HOLIDAY GREETINGS!
Click on the image to the right to find a special holiday message from the Minnesota News Council.
Newsworthy Online | December 2008
It's been a busy fall here at the News Council. In October and November, we fielded complaints and queries about local election coverage. You can read about some concerns voiced by local citizens below.
In November, I had the opportunity to sit down with Italian journalist Carmine Festa, editor of Corriere del Mezzogiorno (a regional editon of the Corriere della Sera). Although he stopped by to learn more about the News Council, we ended up chatting about the global state of journalism. He shared that European journalists are facing the same issues as those here in the US: declining readership, falling profits, and shrinking newsrooms. Despite the gloom and doom, smaller community and regional newspapers are doing well both here and abroad.
Earlier this month I was honored to co-present the First Twin Cities Ethnic and Community Media Awards. The awards honored the best in Minnesota journalism by community papers and ethnic media outlets, and was co-sponsored by the Twin Cities Media Alliance and New America Media. The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder was the big winner of the evening, but a diverse array of Minnesota-based news outlets were honored.
Sarah Bauer, Executive Director
sarah.bauer@news-council.org
Complaints Update: Fall 2008
By Kate Myers, Program Assistant
kate.myers@news-council.org
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 regard to political coverage.
A sample of the issues encountered follows:
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.
(2) Two individuals complained about inaccuracies and misrepresentation in a local newspaper’s coverage of events during the Republican National Convention.
(3) Another individual complained about coverage of Michele Bachmann in an opinion column, alleging the column was “inappropriate” and lacking balance.
(4) One reader questioned the fairness of a local paper’s policy of not printing election material a certain number of days before the election.
School/University-related:
(1) One complainant felt that a letter to the editor unfairly criticized the views of a local professor.
“Business as usual”:
(1) One individual complained about an anonymous column in a small-town newspaper.
(2) Another complainant alleged that a local journalist had been “inaccurate” and “misleading” regarding coverage of an important local issue of healthcare.
(3) 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.
News Council Member Jim Pumarlo on Letters to the Editor
Jim Pumarlo is a News Council member, and writes a monthly column for the MNA bulletin - the weekly publication of the Minnesota Newspaper Association. He wrote last month about a topic we hear about regularly at the News Council: letters to the editor.
Development Update
Look for your copy of our Annual Report in the mail! You can also find it online, here. Special thanks to those who have supported us this year, and to ECM Publishers for publishing the print version of our annual report.
As we approach the end of the year, don’t forget to include the Minnesota News Council in your charitable giving. You can donate online here. We couldn’t promote fair, vigorous and trusted journalism without you!
Erika Roland, Development Director
erika.roland@news-council.org
In This Issue
- HOLIDAY GREETINGS!
- Newsworthy Online | December 2008
- Complaints Update: Fall 2008
- News Council Member Jim Pumarlo on Letters to the Editor
- Development Update
Upcoming Events
Diverse Voices and Perspectives: The Future of Global Journalism
Dec. 16, 2008 | 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Hosted by the MN International Center at the Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
2009 MNA Convention
Jan. 28-30, 2009
Sheraton - Bloomington, MN
Visit us at BOOTH 20!
SJMC Alumni Quiz Bowl
Jan. 29, 2009 | 7:00 pm
McNamara Alumni Center, University of MN
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