What's Hot

    Spend With Ukraine: A Campaign to Support Small Businesses and Strengthen the Economy Amidst War

    February 6, 2023

    January 24th in Minnesota’s History: A Look at the Events that Shaped the State

    January 24, 2023

    The Top 10 Most-Visited Online Media Outlets in the Midwestern United States

    January 18, 2023
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Minnesota DigestMinnesota Digest
    • Home
    • Civil Rights
    • Health Care
    • Politics
    • Schools
    • Work & Money
    • Housing & Transportation
    • Contact
    • Submit a News Release
    Subscribe
    Minnesota DigestMinnesota Digest
    Home » Minneapolis mayor didn’t know about MPD interview with Laura Ingraham of Fox News
    Politics

    Minneapolis mayor didn’t know about MPD interview with Laura Ingraham of Fox News

    Leslie PerkinsBy Leslie PerkinsAugust 9, 2022Updated:October 6, 2022No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Laura Ingraham of Fox News interviews two Minneapolis police officers about the aftermath of George Floyd’s police murder more than two years ago. Fox News screenshot.

    Fox News host Laura Ingraham recently aired a segment in Minneapolis where she interviewed police officers and painted a grim picture of the city. 

    Ingraham interviewed Lt. Jeff Waite and Sgt. Andrew Schroeder as they walked around the former Third Precinct police station, which was destroyed in the riots after George Floyd’s police killing in May 2020.

    “It’s a monument to anarchy,” she said.  “It’s a shock that this is allowed to stand.”

    The chyron on the bottom of the screen at one point read, “Two years after Floyd riots, radical leadership leaves Minneapolis in shambles.”

    That Ingraham was allowed to interview the officers was surprising, given the curtailed access of local reporters to Minneapolis police officers, who in the past have required permission from command staff to speak to the media. 

    Former officer Colleen Ryan was disciplined for anonymously alleging to GQ magazine that the MPD has a toxic culture; she later won a settlement with the city after alleging she was discriminated against for being gay. 

    Ingraham’s appearance with Minneapolis police raised questions about why a broadcaster with a history of inflammatory right-wing opinions and a sour view of Minneapolis was allowed access to officers for her national opinion/entertainment program. 

    Ryan, the former officer, tweeted: “MPD only likes interviews that fit their narrative.”

    MPD spokesman Howie Padilla said media interviews must be arranged through a public information officer or the police chief.

    Asked how a national Fox News host got an interview when so many local journalists are rebuffed by MPD, Padilla said MPD has given many interviews, particularly since he arrived a few months ago. A couple more public information officers will be joining the department in a few weeks to help do more communicating, he said.

    “We’re going to be in better shape in a few weeks and I think reporters are going to be happier with the response,” he said. “It’s gotten better in the last four months and it will continue to get better.”

    Padilla said he facilitated the Ingraham interview and was there when it happened.

    “Sometimes there’s officers who just don’t want to talk, and obviously, that wasn’t the case here,” he said.

    Padilla said he alerted department officials about the interview. 

    (Katie Lauer, a spokesperson for Mayor Jacob Frey, said the mayor was not aware the interview was happening.) 

    Ingraham’s interview with the officers brought to light attitudes of some of the rank-and-file.

    Ingraham asked Schroeder what it felt like to see the old Third Precinct station house. (A precinct that the Star Tribune has reported was notorious for its cowboy culture.) 

    He said it was “kind of weird” and brought back memories of what everyone in the city went through.

    Schroeder said MPD’s biggest challenge is the short-staffing.

    Waite, the lieutenant, told Ingraham that working conditions have worsened, with onlookers often on the scene, recording officers. (Derek Chauvin’s murder of Floyd was filmed by a 14-year-old girl and others.) 

    “You constantly have people questioning how we do things and telling us that we’re not doing things right, and it’s just nonstop,” Waite said.

    Ingraham also was in town Wednesday to speak at a campaign rally for state Senate candidate Doug Fulton, who’s running in the west metro. Jill Vujovich-Laabs, Fulton’s campaign manager, said Ingraham gave a short speech that “rallied the troops.” 

    Ingraham and Fulton went to Dartmouth together.

    The post Minneapolis mayor didn’t know about MPD interview with Laura Ingraham of Fox News appeared first on minnesotadigest.com.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Leslie Perkins
    Leslie Perkins

    Related Posts

    Spend With Ukraine: A Campaign to Support Small Businesses and Strengthen the Economy Amidst War

    February 6, 2023

    Scott Jensen’s education plan cuts funding for Minnesota schools, promotes school choice

    September 1, 2022

    Political divisions are on display at the Great Minnesota Get-Together

    September 1, 2022

    What happens when federal relief funding for Minneapolis and other cities runs out?

    September 1, 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest sports news from SportsSite about soccer, football and tennis.

    Latest news from Minnesota state.

    We're social. Connect with us:

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    © 2023 minnesotadigest.com.
    • Home
    • Civil Rights
    • Health Care
    • Housing & Transportation
    • Politics
    • Schools
    • Work & Money

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.