Himle: No link to Troubled Waters film

MPR's Stephanie Hemphill says she talked to John Himle of Himle Horner, the public relations firm that has represented farming interests -- interests that could see the U of M film "Troubled Waters" as being critical.

Remember that he is married to the Karen Himle, vice president of university relations, the office that determined the film needed to be delayed for “scientific review.”

Was he involved in the yanking of the film, as reported by Molly Priesmeyer of the Twin Cities Daily Planet?

He said there was "zero connection" between him, his firm, the university, the film -- "any of this."

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And on a side note, David Tilman, a Regents' professor and director of the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, said he would be "very surprised" if the University were bowing to outside pressure.

Tilman's research has been criticized by agriculture interests in the past, but he says the University backed him up firmly.

He told Hemphill the film is "a little hard hitting at the start, but broadly correct."