Determination
8
Minnesota
News Council
In the
Matter of the Complaint of
Peter Fugina and Douglas Johnson against the Duluth News-Tribune
Representatives
Peter Fugina and Douglas Johnson complained that three news stories
and an editorial in the newspaper inaccurately accused them of questionable
financial practices.
Background:
Fugina and Johnson, both employed as school counselors by the St.
Louis County Board of Education, were granted leaves of absence without
pay to serve in the Minnesota Legislature. Three news stories and
an editorial in the Duluth paper repeatedly asserted that the legislators
were being paid by the Duluth School Board for time they had not worked.
The two men complained about numerous errors in the stories, including
a false headline and inaccuracies repeated in several consecutive
articles. The legislators requested a retraction of the inaccurate
and damaging elements of the stories.
Determination
of the Council: This case was resolved by the parties after a
hearing was scheduled. In response to the legislators' impressive
and extensive documentation of inaccuracies and misstatements in the
four articles, the newspaper published a clarifying news article acceptable
to the complainants. The newspaper's willingness to publish a clarifying
news article acceptable to the complainants was an appropriate response
to the complaint.
June
1973
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Determination 9
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