Kojetin Weblog

Star Tribune: New smoking ban
Star Tribune: Day One: No huffs, no fumes, no butts

Pioneer Press: Gotta light?
Pioneer Press: Statewide smoking ban now in force

As of October 1 smoking is now banned throughout the state of Minnesota inside of resturaunts and bars. Bans had already taken effect in some cities including Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington, but now the ban includes the entire state.

I thought the coverege of this news story was particuarly interesting simply because both the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune had two articles about the story on their websites, covering different aspects of the ban. The Star Tribune's articles served different purposes. The article entitled "New smoking ban" focused on the specific legal and technical aspects of the ban, outlining exactly what it entails. "Day One: No huffs, no fumes, no butts" focuses specifically on the effects of the ban on buisness and bars. This article was written in paragraph form as a story, whereas some of the articles were almost written as straight facts.

The Pioneer Press' coverage was interesting in itself. The article "Statewide smoking ban now in force" was very similer to the Star Tribune's "New smoking ban" article in that it outlined the facts of the ban, however the Pioneer Press' version used bulletpoints answering specific questions the reader might have about the ban. The "Gotta light?" article was simply a list of bars in Minneapolis and St. Paul that have particularly good patios for smoking, and a quick evaluation of why each is notable.

It is interesting to see how these articles show neither support or dissent of the ban to avoid a biased report. Specifically "Day One: No huffs, no fumes, no butts" from the Star Tribune voiced opinions of Smokers and Nonsmokers, opponants and supporters of the ban. I found the balance of coverage in the Pioneer Press interesting simply because one was a straight news story, and the other served as reader utility piece, letting them know good locations to smoke.