Minnesota Public Radio cut ties with Garrison Keillor in late November amidst accusations of “inappropriate behavior.” Now, MPR is sharing how it reported on the accusations and the investigation.
In a Jan. 23 editor’s note, MPR explained that its news reporters conducted their own research, reporting and investigations into the allegations against Keillor and its decision to sever ties with him. MPR journalists reporting on Keillor didn’t attend off-the-record meetings about Keillor or work in the newsroom.
“In covering the story of Garrison Keillor’s relationship with Minnesota Public Radio, journalists at MPR News are working independently of their parent company’s senior leadership,” MPR’s editor’s note reads. “An editorial firewall separates MPR News from the rest of the company. We make our editorial decisions without interference from other departments. We abide by these news ethics guidelines.”
iMediaEthics wrote to MPR to ask what prompted it to release the editor’s note. Nancy Cassutt, the executive director for news and programming at MPR, told iMediaEthics, “We posted this note at the same time we posted our investigative piece because we wanted to be clear and transparent about how we went about our coverage of our parent company, and to reiterate our news ethics guidelines and the editorial firewall between MPR News and the rest of the company.” She added, “No one asked us to do it or we weren’t reacting to anyone, we thought it was the right thing to do given there can be confusion about the difference between our journalistic operations, MPR News and the rest of the company, MPR.”
MPR added that its journalists reporting on Keillor don’t get any “special access” because Keillor worked for the same company. “The journalists covering the story gather such information as they would if covering some other company: by searching public records and meeting privately with sources and those involved, some of whom might be other current or former [American Public Media Group] employees,” MPR said. “They have no special access to Keillor, company management or other sources of information. When requesting information or statements from the company, they go through the same channels as journalists who don’t work for APMG.”
The same day the editor’s note was posted, MPR published an investigation after interviewing “more than 60 people who worked with or crossed professional paths with Keillor.” That investigation reported MPR’s journalists found “a years-long pattern of behavior that left several women who worked for Keillor feeling mistreated, sexualized or belittled.”
MPR’s president Jon McTaggart also sent a note to “members and listeners” about Keillor, explaining that the initial complaint alleged Keillor had “engaged in unwanted sexual touching” from “dozens of sexually inappropriate incidents.” From there, MPR asked Keillor to respond to the women’s allegations and evidence. Keillor didn’t provide emails or texts as requested, MPR said. MPR said it wasn’t releasing the women’s allegations, which were in a 12-page document, because of privacy. McTaggart added that MPR never heard of any allegations against Keillor “until late August 2017,” when MPR started investigating.
McTaggart added that, “MPR has received two formal complaints, both making allegations about Garrison’s behavior in the workplace. One of the individuals is a woman who claims Garrison’s behavior was directed at her, and the other individual claims to know about some of the alleged behavior.”