The composition of Robert D. Coursen’s June 28 metro edition obituary departed from the newspaper’s traditional emphasis on the pluses of a subject’s life and career.
Friends and family read it as a detailed put-down of Coursen, 80, who 23 years ago resigned as director of the Minnesota Poll.
The obituary focused on a 1978 poll. Of 20 paragraphs in the column-long story, only one allowed his family to pay tribute to him as a person. If you wanted more there was his funeral notice two columns to the right.
Callers and writers of letters to the editor were antagonized. They said there was no reason to blame Coursen for the poll’s errant results.
But they said the detailed reporting about the 1978 incident dominated the obituary and implied that he was responsible.
The poll was first conducted by an Arizona firm. But twice before the Nov. 7 election of both of Minnesota’s U.S. senators and the governor, the newspaper called the interviewees back to monitor changing opinions.
A shortcoming of the obituary was the absence of comment from Charles Bailey, then editor of the Tribune, now retired in Washington, D.C.
He told me: “I was responsible for a misguided decision.” Instead of the two so-called panelbacks, Bailey said, “We should have stayed with the Minnesota Poll people, drawn a new sample that would have been clean. What we did was to save money.”
Results of the second panelback were published the day before the election.
They showed Sen. Wendell Anderson leading Rudy Boschwitz, 47 percent to 46.5, for Vice President Walter Mondale’s Senate seat. Boschwitz won by 15 percentage points.
Gov. Rudy Perpich, seeking reelection, led Al Quie in the poll, 49.5 to 45.5, but lost by 7 points.
In the other Senate race, the poll showed David Durenberger ahead by 14 points. He won by 26 points.
The third paragraph from the obituary’s end said, “Their five children said their father taught them ‘a commitment to the highest standards of quality and excellence and the importance of being objective and open-minded.’ ”
The funeral notice said it in detail: “Without compromising conviction or principle, Bob was singularly open-minded toward the views of others. His gentle, intelligent humor illuminated any conversation.
“A loving and devoted father, a loyal friend, an advisor and mentor to many, he brought grace, wit and compassion to those who knew him.”
That’s how the several hundred who filled the sanctuary at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Minnetonka on June 29 remembered him.
Scott Gillespie, assistant managing editor/local news, responded to the criticisms:
“We decided to do a full-length obituary on Mr. Coursen rather than a shorter story because he was at the center of a major story in Minnesota in 1978. The story described the political and journalistic controversy surrounding the poll and clearly stated that Mr. Coursen did nothing unethical or misleading in his research. We also quoted his son Eric, who described how Mr. Coursen had started his own research firm and thrived later in his career.
“In hindsight, we should have included more information about Mr. Coursen’s professional accomplishments.”
Fairness
Gary Fern said Tim Penny’s announcement that he would run for governor was on the metro cover, but when Roger Moe and Tim Pawlenty were endorsed by their parties for governor the stories were on the A section cover.
When the Independence Party holds its convention and makes its endorsement, that, too, will qualify for page A1.
Make it ‘winch’
Jennie Hakes and Eileen Dalzen, Ogilvie, Minn., spotted it in the June 27 Home & Garden section:
“The juniper is long gone — pulled out with the help of a wench and my husband’s Jeep bumper years ago.”
