Bob CollinsAmerica has had so many wars that we don’t know what to call them anymore. Is it Gulf War I an Gulf War II? Or do we just refer to them now as the Gulf War, and Afghanistan, and Iraq? Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
By Bob Collins
Bob Collins retired from Minnesota Public Radio in 2019 after 12 years of writing NewsCut and pointing out to complainants that posts weren’t news stories. A son of Massachusetts, he was a news editor 1992-1998, created the MPR News regional website in 1999, invented the popular Select A Candidate, started several blogs, and every day lamented that his Minnesota Fantasy Legislature project never caught on.
Since the story of Michael Oreskes surfaced last week, I’ve been waiting for NPR’s ombudsman to check in with an assessment of how NPR covered the story of sexual harassment allegations against the newsroom boss, who has since been fired. Today, Elizabeth Jensen did.
Third-parent adoption is legal in California. So, Zeke Hausfather and Avary Kent and David Jay are now the proud parents of Octavia. Read more →
She’s 12 years old and was featured last night on CBS’ 60 Minutes broadcast, host Scott Pelley acknowledging that humankind doesn’t know enough about the brain to understand why she’s a virtuoso on the piano and the violin and why she’s been able to compose an opera and why she hears notes in her head the way the rest of us hear words. Read more →
There’s more to aviation than fighter jets, but people don’t seem as interested in looking up anymore unless there’s lots of noise and the appearance of danger. Read more →
A gift shop in Bemidji that raised money for the poor of Eastern Uganda is closing, and that’s bad news for the homeless of Bemidji. Read more →
Upon further review, perhaps it wasn’t in Juli Briskman’s best interest to exercise her freedom of expression when on a recent bike ride that occurred when the president’s motorcade passed.
Read more →
Langendorff and his neighbor will be the poster boys for gun advocates, just as Kelley will be the focus of gun opponents.
Read more →
Athletes could better show their patriotism by taking 5 minutes to learn how not to treat it when you win a marathon. Read more →
A hospice volunteer in Itasca County doesn’t want a flu shot and she may lose her volunteer job if she doesn’t get one.
Read more →
In Virginia, Sepp Shirey is a dedicated member of the Atlee High football team, putting in his work though it requires more effort because of cerebral palsy. Read more →
William Craft, the president of Concordia College in Moorhead, hit it out of the park this week when he responded to posters around campus saying, ‘It’s OK to be white.’ Read more →
Give it up, please for country music star Brad Paisley, who today practically single-handedly took a stand for treating people like adults, even if means they get to ask stupid questions sometimes. Read more →
Trucks are dangerous partners on the highway. A good rule of thumb is to allow several zip codes to exist between you and the trucker. Read more →
You’ve been looking for a job for months now and you’ve finally scored an interview with a pretty good company. Your interview is going well when the interviewer asks if you plan to have kids.
It’s illegal to ask that question but what happens if you refuse to answer it and note that the interviewer just broke the law? And so, you just go along and make up an answer if you have to. Read more →