Title: Star Tribune endorsements
I’ve been curious about the Star Tribune endorsements for the City Council races in Minneapolis. As a reader and resident, I want to know how the opinions were formed. The editorial writers don’t cover the city as reporters do—and certainly not at the neighborhood or ward level. So how do they form an opinion about a candidate? Is it based simply on an interview? Of how long? It’s not inappropriate of the paper to endorse candidates who support positions the paper has expressed (pro-Block E, Target subsidy, stadium, etc.). In fact, it makes sense. But it would be good if the paper spelled that out. That would give a context to the endorsement that would be useful to readers.
The Southwest Journal doesn’t make endorsements, and I don’t plan to make one here, either. But I can use the 10th Ward endorsement as an example of what I found wrong with the Star Tribune’s endorsements. It’s not that I don’t think Dan Niziolek is a strong candidate and a good person. I think both of those things. But I think them of Doug Kress as well, and he was summarily dismissed as a lightweight (my reading on the sentence or two he got). As the List Manager has said, we in the 10th Ward are fortunate in having two good people to choose from. I think Doug and Dan would say good things about each other. People will choose whom to vote for based on issues particularly important to them, or which man they feel a stronger connection with or because the coin flip worked out that way. But either way the election goes, I think we’ll have a good councilmember from the 10th Ward (the ward I live and work in).
But here’s the problem: Except for a mention in a couple of stories about gay candidates, and the listings in stories on filings, endorsing conventions, primary results, etc., the editorial is the only place the Star Tribune has, thus far, talked about the race in the 10th Ward at all. (Actually, because he’s mentioned in the gay candidate stories, Doug has had MORE coverage than Dan—but none of it substantive.)
I know there will be a Voters’ Guide, and we’ll get to read something about the candidates and their responses to a few questions. If it’s like most Voters’ Guides, the information will come from the candidates; there will be little or no independent reporting on the races.
If the paper doesn’t feel it’s within its mission to COVER the races in individual wards, should it then make endorsements? I know, I know. News and Editorial are separate. But I get one paper at my house, not two, and that separation can feel like schizophrenia if the two departments seem to have different ideas about what the appropriate mission of the newspaper is when it comes to city elections. (Or other things; in recent weeks there have been a couple of editorials on issues that were not covered on the news pages.)
The Star Tribune talks about being a metropolitan newspaper, not a city newspaper. Okay, we can hate that, but we can live with it if we have to. But if it’s not a city newspaper, should it be dabbling in endorsements for City Council races?
Linda Picone, Kingfield
Editor, Southwest Journal
