| Complaint |
Hearing
#
Year |
Decision |
Media |
Description |
| Anonymous
source |
#1
1971
|
Upheld |
Union
Advocate |
Failure
to verify information received from anonymous source |
| Coverage
based on rumor |
#27
1977
|
Upheld |
KBJR-TV,
Duluth |
Station
failed to trace allegations to factual origin and failed to acknowledge
contradictions in the accounts of sources |
| Failure
to substantiate claims |
#41
1980
|
Upheld |
Duluth
News-Tribune |
Paper
relied on unnamed sources for too much of its info, didn't inform
audience that it was protecting unnamed source, didn't check facts
sufficiently |
| Inaccurate,
misleading |
#42
1981
|
Not
Upheld* |
WTCN-TV |
Didn't
inform audience why it was not naming source |
| Sources
described too generally |
#77
1989
|
Not
Upheld |
Star
Tribune |
Article
did not contact "first-hand" sources and described some
sources as "neighborhood activists" instead of by name |
| Anonymous
sources |
#86
1990
|
Not
Upheld |
Twin
Cities Reader |
Article
about Lao Family Inc. included statements from anonymous sources
that were biased |
| Anonymous
cartoon |
#87
1990
|
Not
Upheld |
Snoose
News |
"Defamatory"
cartoon published anonymously on opinion page |
| Anonymous
comments column unfair |
#96
1992
|
Upheld* |
Austin
Daily Herald |
Anonymous
phone comments about one individual over several weeks and again
some months later, potential of newspaper facilitating personal
vendetta |
| Unscientific
survey using anonymous comments |
#100
1994
|
Upheld |
Worthington
Daily Globe |
Paper's
"survey" on racial attitudes unscientific and wrongly
portrayed racist anonymous responses as valid representation of
area resident's opinions. |
| Juvenile
incest victim identifiable by article |
#106
1995
|
-- |
Wabasha
County Herald |
Girl's
privacy was invaded when story identified man convicted of assault
and victim as his 17-year-old daughter. She is his only daughter.
She believed that as the victim of a sexual assault she had the
right to remain anonymous. |
| Reliance
on anonymous and biased sources |
#111
1996
|
Not
Upheld |
Star
Tribune |
In
story questioning scientist's ethics, reporter quoted numerous
anonymous sources as well as sources scientist contends were unauthoritative
and biased. |
