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David Brauer

David Brauer's picture
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commenter for
5 years 28 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 03/27/12 at 10:43 am in response to How much do Twitter and Facebook boost local news-site traffic?

Bob, you are already a very engaged reader!!

Posted on 03/13/12 at 10:16 am in response to How MPR’s legal misadventure is driving up the cost of LRT line

For what it's worth, I don't think the story is criticizing fund drives, but how that fundraised money was used.

I'm glad we added a conflict-of-interest disclosure and sorry it came after publication.

Posted on 02/16/12 at 11:05 am in response to How the New York Times got the Chisago County entitlements story

It's a fair point that some part of this is fee-for-service-like.

However, the Times noted that Medicare premiums don't begin to cover Medicare expenses (the collective ratio is 1:3, I believe). So yes, there's a component that's not an entitlement, but one that is. Not sure of the exact ratio for Social Security - I think that's narrower. But since it's based on current workers paying for past ones, you could argue there's an entitlement aspect.

Posted on 02/15/12 at 11:12 am in response to The new MinnPost

I'm fine with the columnists slot, by the way ...

Posted on 01/23/12 at 10:47 pm in response to Will MPR's 'Daily' show make news more interesting and fun?

Hal - And here I was feeling so clever. I did look at one definition that said "powerful," but that's not quite right either. There's a sort of TV reporter contrived formality to it ... Ah well, back to the thesaurus.

Posted on 01/19/12 at 04:55 pm in response to Ex-WCCOer Jack Rice returns, on AM950

Eric - streaming does show up in the ratings (for example, the Current adds at least a couple tenths of a share point that way). But in the case of AM950, that's not there.

Not saying people *aren't* listening virtually, but not enough to move the needle.

Good question.

Posted on 12/22/11 at 01:08 pm in response to Is ex-reporter Christine Clayburg paying TV journalists to help clients tell their good news stories?

John Edwards -- I see: no journalist with an opinion (no matter how sincere or independent) can complain about another journalist being paid by an entity to spout/craft their point of view. I think we'll have to disagree on that one. I think this is moral relativism -- a flawed, reductionist, excuse-granting equivalency - based merely on political disagreement.

Posted on 12/19/11 at 02:21 pm in response to WLTE flipping to country competition for K102

Scott - The Current?

Posted on 12/17/11 at 01:09 pm in response to Star Tribune amends Vikings stadium editorial

Bill -

Fair question. I think of myself as a local journalist, trying to have great influence on matters closest to me.

Even though there are many journalists writing about the stadium, I tried to pick an important facet no one was really writing about (or when they did, getting it wrong). Since Rybak's property-tax argument is a linchpin for Minneapolitans, I felt it was important, and also something I know much better.

As for SOPA, it is (perhaps inarguably) more...

Posted on 12/17/11 at 01:15 pm in response to How much could a Vikings stadium cut Minneapolis property taxes?

Tony - The Convention Center tax may be big enough to fulfill several needs, though Rybak has all but admitted maintenance and marketing will take a hit if funds are diverted to a Vikings stadium (and secondarily, Target Center).

You are hitting on a key point I'm investigating: can the city get property tax relief and even an improved Target Center WITHOUT the stadium?

Paul - some of us were saying Target Center would not be a cash cow from the beginning. ;) It is a classic...