Inside this issue:

I. News Council Upholds Complaints Against KBJR-TV, KSTP-TV

II. “Journalism that Matters” comes to the Twin Cities

III. Featured Article: “The Minnesota News Council: The Story Behind the Creation” by Dr. Louise Williams Hermanson

IV. “From the Development Office”

V. News Council Welcomes Two Summer Assistants

Rachel Camann is currently a student at the University of Minnesota, and hopes to gain some experience in nonprofit development this summer. She plans on graduating in December with a degree in Public Relations. Rachel is originally from Wisconsin, but has grown to love it here in the Twin Cities and wants to stay around for a while. Rachel says she’s very excited to be working for the Minnesota News Council and looks forward meeting some of our members, donors and other friends this summer.

Tony Sheda, of Wrenshall, Minn. complained that the KBJR-TV broadcast, “The War At Home” (Nov. 27, 2007) sensationalized the death of his son Adam, a staff sergeant recently returned from Iraq. The story was the first in a two-part series about the emotional effects of war on returning soldiers.

The News Council voted 9-8 to uphold a complaint that it was unfair to use Adam Sheda as an example in a story about post-traumatic stress disorder. The Council also voted 10-7 that it was unfair for KBJR to report that, “It’s been said that [Adam] Sheda may have had a death wish based on a posting he made on his MySpace account.”

KBJR Station Manager, Dave Jensch, said the story was based on a suggestion from a Minnesota Military Assistance Council representative that the station should help raise awareness about the issues veterans face when reentering society.

“The Sheda story was covered by all media outlets, and was the best example of veterans experiencing emotional wounds,” Jensch said. “It wasn’t about PTSD. Our story never said that Adam Sheda suffered from PTSD; we could never have known that.”

Adam’s death was a high profile story for the Northland community. Council members agreed that it did serve to draw attention, but questions arose over whether it was a good example for the broadcast.

“I appreciate the story because we don’t do enough to show what these young men do in Iraq,” said public member Elizabeth Costello. “I’m just not sure that Adam was the best example to show the kinds of problems soldiers are experiencing.”

The News Council also voted 17-1 to uphold a complaint by Richfield City Manager Steven Devich against KSTP-TV.

Devich complained that the KSTP feature story “Richfield residents frustrated over noise” (April 20, 2008) used excerpts from a letter he wrote to a Richfield resident in a manner that was misleading. The story on noise ordinances suggested that Richfield government officials were not attentive to the needs of their constituents in this matter.

Richfield’s mayor was interviewed to give the city’s side of the story, which seemed to contradict the letter from Devich.

“If I would have been contacted by the reporter to explain what the letter meant, KSTP’s viewers would have understood that the city, the middle school and the community were working together to try and resolve the problem,” said Devich. “This type of story destroys our [the city’s] credibility.”

Representatives from KSTP did not attend the hearing, but in a written statement said that, “Contrary to Mr. Devich’s allegations, our story was neither misleading nor one-sided. We represented the city’s side by interviewing the Mayor of Richfield.”

“Certainly KSTP had a right to do this story, and to use Devich’s letter,” said public member Noelle Hawton. “The story featured the upset citizens and statements from the mayor, but there was definitely a view missing.”

Links to coverage of hearing:
AP, City Pages, Duluth Budgeteer News, Duluth News Tribune, KARE11, MPR/NewsCut (KSTP), MPR/NewsCut (KBJR), Star Tribune, WCCO-TV

In addition to the support we receive from media and corporate donors, we receive generous support from individuals — individuals who are passionate about our mission to promote fair, vigorous and trusted journalism.

Most of our individual donors contribute $25-$250 per year, but some of our donors give substantially more than that.

Several years ago, the News Council founded “100 Friends;” we searched for 100 donors who would commit to give $1,000/year for three years. We have yet to hit our goal of finding 100 friends. Unfortunately, the News Council doesn’t fit into the targeted giving areas of many corporations: education, environment, children, arts, and affordable housing. This means we rely increasingly upon donations from individuals.

Please consider a personal gift today of $25, $50, $100, $250, or perhaps even $1,000. You can view a full list of our sponsors and donate online at www.news-council.org.

Development Director Erika Roland can be reached at 612-339-0030.

Excerpt
Phil Duff, editor of the Red Wing Republican Eagle, mused on the initial skepticism he noticed among his peers: “ [In] dealing with newspaper people who are kind of alarmed about the council on a theoretical basis, I respond, ‘Why should we be?’ If the press council does make a finding against you and you publish a story about it in your newspaper, as you are obligated to do, what’s so terrible about that? If you still think you are right, write your editorial and say you are right. It is no worse than having somebody write a critical letter which you publish. You live with that—that’s not the end of the world—and then you go on.

The other thing is that I think the press council really is an educational device. I think it helped me be a little better thinker about the work I do and what is right and what is wrong about the newspaper’s actions. I should think it would help other people think the same way. It can’t help but have that same effect on members of the public to help them get close to a particular issue and to be more understanding of a newspaper’s view and of its fallibility—a kind of inherent and necessary fallibility.”

Read the entire article here (PDF)

By Kate Myers

The Minnesota News Council was a co-sponsor of the “New Reporters/New Pamphleteers” conference held at the University of Minnesota June 4-5. News Council Executive Director Sarah Bauer and Summer Assistant Kate Myers participated in the conference, and observed a diverse group of placebloggers and citizen journalists — the 21st century’s “new journalists” — as they discussed the integration of “journalism, democracy, place and blogs.”

Headed by The Media Giraffe Project out of Amherst, Mass. and supported by the Journalism That Matters collaborative and the Minnesota Journalism Center, the event emphasized blogging and citizen journalism as a means of building community.

From building readership and reporting community news to building credibility and designing Web sites, many discussions were centered around filling the void left from untold local stories by mainstream media.

Many of the placebloggers felt they could help unify the community they are covering by providing hyperlocal and specialized information to their readers. With that idea in mind, several conference-goers brought issues to the table regarding ethics and standards as they relate to citizen journalists and blogs.

Bauer joined Melissa Cornick-Horyn, a former producer for 60 Minutes and 20/20, in a group that asked, “How can we get at and expose ‘the truth’ and still be ethical?”

“The truth is an important part of ethics, but there is no one truth,” said Cornick-Horyn. “In journalism, the truth comes from many different people speaking from their heart; in blogging, you don’t necessarily do that. You are speaking from yourself.”

Following the statement, an interesting debate ensued as to the biased nature of placeblogging and how citizen journalists often felt they don’t have the same First Amendment protection as other journalists in traditional media outlets.

Throughout the convention, Bauer and Myers observed and spoke with many individuals of influence within the placeblogging community. Joining a discussion group on democracy and accountability, they met an experienced source: Josh Wolf, a blogger and freelance journalist who served 226 days in jail for refusing to hand over material he collected during a demonstration turned violent in San Francisco, Calif.

“People behave differently when there is accountability,” Wolf said. “In certain situations, people need to take responsibility for what they are saying.”

For the Council staff, the conference was a learning experience and a window into the future of online citizen journalism and placeblogging. Additionally, the conference provided an opportunity for Bauer and Myers to better realize the News Council’s greater role in educating citizens to adapt to and filter new forms of “news.”

Conference attendees were inspired to return home and put their many ideas into motion. Many left the conference with hopes to build and implement new Web site features, ideas for new sources of funding and design tips from the pros to make their sites more user-friendly.

“Everyone in the room is central to figuring this out and making ‘this’ work,” said John Nichols of Capital Times as he addressed the group.

Read more about the Minneapolis gathering here.

View photos from the event here.

View video from the conference sessions here.