MintPress News
Type of site | News website |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| URL | mintpressnews |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | 2011 |
MintPress News (MPN) is an independent American news website which was founded in 2011 and launched February 2013,[1] with an administrative office in Minnesota.[2]
According to its website, Mint Press News is an online journalism startup providing "issue-based-original reporting, in-depth investigations and thoughtful analysis of the most pressing topics facing our nation through the lens of social justice and human" covering national (U.S.) politics and policy, civil liberties, the war on drugs, foreign affairs, energy, lifestyle, culture, technology and the environment.
Reporters, correspondents and editors are based across the United States in over eight states, and several countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
History
MintPress News was founded in January 2011 by Mnar A. Muhawesh, a broadcast journalism graduate of St. Cloud State University and speaker on responsible journalism, sexism and women in entrepreneurship. She began her career as an independent multimedia journalist covering Midwest and national politics while focusing on civil liberties and social justice issues where she posted her work on her blog Mint Press, which she later turned the blog into the global website it is today, according to Maple Grove Magazine.
A media adviser and business strategist for MPN is Kate Hindes, a veteran journalist, "an industry leader, national author and keynote speaker on emotional integrity and authenticity in today’s online media."[citation needed] With over 15 years of published experience from running regional magazines to leading newsrooms, Kate-Hindes is fluent in: "Long-form Journalism, Copywriting, Proofreading, Ghostwriting, Communication Strategy, Biographies and Brand Platforms," according to GirlMeetsGeek. Mnar Muhawesh raised "her startup capital, which is currently covering all of Mint Press’s costs" from her connections to the nonprofit world in Minneapolis, MN.[3] In 2013 in an email to BuzzFeed, Mnar Muhawesh said she was financing Mint Press alone: "MintPress was originally funded by angel investors when I was first putting the company together over a year ago, but that route fell through last year as I restructured the business plan,” Muhawesh said. “I am the sole investor of MintPress.”[4]
On the about MintPress News page [2], it states that a media advisory board will be posted soon.
Syria Reporting Controversy
On 29 August 2013, an MPN article bylined to MPN contributors Dale Gavlak and Yahya Ababneh reported that Syrian rebels and local residents in Ghouta, Syria alleged in interviews that the Al-Nusra Front was responsible for the chemical weapons incidents in Ghouta; those interviewed claimed that weapons had been delivered to untrained fighters and "some of the fighters handled the weapons improperly and set off the explosions."[5] Gavlak later told Brown Moses Blog that "Despite my repeated requests, made directly and through legal counsel, they have not been willing to issue a retraction stating that I was not the author. Yahya Ababneh is the sole reporter and author of the Mint Press News piece."[6] Gavlak later clarified that she had "served as an editor of Ababneh's material in English as he normally writes in Arabic. Gavlak had been a weekly corresponent to MintPress News, writing for the online new magazine since March 2013[7] MPN editor, Mnar Muhawesh released two public statements saying that Gavlak retracted her involvement due to pressure from third parties two days after the article was published and did only "assist in the research and writing process of the article" and that MPN stands by Gavlak and the co-author Yahya Ababneh.
Odeh Muhawesh, whom Mnar once called “a key adviser”, was asked whether the fact that his ideological views were hostile to the Syrian opposition had influenced the story carried by Mint Press News. Reports on the controversy observed statements at websites formerly run by Odeh Muhawesh that are staunchly anti-Saudi, and caused speculation that the chemical weapons story might have been driven by his ideology rather than the facts. He called such theories "plausible but not factual”. He said Mnar is the sole owner of MintPress. [8]
The MPN report had been "widely circulated"[9] and cited among others by Military.com, the Voice of Russia, Press TV, Spanish newspaper ABC, ConsortiumNews.com and InfoWars.[10][11][12][13][14] Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting initially characterized the article as "honest about the limits of its knowledge", but after Gavlak's comments dissociating herself from the story wrote that "with the allegations of unprofessional behavior on the part of Mint Press News, there's little reason to take the Mint Press story seriously."[15] Asked about the Mint Press News story Åke Sellström, Chief UN weapons inspector in Syria remarked ; "They are famous for 1001 Arabian Nights Stories." [16]
References
- ^ cjr.org
- ^ Press TV
- ^ cjr.org
- ^ Rosie Gray and Jessica Testa, buzzfeed, 1 October 2013 The Inside Story Of One Website’s Defense Of Assad
- ^ Mint Press News, "EXCLUSIVE: Syrians In Ghouta Claim Saudi-Supplied Rebels Behind Chemical Attack," Aug. 29, 2013. http://www.mintpressnews.com/witnesses-of-gas-attack-say-saudis-supplied-rebels-with-chemical-weapons/168135/
- ^ Brown Moses Blog, 20 September 2013, Statement By Dale Gavlak On The Mint Press Article "Syrians In Ghouta Claim Saudi-Supplied Rebels Behind Chemical Attack"
- ^ "Author : Dale Gavlak". Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Star Tribune 1 October 2013 [1]
- ^ Bryant Jordan, 10 September 2013, military.com, White House Mum on Rebel Chem Weapons Use
- ^ Voice of Russia, 30 August 2013, 'Syrian rebels take responsibility for the chemical attack admitting the weapons were provided by Saudis' - source
- ^ infowars.com, 30 August 2013, EXCLUSIVE: Syrians In Ghouta Claim Saudi-Supplied Rebels Behind Chemical Attack
- ^ Lisa Pease, ConsortiumNews.com, 4 September 2013, The Still-Sketchy Intel on Syria
- ^ Press TV, 1 September 2013, Saudi Prince Bandar behind chemical attack in Syria: Report
- ^ ABC, 2 September 2013, Una colaboradora de AP afirma que el ataque en Damasco fue obra de los rebeldes
- ^ Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, "Which Syrian Chemical Attack Account Is More Credible?", 1 Sept 2013 with undated update 20 September 2013.
- ^ crbneworld February 2014