HEARING INDEX: NEWS COVERAGE

Complaint	Hearing # Year	Decision	Media	Description
Inaccurate, failure to check info	#1 1971	U	Union Advocate	Info from anonymous sources not correct
Inaccurate headline	#5 1973	U	Worthington Daily Globe	Inaccurate and sensational headline
Press release verbatim, no source given	#7 1973	U	Minnesota weekly papers	Reprinting of news release verbatim as a news item without identifying the source of info
Inaccurate news	#8 1973	••	Duluth News Tribune	State representatives complained of inaccuracies in several news stories and an editorial; before hearing, paper published clarification
Misleading use of indirect quote	#9 1974	N*	St. Paul Pioneer Press	Indirect quote misleadingly portrayed a state representative as advocating election of Catholics to achieve constructive change
Inflammatory, coverage based on rumor	#15 1975	N	Duluth News Tribune	Article on land•use regulations inflammatory because its reporting was based on rumors
Poor journalistic standards	#24 1977	U	Brainerd Daily Tribune	Passivity in the face of great controversy, lack of effort to provide balance to fluoridation debate
Not newsworthy, reputation	#25 1977	N	Minneapolis Star & Minneapolis Tribune	Candidate objects to reference to embarrassing lawsuit from 19 years before, not newsworthy
Biased coverage	#26 1977	U	Minneapolis Tribune	Coverage of litter tax bill contained inaccuraciesand omissions
Inaccurate, coverage based on rumor	#27 1977	U	KBJR-TV, Duluth	Failure to substantiate article reporting alleged plot to fire a public official in a secret meeting
Irresponsible, reneged on promise	#28 1977	U	St. Paul Dispatch & Pioneer Press	Community activist contacted for story was told that she would be one of several quoted, when in fact she was one of only two; focus of story misrepresented; used for publicity purposes without permission
Failure to acknowledge source	#29 1977	N	Minneapolis Tribune	Story in Tribune contained similar lead and info as a previously published story in another publication
Inaccurate, misleading, personal attacks	#31 1978	U/N	KBJR-TV, Duluth	• County commissioner complains that TV report inaccurately reported her attendance record • Reporter biased against her
Misleading layout, sexist use of personal info	#35 1979	N*/U/U	Minneapolis Star	• Perpetuated negative stereotypes about the occult and incorrectly associated witchcraft with satanic activities • Layout associated two unassociated elements • Article sexist in characterizing woman by age and marital status, but not man
Biased, inadequate coverage	#36/37 1979	N	Mpls Star & Mpls Tribune	Minnesotans Against the Downtown Dome say the papers' stadium coverage in 1978-79 did not adequately cover opponents and promoted development of downtown site without completely examining alternatives
Poor layout, sensationalized, inflammatory	#39 1979	U	Minneapolis Tribune	Professional boxing promoter complained of inflammatory graphics and writing that implied he was racist and affiliated with organized crime
Inaccurate, sensationalized, inflammatory	#40 1980	U	KSTP-TV, Minneapolis	Reports on regulation of aversion, deprivation therapy by state presented in misleading, sensationalized manner, inaccuracies
No evidence for claims	#41 1980	U	Duluth News Tribune	Coalition for Progressive DFL complained that paper failed to substantiate claims of fundraising impropriety
Inaccurate, created false impression	#42 1980	N*	WTCN-TV, Golden Valley	Meetings of county board characterized as "shrouded in secrecy," although it had been officially announced
Inaccurate, harassment, reputation	#43 1981	U*/N*	St. Paul Dispatch	• Falsely implied that U of M professor knowingly conducted secret biological warfare research despite U ban on such research • Hounded and harassed by reporter
False implications, failure to correct	#44 1981	U	Corporate Report Minnesota	Article falsely implied that state auditor Arne Carlson was involved in conspiracy to gain control of public pension funds
Inaccurate, reputation, false accusations	#45 1982	U/U/U/ U/U	Proctor Journal	Proctor City Council complained of: • Inaccurate reporting of financial status • Calling council members racist bigots • Falsely accusing council of law violations • Quoting a council member as making statements that were, in fact, not made (publisher and editor of newspaper is a council member) • Poor journalistic standards in comments about personal integrity of council members
Inaccurate, failure to correct	#47 1983	U	Minnesota Daily	Gun owners complained that article inaccurately stated attorney general had not pushed for gun control legislation
Unfair, failure to cover	#48 1983	N*	Stillwater Evening Gazette	Paper refused to cover nuclear freeze march; according to complainant, editor said he did not believe in freeze movement and would not devote news space to march
Creating a false impression	#50 1983	U	Star Tribune	Eagan City Council complained that the paper deliberately created a false impression of Council's handling of a land•development issue
Inadequate coverage	#51 1983	N	Austin Daily Herald	During election for county sheriff, the paper failed to adequately cover incumbent sheriff's record of negative incidents; failed to properly report on vote
Inaccurate, misrepresentation	#54 1984	N*	Star Tribune	Article misrepresented Urban League's objections to Civil Rights Dept. nominee; article was inaccurate and jaundiced
Noncoverage of 3rd party election returns	#55 1985	U/N*	Minnesota Media	Minnesota Citizens Party complains of lack of coverage of election returns for 3rd party candidates in all Minnesota media.
Sensationalized, one-sided, unfair	#62 1986	U	KSTP-TV, Minneapolis	"On Your Behalf" consumer piece about a couple who purchased a home that proved to be uninhabitable was inaccurate, superficial and unfairly blamed real estate agent
Inaccurate, one-sided	#64 1986	U*	Dakota County Tribune	Headline and news story were misleading regarding a lawsuit in land-development case, only city's attorney contacted
Unfair, biased, one-sided	#66 1987	N	Star Tribune	Complainant charges that an article portrayed him as a slumlord and is unfair and biased
Inaccurate, one-sided, sensationalized	#68 1987	U/N*	KARE-TV	Attorney for murder suspect withdrew from trial after threats from suspect's father who accused him of adultery; charges reported on TV although lacking in foundation
Inaccurate, misleading	#69 1987	U*	Star Tribune	Medtronic claims article and headline were inaccurate and misleading
Lack of coverage, bias	#71 1988	N	Pope County Tribune	Complainant says paper failed to give fair and adequate coverage of a sex discrimination claim against a local manufacturer
Inaccurate, misleading headline	#76 1988	U	Mankato Free Press	Inaccuracies and erroneous general tone of article about city administrator's job
Inaccurate, nonattribution of comments	#77 1989	N	Star Tribune	Community activist complains of an inaccuracy in article, which was later corrected, and that comments were not attributed to specific people
Misquote	#81 1990	U	Star Tribune	Article about The City, Inc. misquoted Spike Moss as making a racist remark
Inaccurate	#82 1990	N	WCCO-TV	Ferret Fanciers group objects to "Dimension" piece calling ferrets wild animals and potentially dangerous
Deceptive newsgathering, sensationalized	#83 1990	N*/N/N	KARE-TV	Complaint about a series entitled "Mind Games" about the Lifespring program: • Concealed camera in a seminar session • Sensational examination of its history • Inaccurate
Inaccurate, misleading, stereotypic	#85 1990	N*	KARE-TV	Series depicting abuses of welfare system by welfare recipients accused of being inaccurate; focus of program misleading in that it emphasized fraud by welfare without putting public assistance budget in perspective
Bias, biased layout	#86 1990	N	Twin Cities Reader	Lao Family Community contends that an article highlighted unfavorable passages by printing them in bold type and downplayed good aspects of the organization
Prejudicial lead-in to a story, inflammatory	#89 1991	U	KARE-TV	Mpls police officer complains that by preceding a news story of his alleged wrongdoing with information from an unrelated prior charge of misconduct the station "poisoned" viewers' minds against him so that a fair evaluation of the story was impossible
Deceptive newsgathering, bias	#90 1991	N	Star Tribune	Men's Rights Association representative complains that reporter writing story deceived him about true nature of story and used a quote from him that made him look foolish and cynical
Inappropriate use of statistics, inflammatory	#91 1991	N/U	KARE-TV	• Medical Society contends story on Caesarean section rates was sensational • Statistics use not adequately explained
Breaking a news embargo	#92 1992	U*	WCCO-TV	Metropolitan Council complains that WCCO broke a news embargo on a story about proposed airport location
Inaccurate, one-sided, failure to contact	#93 1992	U	Star Tribune	Indian student accused history professor of arbitrarily lowering her grade, professor was never contacted, no evidence to support accusation
Unfair, failure to contact	#94 1992	U	Mankato Free Press	An article quoted a woman accusing a doctor of lying without getting doctor's side of story
Political campaign piece as news	#95 1992	U	Stillwater Evening Gazette	Piece written by campaign worker published as front-page news without identifying writer as affiliated with campaign
Inaccurate	#96 1992	U	Austin Daily Herald	Story reporting on shoplifting by a police dispatcher inaccurately stated her job was under review
Television station's actions unethical	#98 1993	U*/U/N	KARE-TV	• Unethically transported a murder suspect without informing police, thus putting officers at risk, and did not inform hired airline pilot of risk • Interfered with woman under protective custody • Contributed to "circus" environment during surrender of a serial rape suspect
Inaccurate	#99 1993	N	City Pages	St. Paul Port Authority alleges that feature story was inaccurate in its portrayal of the financial position of a bond fund
Inaccurate, unethical use of hidden camera	#101 1994	U/U*	KSTP-TV	The Minnesota Dept of Health alleges that: • an investigative report inaccurately reported the number of hours employees worked during a staff retreat and implied employees were recreating on work time • Used a hidden camera to get soundbites of employees in private conversation questioning spending money on retreat and broadcast them without employees knowledge or consent
Failure to contact, failure to investigate charges	#102 1994	N	Winona Daily News	County commissioner complains that paper didn't contact him for response when another commissioner said constituents had asked if he was "on the take or just stupid." Further, he complains that paper didn't clear him of charges.
Failure to contact, inaccurate, defamation	#103 1995	U/N/N	Twin Cities Reader	Spouse of political candidate complains that: • he was significantly featured in a story about his spouse's campaign but wasn't contacted, •that the story inaccurately characterized the outcome of a lawsuit he had filed, •that the article defamed him by reporting that he had once had a financial interest in a "whorehouse."
Distorted image of department, deception unethically used an undercover reporter, relied uncritically upon opinions of critics	#105 1995	N*/N*/N*	Star Tribune	Women's Studies Department charged that: • a two-part story distorted the image of the Department by suggesting one unique, experiential course was representitive, • that the paper committed an ethical violation by using an undercover reporter/student in a classroom and mischaracterizing the story it was working on, •that they relied uncritically upon the works of a "right wing" critic and didn't ask for comment from national sources
Use of anonymous and biased sources, prejudicial headline, inflammatory language, lack of context and lack of substantiation of charges	#111 1996	U/U/N/N	Star Tribune	Wolf researcher charges that article • carried prejudicial headline and framing that suggested he had committed serious wrongdoing • used inflammatory, prejudicial language • was unfairly based on information from anonymous and biased sources • leveled charges against him without substantiation.
TV station investigative series painted an untruth, distorted picture through choice of images and narrative, improperly juxtaposed unrelated facts and events, failed to provide context, inaccuracies	#112 1996	U	WCCO-TV	Northwest Airlines charged that WCCO-TV's two-part series on airline safety: • used poor sources; • lacked context; • mischaracterized documents; • presented information in a sensational manner; • contained numerous factual errors.
News story and editorial wer misleading and inaccurate	#113 1996	U	Mankato Free Press	School board official charges paper misled public and unfairly impugned the integrity of school board members by inaccurately reporting a vote as illegal and implying secretiveness.
City administrator charged story about city tax burden was inaccurate, misleading	#114 1997	N/U	Sherburne County Citizen	City administrator charges that article • mislead readers about city's bonded indebtedness through inaccuracies and omissions and • unfairly characterized the administrator.
Farm family charges that TV story was inaccurate, misleading	#115 1976	U	WCCO-TV	Farm family complains that WCCO two-part series implied that their cows had died from BVD, although they had told the reporter their cows did not have the disease.
News story inaccurate, reporter failed to contact the subject, no attributions for information contained in story	#116 1997	U	Star Tribune	Police officer complains that paper was inaccurate when reporting the he was party to a police-brutality lawsuit; paper failed to contact him to ask for his side of the story; paper did not attribute source of information about lawsuit.
News story unfair to County Attorney and to family of victim	#119 1998	U	Faribault Daily News	Family of victim says news story about sentencing of assailant was inaccurate
News story was biased, misleading and had false implications	#122 1999	••	Morris Sun/Tribune	Candidate charges that news story about wrongdoing coming up late in campaign did not contact both sides, contained misleading material
Failure to contact, bias	#123 1998	N	St. Cloud Times	Athletic Director complained that paper carried one-sided and inaccurate story that damaged his reputation
Unfair, one-sided, paper improperly influenced by politician	#125 1999	U	Savage Pacer	Mayoral candidate charged it was unfair of paper to carry graphic details of sexual harrassment complaint when he couldn't respond
Inaccurate and misleading	#126 1999	••(tie vote)	WCCO-TV	Nursing home administrator said investigative story was incomplete, inaccurate and misleading
News story was inaccurate and one-sided	#127 2000	U	Roseau Times•Region	Neighbor opposing a rezoning request complained that paper reported there was no rezoning request and only presented developer's side of the story.
Subject of news story not given opportunity to respond/headline misleading	#131 2002	U/N	St. Paul Pioneer Press	City Treasurer was contacted at his home for comment and didn't receive message until after reporter said she'd need his response. Headline could mislead citizens into believing they would pay fees twice.
Subject of story (who was deceased at time story aired) was singled out unfairly for blame	#132 2002	U	WCCO-TV	Son of deceased architect charged that focusing only on his father's work using a widely-accepted technique in the 1970s unfairly scapegoated a man who could not defend himself.
News story and headline was incomplete, biased and sensationalized	#133	N/N/N/N	Star Tribune	Agency contended that the headline was sensational and did not reflect the story contents, that the article did not back up allegations with fact, and that the article left out information in their reporting of a state audit.
News article was biased against a public official and used information out of context	#134	N	Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center Sun-Post	School board chair contended that an article was biased in its use of the word "breach," in its out-of-context use of data from another school board and by repeating one allegation five times in the story.