In a June 19, 2010 editorial, Faribault County Register columnist, Chuck Hunt, expressed his dismay over the negative publicity his community of Blue Earth, Minnesota, got over interviews of local citizens and officials conducted by St. Paul television station, KSTP, which were aired May 13. This was the third negative story aired by the station in less than a year, slamming general aviation.
The reporter interviewed a farmer who owns land adjacent to the Blue Earth airport, who commented on the infrequency of takeoffs and landings, followed by an interview by a Blue Earth city councilman who commented that expanding the airport based on such infrequent use, doesn’t make any sense to anyone with any “math skills.”
Hunt stated that comments like those do not lend well to a community.
“It sure seems to make Blue Earth look bad,” stated Hunt. “They seem to be saying there are no planes flying in or out of the airport here, and the city is simply greedy, trying to latch onto money to fix up an airport that doesn’t need it. Wonder what the average Twin Cities resident thought of Blue Earth after seeing that broadcast? What kind of a small, hick town do they think we are?
“My guess is they think it is one that has a small, unused airport that doesn’t need to be improved. The truth is, it is much, much more than that.”
Hunt notes how the questions the reporter asked were loaded, and designed to get a predetermined response, and how the reporter did not use the interviews of knowledgeable people whose responses did not fit the story the reporter wanted to air.
Hunt agreed that the story was obviously slanted. “From a journalist’s perspective, it lacked a lot of objectivity,” stated Hunt. Hunt tried to set the record straight with his readers by noting the reasons for improvements at the airport, and that no individual tax dollars are included in the funding.
“If Blue Earth is to own assets such as parks, buildings, streets and airports, they need to be maintained,” stated Hunt.
To see the podcast of the KSTP story, go to: kstp.com/news/stories/S1559234.shtml?cat=1
August/September 2010 Midwest Flyer Magazine
