Furst Draft

Hodgson obituary

We published a news obituary Friday regarding Dr. Jane Hodgson, who died last Monday at the age of 91. The headline was, "Abortion-rights activist dies," and here was the lead:

Dr. Jane Hodgson, a Mayo-trained gynecologist who was convicted in 1970 of performing an abortion in violation of the state's then 80-year-old abortion ban law and who championed abortion rights for years, died Monday. She was 91.

Seems fair enough to me.

The Associated Press and other news orgnaizations picked up the story as well, and here's how it ran in the International Herald Tribune online, with the headline, " Dr. Jane Hodgson, first physician in U.S. convicted of illegally performing abortion in a hospital, dies":

ROCHESTER, Minnesota -- Dr. Jane Hodgson, the first physician in the United States to be convicted of illegally performing an abortion in a hospital, died Oct. 23. She was 91.

She was convicted in 1970 of defying Minnesota's abortion ban by performing the procedure in St. Paul, a ruling overturned after the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

The Minnesota chapter of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League named its reproductive freedom award in Hodgson's honor, and she also promoted the establishment of clinics in Minnesota and elsewhere for performing abortions.

Tim Stanley, a spokesman for Planned Parenthood of Minnesota and the Dakotas, called Hodgson "an international and national icon."

Over the years, her opponents derided her as a "baby killer" ...

She developed abortion clinics all over, including one in Washington, D.C., and traveled the world to promote public health, especially in poorer nations.

I know these stories went to different audiences, but which one would you say is more fair?

Also, if anyone cares to do research on this point, I'm intrigued by the assertion in the Herald Tribune lead that Hodgson was "the first physician in the United States to be convicted of illegally performing an abortion in a hospital." Where did that information come from? (Maybe the P-B -- I've got other fish to fry and won't go to the archives or clip file to check this out, but it's a hard-to-prove point.) Were other physicians charged but not convicted? Were others charged or convicted for abortions outside of hospitals? (I'm assuming the answer is yes.) And why is this in the lead?

P-B Dialogues event on Wednesday

Here's your almost-monthly invitation to meet yours truly and other P-B journalists at the Rochester Public Library, this Wednesday to talk about the homeless issue in Rochester.

Two weeks ago, we published a special report called "Living on the Edge," which gave readers an extraordinarily close-up look at people who are homeless in the Rochester area, how they got there and what's being done to help.

The P-B Dialogues program will begin at 6:30 p.m. Reporter Jeff Hansel and photographer Jerry Olson will talk more about what they learned during several months of interviews and photo sessions with local sources. I'll moderate an informal conversation about issues involved with the homeless in Rochester.

If you can’t make it, check this Web log on Thursday for notes on what was said. But I can't offer free cookies and coffee online...you can only get them at the library Wednesday.

No Editor Left Behind

The Rochester Education Association isn't happy with the P-B's endorsement of candidates for Rochester School Board. Here's what REA President Lynette M. Lenoch-Craft says in the October edition of REA Update (with typos included):

REA has recommended the following candidates for school board (Did you notice the PB is not in agreement with out recommendations? Why is it the PB values candidates who do not have a background in education? I wonder what the editors at the PB would do if local, state, and federal legislators put unfunded mandates and standards on them like they so freely do for those of us in public education? Come to think about it...wouldn't it be great to have legislation requiring highly qualified editors!)...

Lynette, please don't give the Bush administration any ideas...

'Tougher than I thought it woud be two weeks ago'

Two more takes on the tight race in the 1st District, with some candid comments by the congressman:

Associated Press: 'Contract with America' Republican in hard fight in Minn.

Minnesota Public Radio: Gutknecht facing tough challenge from Walz

From the MPR interview:

Sitting on a bar stool in the La Crescent American Legion Gutknecht tells about 25 supporters he did not expect to be in the electoral trouble after 12 years in Congress.

"This election in this district is incredibly important and it's proven to be much tougher than I would have thought six months ago," Gutknecht says. "In fact, it's tougher than I thought it would be two weeks ago."

Gutknecht talks about the need to keep taxes down and to reduce the cost of health care. He says Americans' patience is wearing thin regarding Iraq, and that it's time for a change in tactics.

Gutknecht also addresses the Mark Foley congressional e-mail scandal.

"I have nothing to do with this, but you know what?" he asks. "Our numbers really took a tumble and it's been universally true around the country, and it shocks me that we have been punished for something that we have nothing to do with."

 

'Sally Forth should be nonexistent'

Here's one of the more amusing e-mails I've had regarding comics:

Dear Post Bulletin,

I think that Sally Forth should be nonexistent, in the comics section. Not many kids want to read a comic about some strange family's reality problems. Also it is very boring.

Marvin on the other hand is funny because it's interesting to hear from a toddlers point of view.

Garfield should stay, because it's an American classic. It would be sad for our whole family to see it go.

Please make the best decision. Thanks for your time.

Rude and biased coverage

Here's a note from a reader after last Thursday's 1A coverage of the Mayo-Century football game, unedited:

To Whom This May Concern:

In the October 19th, 2006 Thursday addition of the Post Bulletin, the front page article describing the "Game of the year" proposed some interesting questions concerning the writing style of Mr. Steve Webb.

The style of writing used in the article seemed at first, unbiased and a straight-through read detailing the close game, the teams, and the hype that preluded the actual event. However, reading on in the article, the columnist suggests thing regarding the Century team that appear rude and biased. Though, considering he was a Mayo alumni, the writer should write kinder because some wording hurts the feelings of the parents of the players, the friends of the players, the students within the school, and the actual players themselves.

Other comments, such as the inference that Century lost the game because of the injury of Leon Clark is degrading to the other players who work hard in practice (though some more than others) and doesn't consider the fact that even the players on the Century team are forbidden to say such unsportsmanlike remarks.

The point of this letter was just to ask the editors of the Post Bulletin to be more careful of what they print because of the offensiveness of some comments. Though freedom of speech is important and expressing opinions is what makes a paper good, there are supposed to be certain types of articles that give and round whole story and do not offend because we have enough of that in other kind of articles. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Brittany C. Splittstoesser

'Let's focus on more positive news'

Feedback from a reader regarding our four-part series on homelessness in Rochester:

This is a tragedy -- especially in an affluent city (medical and all) -- this shouldn't be, especially so MANY people. Why??

You are doing a lot of research -- but enough of it -- let's focus on more positive news.

Many of these people WANT to live like this. No ambition, etc.

I do have empathy but some people need to do like you and I -- root and dig for a living.

Thanks.

What do you think? Too much reporting? If you read it, did it provoke a reaction?

More on Majority Watch polls

Here are some sources to check out regarding Majority Watch polls of congressional races. That's the poll cited in today's Gutknecht-Walz story.

The polls are conducted by RT Strategies, a D.C.-based company that produces polls for the better-known Cook Political Report, and Constituent Dynamics of Seattle.

RT Strategies describes itself as "a bipartisan polling firm" and Constituent Dynamics says it's a "nonpartisan research organization specializing in interactive voice recognition polling."

The two firms also are partnering with Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Public Affairs for the polling project. Waggener is an international public relations firm based in Oregon.

Pollster.com describes the newfangled methodology involved in the Majority Watch polls.

Cook Political Report, which describes itself as a "nonpartisan, online analysis of electoral politics," leads with this item: "Grim Days for the GOP." (The Cook Report makes no reference to the Gutknecht-Walz race, on quick glance.)

Here's a blog that's following the Bachmann-Wetterling race, and it compares results of Majority Watch and SurveyUSA polls.

Pass along other links you think are relevant and I'll post them.

One sick human being

I'm moving this comment up from the previous post to make sure you see how sick the guy identified as Alger_Hyss is.

Comment From:
-------------
Name: Alger_Hyss
Email: algerhiss@bellsouth.net
IP: 66.21.218.165

Comment:
--------
Used to be a kid was maybe 15 or even 20 when they learned what a pimp
was. Thanks to people like Tommy Freston and Russell Simmons, they now
know what a pimp does when they're 8.

Furst & company chime right in and further coarsen the culture and
cause parents to explain what a stripper does with a pole to that same
8 year old.

Gee.....thanks a lot, Furst. You're a real class act. Maybe you can
help kids learn where to get some porn? Got a little Jon Bonet Furst at
home practicing on her own pole?

Pole dancing for fun

A newsroom wag sent this e-mail and pic:

If you write about the pole dancing controversy in your next column, here's
some possible art.

K.