Follow up on Salt Lake Newspapers
Kristine made an interesting post below about the different papers in Utah's view on Mormonism. While looking at the Salt Lake Tribune's website (not Salt Lake City Tribune), we noticed that there is an entire section on "polygamy." This fact makes it clear that we had no idea what we were talking about when we said it was "strange" that this article would come from the Tribune.
To be clear we didn't intend to say that it was strange that a Utah paper would say something negative about Mormonism, we were alluding to the fact that hometown papers tend to be favorable to their favorite son this early in the Presidential cycle (see: Vilsack, Tom/Register, Des Moines). While this isn't always the case, there has clearly been a lot of interest in the Romney campaign from Utah, much of it positive. But Kristine's claim is that the Deseret News gives more favorable coverage to Mormon's. We have no idea if this is the case. The fact is though the SLT has had some of the best MSM 08 coverage to this point, much of it centered around Romney as you can see here.
With Utah playing an key role in the Presidential cycle, it's one of 3 Western states that will likely vote just after South Carolina, we'll be keeping tabs on the Salt Lake coverage of Romney and the rest of the 08ers.
We at the Cooler find this newspaper chatter very interesting, if you don't we're sorry and will be back with some Iowa gossip tomorrow.
Pictures are working again! Websites are so much more fun with pictures!
Update: The Deseret News is owned by the Mormon Church, thus the coverage is more favorable, obviously. The SLT is in a newspaper chain that includes the Denver Post and San Jose Mecury News.
posted by Caucus Cooler at 8/22/2006
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From The Deseret News' Wiki Entry:
The Deseret Morning News is a newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is Utah's oldest continually published daily newspaper. It has the second largest daily circulation in the state behind The Salt Lake Tribune. The Deseret Morning News is owned by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is a for-profit business holdings company owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The newspaper is published by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which it co-owns with the Tribune under a joint operating agreement. Its circulation is roughly half of the Tribune's.
The Deseret Morning News also publishes a weekly tabloid, the LDS Church News, which is included as a section in the newspaper and also distributed as a separate publication outside Utah.
The editorial tone of the Deseret Morning News is usually described as moderate to conservative, and is often assumed to reflect the values of its owner, the LDS church. For example, the newspaper does not accept advertising that violates church standards.
From the SLT WIki Entry:
The publication was founded in 1871 as the Mormon Tribune by a group of Mormon businessmen who disagreed with the LDS church's economic and political positions. After a year its name was changed to the Salt Lake Daily Tribune and Utah Mining Gazette. Not too long after that, the name was shortened to simply the Salt Lake Tribune.
After being purchased by three "border ruffians" from Kansas in 1873, the paper became known as an anti-Mormon organ which consistently backed the local Liberal Party. Sometimes vitriolic, the Tribune held particular antipathy for Latter-day Saints President Brigham Young.
Trust a wikipedia entry at your own risk.
I know, I know, Wikiality isn't fact based . . . but it backs up everything I know growing up in that area.
The Deseret News does publish the Church News, which I was a former subscirber. The mail it out to members of the Church not in Utah for a fee.
I was just sayin that the SL Valley has two newspapers that both slant one way or the other . . . left v. right, pro-m v. anti-m. I think it's a healthy thing to have two opposing viewpoints . . .
yes, I do believe it has changed since I left the area in 2000 and new ownership took over.
The SL Trib does a blog on this blog. You can view it here.
http://blogs.sltrib.com/utahpolitics/2006/08/newspaper-politics.htm
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