Has the U of Minnesota Canceled Documentary ‘Troubled Waters’ That Is Critical of Big Ag?

Who knew a documentary about the Mississippi River could be so controversial? Last week, Molly Priesmeyer of the Twin Cities Daily Planet reported:

Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story has been nearly four years in the making. A team of researchers, filmmakers, and scientists have been up and down the Mississippi River, knee deep in swamps and icy waters, and elbow deep in footage and research. The film, by the U of M’s Bell Museum of Natural History, focuses on agriculture, pollution, and sustainable solutions. Now, suddenly, its premiere has been canceled, and no one can say exactly why.

The documentary was scheduled to premiere at the Bell Museum on October 3. U of M president Robert Bruininks, who has been an adamant supporter of the conservation-focused project, was set to speak at the event. The film was also scheduled to broadcast on TPT on October 5.

But on September 7th, just as invitations to the premiere were sliding into mailboxes, the U of M pulled the plug on the event and the TPT airing. According to Barbara Coffin, coordinator of public programs at the Bell and executive producer of Troubled Waters, the film was pulled from TPT by University Relations.

The producers at the U’s Bell Museum were informed that morning in a letter sent from University Relations: The film would not air on TPT and the party and premiere were shuttered. Later that week the Facebook invite for the premiere was updated to say the release was postponed “to allow time for a review of the film’s scientific content.”

Of course the only problem with this scenario for pulling the film is that the scientific content has already been reviewed, including by McKnight Foundation, Mississippi River Fund and the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. The real problem may have to due with a conflict of interest.

The Star Tribune reports that the person responsible for canceling the broadcast, U of M’s vice president Karen Himle, is married to “John Himle, CEO of Himle Horner Inc., a public relations firm that represents the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council, a trade association that lobbies for agribusiness.”

Of course the university denies that this had anything to do with the film’s cancellation and is sticking by their story of wanting more faculty to review the film. Writing for DailyKos, U of M alum bobtmn shares this statement from the museum:

A Statement from Dr. Susan J. Weller, Director of the Bell Museum of Natural History:

In 2008, the University of Minnesota (Bell Museum of Natural History) received a legislative appropriation, and subsequent additional private funding, to develop an educational documentary on the waters of Minnesota, designed to promote watershed understanding and citizen action in protecting, restoring and conserving water resources.

Our standard procedure at the Bell Museum is that our exhibits and educational products have at least one researcher who oversees the project’s scientific integrity from inception to completion. Unfortunately, this procedure was not followed by the Bell Media unit for production of the documentary, “Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story.” As Director of the Bell Museum, I am responsible for ensuring these standards are followed, and I regret our error in this case.

Bobtmn asks, “If she was irresponsible during the process, what assurance do we have that she will be responsible during the review?”

Recently, this documentary was previewed by a number of University officials and faculty. In hindsight, this review should have occurred much earlier. As a result of input received from these viewers, I have postponed the premiere of the film at the Bell Museum. I have requested a small group of qualified faculty review the film. These faculty will advise me on whether the documentary as edited meets the specifications of the legislative appropriation to the University, and is scientifically accurate, objective and balanced in its presentation.

Again he questions, “Do we have assurances that the  new reviewers will be identified?   If parts are changed, will the original be released?”

The overall purpose of the review is to assure that the University meets its responsibilities under the legislation to provide the best quality product, one that meets the expectations contained in the legislation and provides high-quality educational material for viewers. No outside interests, as erroneously reported by some news sources, have been involved in this internal decision-making process.

It’s worth keeping tabs to see how this story develops and what changes may be made to this documentary before it is shown to the public.