Credibility at stake, judge warns

A public spat between the two largest newspapers in Minnesota could see its first judicial ruling within days after a Ramsey County district judge said Wednesday that he will consider the St. Paul Pioneer Press' request to examine at least a dozen Minneapolis Star Tribune computers.

The St. Paul paper wants to see whether some of its confidential advertising information has been shared among top Star Tribune executives.

Also expected soon is a ruling on whether Jennifer Parratt, a former Pioneer Press employee who on Tuesday became the Star Tribune's director of niche publications, may continue working. The suit says she had a non-complete clause in her contact . The Pioneer Press has asked that she be temporarily suspended to prevent her from using information she gathered in St. Paul against her former employer.

Judge David Higgs issued an order to both newspapers at the conclusion of an hourlong hearing on Wednesday prohibiting the destruction of any information pertinent to the case, framing his comments against the newspaper's public squabble.

"I think you are all aware that the credibility of the media is in question here, and that doesn't bode well for either of you," Higgs said.

Separately, Chris Harte, the Star Tribune's chairman [and former BJ publisher] , rejected a request from the paper's main union to conduct an independent inquiry. "The allegations are just that -- allegations -- which are going to be dealt with in the course of this lawsuit," he wrote in an e-mail to the union's top officers. "I hope you all will agree with me that our efforts are better spent by focusing on serving readers and advertisers and letting this lawsuit work its way through the courts."

Click on the headline to read Matt McKinney’s full story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune
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