Stanley S. Hubbard, president of Hubbard Broadcasting, sits at his St. Paul, Minn. office, Thursday, April 4, 2002. Janet Hostetter / AP file

Critics of a recent KSTP report claiming that Mayor Betsy Hodges was flashing a "gang sign" have taken to social media to object, dubbing the scandal "pointergate."

On Thursday, some plan to voice their concerns in person.

The chairman of Hubbard Broadcasting, the company that owns KSTP, is speaking this week at Augsburg College in Minneapolis and plans for a protest are already underway.

As chairman, Stanley Hubbard oversees local radio and television stations across the country, including KSTP.

Augsburg's Minnesota Public Interest Research Group, a chapter of a nationwide community organizing group, are organizing a #pointergate rally to take place before Hubbard's speech on Thursday. The group is also encouraging people to reserve tickets for the speech itself.

Criticism of the KSTP report has been widespread since it first aired last week. The #pointergate hashtag has been used more than 61,000 times on Twitter and has spurred press coverage both locally and nationally.

Previous coverage:

• Community group demands on-air apology

• NewsCut: A question of racism remains

• Explaining #pointergate: The missing context

• How a gesture became #pointergate