MPR News Reflections and observations on the news

By Bob Collins

bcollins@mpr.org • @newscut

Bob Collins retired from Minnesota Public Radio in 2019 after 12 years of writing NewsCut and pointing out to complainants that posts weren’t news stories. A son of Massachusetts, he was a news editor 1992-1998, created the MPR News regional website in 1999, invented the popular Select A Candidate, started several blogs, and every day lamented that his Minnesota Fantasy Legislature project never caught on.

Tales from the Badger State

Bob Collins January 22, 2008, 3:38 PM Jan 22, 2008

3

Wisconsin, sometimes you make it too easy.

Abortion and a new generation

Bob Collins January 22, 2008, 1:49 PM Jan 22, 2008

3

Young people made up much of Tuesday’s anti-abortion rally in St. Paul.

Time wasters: A blast from the past

Bob Collins January 22, 2008, 10:51 AM Jan 22, 2008

The Library of Congress is uploading its digital collections.

Economic tsunami

Bob Collins January 22, 2008, 7:06 AM Jan 22, 2008

2

The world weighs in on the U.S. economic recovery plan. It doesn’t like it.

The good lieutenant

Bob Collins January 21, 2008, 3:42 PM Jan 21, 2008

Joe Corcoran is back in St. Paul. Unfortunately.

Are we ‘shallow dolts?’

Bob Collins January 21, 2008, 11:29 AM Jan 21, 2008

7

Do we have an inferiority complex they haven’t told us about?

Nobody respects us

Bob Collins January 21, 2008, 8:10 AM Jan 21, 2008

The awesome power of paranoia.

The drip, drip, drip of foreclosures

Bob Collins January 20, 2008, 3:15 PM Jan 20, 2008

1

In the wake of a seemingly endless run of bad news, more is likely to follow.

Militant vs. insurgent

Bob Collins January 18, 2008, 6:25 PM Jan 18, 2008

1

Both words are used in war coverage, and both carry significantly different meaning. Why?

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: cold-weather tips

Bob Collins January 18, 2008, 4:05 PM Jan 18, 2008

6

There’s a big difference.

Election results by the roadside

Bob Collins January 18, 2008, 2:56 PM Jan 18, 2008

There’s more to those electronic billboards than advertisements.

Herschel’s secret

Bob Collins January 18, 2008, 2:43 PM Jan 18, 2008

1

The former Cowboy and Viking reveals he suffers from multiple personality disorder.

A solution in search of a problem

Bob Collins January 18, 2008, 1:05 PM Jan 18, 2008

Engineers in Japan are developing a paper airplane to be launched from space.

Noose news

Bob Collins January 18, 2008, 11:38 AM Jan 18, 2008

6

Two noose incidents show a wide disparity in how authorities treat racist messages.

When politics meets advertising

Bob Collins January 18, 2008, 11:10 AM Jan 18, 2008

1

Is an ad featuring immigrants an attempt to change the political debate, or another exploitation attempt?