Determination
7
Minnesota
News Council
In the
Matter of the Complaint of
MN Education Association against 32 MN Weekly Papers
The papers
are: the Alden Advance, Amboy Herald, Appleton Press, Belview Independent,
Bertha Herald, Cass County Independent in Walker, Ellendale Eagle, Ely
Miner, Emmons Leader, Fairfax Standard, Heron Lake News, Hinckley News,
Hoffman Tribune, Jackson County Pilot, Jordan Independent, Lamberton
News, Le Sueur News-Herald, Lyon County Independent in Marshall, Mabel
Record, Morgan Messenger, Okabena Press, Oklee Herald, Royalton Banner,
Shakopee Valley News, Storden Times, Tri-County News in Kimball, Tri-County
Record in Rushford, Twin Valley Times, Waconia Patriot, Walker Pilot,
Warroad Pioneer, and West Concord Enterprise.
The
Minnesota Education Association (MEA) complained that 32 Minnesota
weekly newspapers acted unethically in reprinting a news release verbatim
as a news item or editorial without identifying for readers the source
of the information.
Background:
In the spring of 1973 a Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA)
press release was mailed to all Minnesota newspapers urging opposition
to two bills then under consideration by the Legislature. The bills
called for binding arbitration of education matters not agreed upon
in negotiations between teachers and school boards. Without naming
the MSBA as the source of the opinion, the release characterized the
bills as "a threat to local government and citizen participation."
The press release appeared in print in various forms in newspapers
throughout the state in late February and early March. The MEA objected
to the way 32 newspapers used the release, complaining that their
unattributed presentation could have misled readers into thinking
the MSBA opinion was a factual account.
Determination
of the Council: The Council must address itself on a large scale
to the general problem of attribution of sources and identification
of sources in news stories and editorials published in Minnesota newspapers.
With
respect to editorials, newspapers that publish editorials from outside
sources, or written by persons other than newspaper staff members,
should carry attribution as to their source or author. Verbatim non-attribution
of source is a breach of faith with readers.
Regarding
news stories, attribution or identification of source is a yardstick
by which readers can better measure the veracity and reliability of
the viewpoints expressed. Such attribution is crucial to readers in
evaluating stands taken in regard to political issues or pending legislation.
With
respect to news releases, editors should be alerted as to source and
purpose of any submitted copy, and inform their readers accordingly.
It is clearly within the rights of such organized groups as the MSBA
to issue releases but many such groups are powerful lobbies that can
push through or block legislation proposed for Minnesota.
Newspapers
are encouraged to adopt consistent policies for handling releases
and to insist that the source of every release be identified.
Newspapers
should jealously guard the credibility of their news columns. The
principles of good journalism suggest that readers should clearly
be able to differentiate between objective news stories and editorial
opinions.
The
complaint is upheld against 29 of the 32 newspapers. The other three
papers (Alden Advance, Bertha Herald, and Lyon County Independent)
were found to have properly given the source of the release; two of
the papers that ran the release as an editorial attributed it to two
other newspapers, which they presumed to be the source of the editorial,
and as such they acted properly.
May
4, 1973
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