Posted on 03/15/2010 9:49:41 AM PDT by Colofornian
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah House Majority Leader Kevin Garn is not the only one taking lumps for hot-tubbing in the nude with a 15-year-old and later paying her hush money. The Deseret News is, too — for knowing about the incident eight years ago and not reporting it.
"It was a bad decision not to report it," said Kelly McBride, ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute, a journalism training organization.
"You essentially have someone who has presented one face to the public and it has been revealed that may not be true and accurate. And most likely you guys (the Deseret News) helped him present his narrative to the public. For that reason alone, you have an obligation to correct the record," she said in a telephone interview.
That was typical of many comments on web sites and from some readers. But top Deseret News editors say they believe they made the right choice back in 2002, and they still defend it.
Former Deseret News reporter Jerry Spangler said the episode began in 2002 when he wrote a profile of Garn and his congressional race just before the Republican primary election. He said Cheryl Maher called him to say "there is a side of him you don't know about," and told him about the nude hot-tubbing.
SNIP
...Garn came into the Deseret News offices and met with them and several editors. "I remember him crying," and confessing what happened, Spangler said.
But by then it was nearly the weekend before the election. Spangler said editor-in-chief at the time, John Hughes, and managing editor Rick Hall chose not to run the story.
SNIP
Hall, who is still managing editor, said he...can't remember it, he also says he thinks the right call was made.
(Excerpt) Read more at deseretnews.com ...
That makes for an interesting point. I wonder if Ms. McBride would be so adamant were the tables turned regarding the current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
This propaganda rag was irresponsible in 2002...
and is still not being honest...
Well, when the reporter says that Garn came in & met with the editors...and when the managing editor says he "can't remember it..."... red flags go up right away!!!
On the one hand, you'd like to give credit to the Deseret News for running a self-critique as it did on Friday...but, come on, when their readers are lambasting them left and right [read their online readers' comments], what choice did they have?
I will give the Deseret reporter of this article credit, and whoever edited it, for not trying to engage in a further cover-up of the cover-up...I mean, here the stories between Spangler and Hall don't mesh...yet they were willing to report that.
That actually shows some integrity -- albeit 8 years too late!
Since Deseret News is owned/operated by the LDS church, I wonder if they would have run the story if he WASN’T LDS?
The LDS factor is one part of it, but not an "automatic" disqualifier from the Des News running it. I think the "combo" factor may have been at work -- both being Lds and running in the circles he did. I mean, given that Lds general authorities tend to be wealthy businessmen serving on each other's corporate boards, do you think they like to take action vs. a "...wealthy business owner, who has interests in everything from banks to hotels..."????
Good point.
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