Determination
21
Minnesota
News Council
In the Matter of the Complaint of
Ray Kempe against the Apple Valley Free Press
Ray Kempe, state representative from District 53A running
for re-election, complained that an editorial was deliberately designed
to malign him and misrepresent his comments made in a recent interview
with the writer.
Background: Kempe was interviewed by the sole
staff member of the weekly newspaper, who subsequently wrote both
an editorial and a news story based on the interview. The interview
was part of the paper's effort to interview all candidates running
for local office. In running for re-election, Kempe had been speaking
out on several controversial issues of importance to the district.
The writer focused her interview on Kempe's knowledge of those issues
and on his legislative record.
On August 25, 1976, the writer's analysis of her
interview with Kempe appeared on the paper's editorial page under
the title "Kempe's Statements Riddled with Lack of Information, Misinformation."
She began the analysis with a disclaimer stating that she had written
the piece "not as editor of this paper, but as a citizen of District
53A." She also wrote a news story on the interview, which appeared
in the news section of the paper. Rep. Kempe complained that the writer's
analysis was deliberately designed to malign his character and misrepresent
the interview. He had no objections to the news story.
Although the two met to discuss the problem on September
21 and the writer offered to allow Kempe to respond to her analysis
by submitting a letter to the editor, Kempe declined to do so.
Determination of the Council: Opinions by
an editor or member of the public are not a subject on which the Council
will pass judgment. Newspapers must be free to print strong and honest
opinion. It is for the reading public to determine whether it is good
or bad opinion.
The complaint against the newspaper is not upheld.
August 1976
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