ECM Post Review - NBAPS hires new activities director

Community Links

Chisago County

City of North Branch

City of Rush City

City of Stacy

Lent Township

North Branch Area Public Schools

Supe of the Day, Deb Henton

North Branch Chamber of Commerce

Rush City Chamber of Commerce

Advertising Info/Rates

HometownSource

ECM Publishers, Inc.

Post Review Poll

Regarding the President's declaration this week, are we done with the war in Iraq?

	yes
	no

NBAPS hires new activities director

Monday, 15 June 2009

North Branch Area Public Schools announced this morning that Michael Cunningham has accepted the position of activities director. He replaces retiring activities director Becky Leuer. Cunningham will start the position July 1.

Cunningham is currently the activities director at Zimmerman High School in the Elk River Area School District. Before that he was dean of students for Osseo Area Schools. Cunningham has over 15 years experience of teaching as well, and taught technology education at Fridley Public Schools for over a decade.

In the area of activities, Cunningham has coached a number of sports at the varsity level, including football, track and field, and wrestling, has served as a yearbook advisor and in a leadership role with the Anoka Area Hockey Association.

Cunningham received his bachelor of science degree from St. Cloud State University in 1994 and has since received his Master of Education degree from Saint Mary's University (2005), and his Educational Specialist degree from the University of St. Thomas (2007).

Comments (15) add comment

Beth: ...

Why is this not written by a member of the staff of the Post Review? I don't want to read press releases by the school on this website.

June 16, 2009

vikingfan: ...

Probably because the paper has weekely editions, not everyday editions. Im guessing when the next weekly addition comes out (tomorrow-wed) you will probably see an article written by one of the writers. Then again you might not.

June 16, 2009

Seriously...: ...

What is the big deal if it is from the school?

June 17, 2009

Beth: ...

It's a big deal because press releases job is to promote the self-interests of the person submitting it and does not paint the complete picture. A journalists will present a better account of what this means to the community.

June 17, 2009

Seriously...: ...

so exactly what else could have been printed...it pretty much looks exactly like the one the newspaper put in the paper?

June 17, 2009

Flambeau: ...

While this particular press release is somewhat innocuous, I tend to agree with Beth that it is a poor practice to just take press releases and slap them up on the web site verbatim as if they were a news story.

When most people read a "story" in the paper they are assuming that there has been some sort of verification of facts done by the paper or the reporter.

When the Post Review simply takes press releases from the School District or worse, from politicians (as they have been doing of late) and puts them out here as if they were a story without any disclaimer that it is merely a press release composed by the District or a given candidate it erodes the papers credibility.

Ideally, I would like to see the paper verify the claims made in press releases (especially by politicians) and also mention opposing views.

If they aren't going to do that the least they should do is clearly indicate that what has been posted is only a press release from a given organization and not a story that the paper has done any work on.

June 17, 2009

Beth: ...

Flambeau, very well said. You hit the nail on the head. That's what the staff is paid for, to write stories, not put up crappy press releases on their web site.

June 18, 2009

No patience for impatient .....: ...

Always have to find someone or something to blame. I found this press release to be very to the point, informative and a nice introduction of the person hired as the new AD. Can anyone EVER find the good in something or is it always about blame and nastiness....jeesh people, settle down. I'm sure an interview of this new AD will be coming in the future! What is the problem here! The guy was JUST announced as, "HIRED"!!!!!!!!!!

June 18, 2009

Robert: ...

The Post-Review has one reporter, maybe two, for the entire paper. You quacks ever think that maybe there isn't enough resources to send a person out to every site or event?

June 18, 2009

Paula: ...

All I can say is that the only good thing about the press release is the news that Leuer is no longer the AD and has retired. It's about time. Maybe the new AD will promota ALL girls sports and not choose favorites and be so unfair. Welcome Mr. Cunningham to the community!

June 18, 2009

Flambeau: ...

Dear No Patience,

I have no concerns about the new A.D. and I wish him all the best. Nor do I have any problem with the District or anyone else putting together a “news release” and sending it to the paper.

My concern is with the Post Review's recent habit of throwing press releases from various sources up on their web site as if they were news stories.

How hard would it be for them to alter the headline of this article to read something like “This statement was released today by the NBAPS regarding the hiring of the new Athletic Director:”?

Here are some other examples:

This “story” was posted in the Post Review last month:

http://ecmpostreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2974&Itemid=1

You will find the same “story” word for word on Representative Oberstar’s web site since it is a press release from his office:

http://www.oberstar.house.gov/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={C2087AAD-CE9E-4667-9693-AC4708DA7204}&DE={6D120E18-F9E1-4534-946F-432ED09EE442}

Similarly, The Post Review put this “story” up last month as well:

http://ecmpostreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2922&Itemid=1

You again will find the exact same “story” on Representative Kalin’s House web page because he and or his staffers wrote it:

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/pressrelease.asp?pressid=4565&party=1&memid=15256

These press releases from various politicians’ offices are written by their campaigns to sound very much like news stories in the fond hope that newspapers will do just what the Post Review has done – print them verbatim without any indication that they were written by the campaigns themselves.

They could not ask for any better coverage than that.

In my opinion, the newspaper is not adding much value when they do this.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, in the interest of full disclosure the paper should at least make it clear that the information being reported is being taken directly from “a statement released by “whomever”.

I would argue that if they don’t do this they are shortchanging their readers by giving these potentially opinion laden press releases the illusion of being objective news stories.

While I do agree that there is nothing especially controversial or biased in the above press release, it is another example of this unfortunate habit that the Post Review seems to have acquired.

June 18, 2009

Hysterical: ...

I am sure Mr Cuningham will feel very welcome reading these posts. How embarrasing that people have to complain about such petty things.

June 18, 2009

No patience for impatient .....: ...

Flambeau, it is not just the practice of the Post Review to publish press releases, all news papers do this. Perhaps you should contact the owner of the Post Review itself if you have such an issue with this.

While it might be frustrating for you to see this I find your actions here to be very 'petty' as Hysterical said and an attack on something that has been done for years and years by most, if not EVERY newspaper.

This press release, in my opinion, is just an informational tidbit that certainly doesn't warrant people to cast blame or to make such an issue out of. As I said in my other comment, someone always has to find another to blame....and in this instance, FOR WHAT??????? I still haven't quite figured that out. There are a lot of bitter people out there as I see in this comment thread and it truly saddens me that people can be so mean, hateful, and accusatory.

June 19, 2009

Beth: ...

I am sorry, this is not a petty thing. It's about getting good, unbiased information out to the Post Review readership. If the Post Review doesn't do its job of reporting on local issues, who will? The Star Tribune? Only in your dreams ... they can barley keep their doors open. The last thing I want to do is read a paper full of press releases from area politicians.

June 19, 2009

Robert: ...

When these columns from Kalin and Oberstar are in the newspaper, they are clearly marked as opinion pieces. They typically are online as well.

Also, if the story has no byline, then it is obviously a press release. If it has a byline, then it is by one of the reporters. This is done in all newspapers on their web sites and their print editions. THIS IS NOTHING NEW.

You people are ridiculous. It's people like you who are turning our community into a bunch of actionless whiners.

-Bob Anderson

June 22, 2009

Write comment

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]