PrintAppalling
Minneapolis is my home town, and I grew up reading the Minneapolis Star in the afternoon, and the Minneapolis Tribune at breakfast. My grandfather was libeled by the Star, back in the days when it was a "prairie populist" sort of newspaper, anti—Semitic, and anxious to knock local businessmen. He sued, won, and forced the paper into publishing its first—ever front page retraction, in the 1920s.
Since then, things at the paper (now merged with the Tribune), have gotten worse. Powerline has had an ongoing feud going with the paper, and has the upper hand. Today's installment of the saga reveals further evidence yet of the pathetic lack of journalistic standards at the paper.
John Hinderaker, a prominent lawyer, uses the word "libel" indescribing the paper's references to him and his partners. I hope he follows in my grandfather's steps, and ends up with more than a front page retraction.
Thomas Lifson 2 3 05
