of questions and will close questioning.
8. News Council members deliberate among themselves. There will be no questioning of the parties during this phase unless additional information is needed for clarity. If so, the chairperson will authorize a further question.
9. Recess for reconsideration of the question. Both parties may request a brief recess to reconsider their position.
-The news outlet may eliminate question(s) from the voting by acknowledging the merit of one or more of the complaints. If the news outlet agrees with the entire complaint, there will be no vote, but simply a Council affirmation of the news outlet’s admission.
-The complainant may drop all or a portion of his or her complaint based on what he or she has learned at the hearing.
10. Resumption of the deliberation if Council members feel they need further time to consider.
11. Complainant may make a closing statement of approximately two minutes. If the complainant feels significant errors have been introduced into the discussion during the deliberation, this is a time to correct them.
12. News outlet may make a closing statement of approximately two minutes. If the news outlet feels significant errors have been introduced into the discussion during the deliberation, this is the time to correct them.
13. Council votes with individual, signed, written ballots. Council staff collects ballots, and Executive Director counts them and announces the final vote. Council members may vote to uphold or deny the complaint, or they may abstain. A simple majority of the votes cast to uphold or deny will prevail. A tie vote means the complaint has not been upheld. The vote of each member is public information included in the written determination. The vote announced at the end of the hearing is final.
October 2008
Watch your mailbox for the News Council’s 2007-2008 annual report. Due out in early November, the report recaps complaint activity and trends in 2007, includes updates on our activities, goals and members, as well as an outlook for our future.
Please also remember the News Council in your year-end gift planning. We cannot do our work without dedicated supporters like you!
-Erika Roland
This month, the News Council is reaching out to Minnesota high schools, offering its free mock hearing program to English and journalism teachers across the state. Made possible in part by a generous grant from Target, the News Council has developed a curriculum that is currently being used in some high school and college classrooms throughout the state. The mock hearing project aims to introduce journalism students to the news council concept and to start them thinking about the real-life ethical dilemmas faced by working journalists.
Robbie Johnson, retired teacher from Mahtomedi High School, says “ the mock trial program helped my journalism students learn the value of fairness in reporting by being exposed to real claims which have been brought before the council.” Johnson currently serves on the Council and is working to revitalize the mock trial program for high school students.
A mock hearing proceeds much like an actual hearing. Students prepare for the hearing by reading the complaint’s background, the articles in question, the complaint, the news outlet’s response, and the questions upon which council members will vote. News Council volunteers, or the students, play the part of the complainant and news outlet. Student “council members” listen to the parties present the complaint and response, ask questions of the parties, and deliberate the complaint. The class then votes on the hearing question, and can compare their results to those of the actual News Council hearing.
If you are interested in learning more about the mock hearing project, or would like to bring it to a school in your area, please contact Sarah Bauer.
We want to know what you think about news coverage of the 2008 election cycle. How’s your local newspaper doing? The metro dailies? The nightly news? Where do you turn to for election news? Who do you trust?
Read a report from the Project for Excellence in Journalism: “How the Press Reported the General Election.”
Send us an email with your thoughts, and we’ll post some reader comments to our Web site.
-Sarah Bauer
The Twin Cities Media Alliance is facilitating the 4th Annual Fall Media Forum on “Tools for Democracy, Strategies for Change”. Confirmed presenters include local Fox 9 news anchor Robyne Robinson and Amalia Anderson from the Main Street Project.
The Media and Law Enforcement at the RNC — What Went Wrong, What Went Right?
Monday, September 22 | 7:00 p.m.
Coffman Memorial Union Theater
University of Minnesota East Bank
Journalists who reported from the RNC as well as representatives from law enforcement, city government and media law experts will join together in a discussion moderated by Al Tompkins from The Poynter Institute.
What happened during the RNC that led to so many journalists being arrested? And how can journalists do their jobs in the future without a similar result? More »
Join Twin Cities Daily Planet editor Mary Turck Wednesday, September 24 from noon to 1 p.m. at the East Lake Street Public Library to ask questions about issues that came up for citizen journalists at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
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Minnesota Pro Chapter
Society of Professional Journalists
Minneapolis (Aug. 29, 2008) - Police confiscating reporting equipment, prohibiting journalists from covering news events, and hassling photographers are definite warning signs as we head into the Republican National Convention. The Society of Professional Journalists is discouraged to learn of such tactics recently in the name of public safety. We hope these are isolated missteps by local law enforcement officials before the big event arrives and police have more important matters to attend to.
Three out-of-town citizen journalists, here to document events happening outside the Xcel Energy Center, had their belongings–including cameras and notebooks–confiscated by Minneapolis police while in Northeast Minneapolis. Police claim the three were trespassing, but no charges have yet been filed. The three who where detained maintain there was no such trespassing and their interaction with police was an attempt to intimidate them because the group they represent has documented police abuse in the past. More »