Navell Gordon, smeared face of #Pointergate, tells his story

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Navell Gordon became famous when KSTP-TV blurred his face in a photo where he was standing next to Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and broadcast it because police said the two were flashing gang signs by pointing at each other. Social media dubbed the story #Pointergate. Gordon says he is not a member of the kind of gang KSTP-TV insinuated he belonged to. “I’m a member of the NOC gang,” he says with a laugh. “Knocking on doors, and organizing and getting more people involved.”

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Special Report: Trans voices still missing from Minnesota news reporting

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The Minnesota State High School League’s vote in early December to include transgender students in high school athletics made news throughout the state. For the first time in recent memory, a transgender issue was thoroughly covered through television, newspaper, radio, and the web. For many media outlets, it was one of the few times transgender issues were reported on. In some cases, that inexperience showed.

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Shovel it

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We have not gotten a lot of snow this season but I noticed that when it does snow there are several businesses and condo complexes in my neighborhood that do not clear the walks. Continue Reading

#Pointergate points to the imperative of oversight

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In another life I was a stooge on the Minnesota News Council. At some point I, as a member in good standing, read in the press that the MNC was to be no more – no explanation, a simple affirmation that the staff person had acquired a safe position at the University of St. Thomas. Because I was too otherwise engaged to explore the roots of a decision I accepted as a done deal, closed that file, and gave complicit assent to a decision I knew was wrong. Continue Reading

Beyond press release journalism and official stories

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Police break up Colorado drug ring! Oops — no, they didn’t. What actually happened: police arrested 40 people on the basis of unreliable and vindictive informants, splashed their names and faces all over local front pages and TV news, and later dismissed all the charges. This story of policing — journalism — gone wrong demonstrates the perils of relying on the “official story.” Continue Reading

VIDEO: Journalists discuss #Pointergate

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UPDATED Tuesday, December 9, 2014, 1:58 pm.The Society of Professional Journalists – Minnesota Pro Chapter, along with the Twin Cities chapters of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Association, as well as the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law and the Minnesota Journalism Center, hosted a panel discussion on the recent Pointergate issue in our local community.KSTP-TV sent a letter, but opted not to send a representative to the panel. Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, the subject of the story, also declined to appear.The panel discussion happened at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs – Cowles Auditorium – 301 19th Ave S, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455.See the MNSPJ, TCBJ and AAJA statement for background on the story.Read more TC Daily Planet coverage of #Pointergate. Continue Reading