As a middle of the road or conservative Democrat, I am totally floored by
the amount and nature of criticism about the StarTribune's Washington Peace
Rally.  Apparently some folks are unhappy about the Strib's running an AP
story on the numbers marching in Washington.  I have two questions for those
who are so mad about the StarTribune's Articles: Should the StarTribune have
falsified the stories coming out of Washington?  Or should the StarTribune
just filter stories and print those that are supportive of the anti-war
demonstrators?

The StarTribune may be biased in its reporting, but if it is to be
criticized at all a fair person would have to admit it is generally more to
the left than the right. The Republicans and right wing call the paper the
"Red Star & Tribunal".  Now you have the liberal left calling it the servant
of the right wing. Has the StarTribune suddenly and secretly fired all those
supposed "Left Wing" editors and reporters, and then replaced them with
Republicans? Steve Brandt, do you still have employment? Can you tell us if
it's really true, Steve?

The StarTribune has always been considered one of the most "Progressive
Liberal Newspapers" in America.  It would behoove those who the Strib has
favored for so many years to remember this fact.  I do not remember the last
Republican that the Strib favored in an election.  I also have questioned
the coverage of events in Minneapolis that may have been critical of the
City's Democratic "Machine".  That just does not happen.  As a Democrat I am
not always sorry about this fact.  As a "Neighborhood Activist" I am often
very disturbed by that fact.

The STrib treated Sharon's people with velvet gloves.  Remember when the
major papers across the country, (Washington Post, Dallas Morning News,
London Times, New York Times, etc.) ran large articles on crime causing a
Minneapolis Neighborhood to request to be declared a National Disaster Area?
It got small back page coverage in the STribe.  I would have thought it
would have at least rated a story about it being covered by those
publications even if the STrib itself was not interested in Minneapolis
crime and neighborhoods.  In my opinion that did not happen because it would
have been too critical of the DFL Mayor and Council.

How much coverage has occured about the few Council Members who are bent on
destroying NRP when they were just elected on promises to protect autonomous
neighborhood control of it? Not much.  How much coverage has occured about
the fight that is going on between "Impacted Neighborhoods" and the Mayor
and Council about zoning changes to concentrate poverty in a few
neighborhoods?  Not much.

We do need to have some answers. Which newspaper we subscribe to may depend
on it. No one has mentioned the Pioneer Press and their stories.  Did the
Press suddenly switch places with the STrib as the "Left" leaner?  Or did
they report the story in the same manner as the StarTribune? Could it be the
Pioneer Press just did not disappoint anyone since the Pioneer Press was
always considered more of a middle of the road paper? Of course it could be
that the StarTribune is just doing its job, which is simply not biased
enough for some people's taste.

Heck, some of us might start subscribing to the StarTribune again!  I think
I am going to call and get all seven days of the StarTribune.  They just
called with a great deal on thirteen weeks of delivery for forty bucks.
Sounds like a good time to begin subscribing.  I'm going to tell STrib it is
because they are under attack by both the Right and the Left, so they must
be doing some even handed reporting.

Jim Graham,
Ventura Village


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