As iMediaEthics reported in late January, the Minnesota News Council — one of two state news councils in the U.S. — has closed. But, as MinnPost.com’s BrauBlog reported, “not everyone [is] sad to see” the Council closing.
The news council’s general counsel, Mark Anfinson, reportedly “isn’t all that broken up about the Council’s demise,” according to BrauBlog.
“Speaking for himself, not the MNA, Anfinson calls the Council a ‘glorious experiment that goes down to the honor and praise of its creators,’ but adds that of its goals to ‘reduce libel claims and burnish somewhat the credibility of the news media … neither one was ultimately met.'”
Even though libel suits have decreased, according to Anfinson, he “didn’t see a measurable reduction in Minnesota versus other states.” And, the news council didn’t seem to lead to a boost in media credibility.
Read the complete post on BrauBlog here.