Douglas County's attempt to muzzle press hits buzz saw of opposition
Larry Oakes at the Minneapolis Star Tribune - the First Amendment is still alive and well in Minnesota, as discovered when county administrator Bill Schallow decreed that the local newspaper would vet stories with him before printing them. Hehe. [nicki]
Once upon a time in a place called Alexandria an official decreed that news must be submitted to the government for approval before being disseminated.
The official was not Alexander the Great but rather a county administrator, Bill Schalow. The place was not the Great's namesake on the Nile but rather Alexandria, Minn. The date was March 6, 2006 -- last Monday.
By Friday, Douglas County Coordinator Schalow's new "Public Relations/Communications Protocol," which required the local paper to submit its stories about the county for fact-checking or be cut off from top county officials, was ancient history.
surprised
I was simply surprised that they would be so open about their desire to control the people and press. normally it is through laws and the small print in giant thousand page bills. This was an open and outright attempt to control the press.
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