Star Tribune editor Nancy Barnes has told the paper’s columnists to “refrain from partisan political commentary in their columns … at least until after the election.”
…
“We’ve been talking about how we raise the bar in all manner of ways in the last days before an election,” [Managing editor Rene] Sanchez notes. “The bar is higher on stories that have allegations in the them; the bar is higher on the analysis we print. The bar ought to be higher for an array of columnists to ‘stand down’ on the kind of column that’s an overtly partisan take.”
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Wrapping a political prophylactic around opinioneers blocks the very things they are hired to do — inform, analyze, and yes, provoke — just as public is tuning in.
Brauer includes the actual Star Tribune memo at the end.
Saying that the Star Tribune is going to stop being partisan less than two weeks before the end of the election after usually leaning to the far right this entire election cycle smells exactly like Norm Coleman calling off negativity at the eleventh hour. Norm Coleman has been dishonest about it and there’s no reason to believe the Star Tribune is sincere.
Is this The Onion?
Well, you’ve topped the crying over CD3 money post. The strib a right-leaning paper? You guys are drunk on the upcoming Obama win and it is affecting your work.
“The strib a right-leaning paper?”
You got that “right.”
Used to be the PiPress was the rightwing news in this town; now it’s the Strib - “All the news corporate America wants you to hear, and not a word otherwise.”
I honestly don’t know how anyone works for that rag, anymore.
While my family still has home delivery (for sports news), I rarely read the strib anymore and missed the Kersten column which seems to have contributed to the new policy. I wouldn’t have expected the strib to get worse (after they wrecked the editorial page long ago) but they have found a way with this dumb directive.
While I’m no fan of Kerstan I found her column (linked in minnpost story)interesting. Franken is back to offending me enough to make voting for him unpleasant and I’m not even Christian.
The strib has right bias.
People who think the Strib has a left bias probably don’t understand the difference between reporting and the editorial pages.
Is the Strib left leaning on the Opeds? You bet. On reporting? Far from it. I doubt the Strib really has a right wing agenda.
They, like the rest of the mainstream media, are just scared of appearing “left” which is why they always give the GOP a free pass.
The RedStar right leaning my ass. Look at their endorsement for Diane Anderson for state house. Says something like ‘although her views are not congruent with the views of this rag we have to regrettably endorse her’.