Abstract

This study addresses the Minnesota News Council's moral authority-that is, its ability to serve as a referent for the ethical or moral choices of others-and how its authority might be affected by perceptions of its legitimacy. After analyzing all of the Council's 125 written determinations, we argue that the Council's legitimacy and authority could be enlarged by clearer statements of ethical principles, explicit expressions of standards of conduct, and more consistent references to past determinations.