NATION IN BRIEF : MINNESOTA : Papers Able to Break Promise to Sources

A $700,000 award against two newspapers that broke a promise of confidentiality to a political campaign worker has been overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court. The court also held that enforcing a promise of confidentiality under a doctrine that implies a legal contract where none exists would violate the First Amendment rights of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. The decision on a 4-2 vote overturned a jury verdict in favor of Dan Cohen, who said he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Cohen sued the newspapers for stories in 1982 identifying him as the source of documents showing the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor was convicted of shoplifting 12 years earlier.