Bad News for DNews

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | Aug. 13, 2010 | Glen Warchol

[Colofornian]

Utah's journalism and political communities have been buzzing the last couple weeks with rumors of an impending implosion of the Deseret News. Let me concisely repeat the rumors:

* In the next few weeks, a significant part of the DNews staff will be laid off.

* What remains will leave the Deseret News building in the heart of downtown to be resettled with KSL in the Triad Center.

* The DNews will no longer publish daily, but three days or so a week (it would, of course, continue to exist online with Mormon Times).

The staff at the DNews is so utterly demoralized and terrified that it is impossible to get any of this nailed down on the record. As one DNewser told a Trib colleague: "the stink of fear" permeates the newsroom.

Salt Lake City Weekly's Josh Loftin, a former DNews editor and reporter, tries to make sense of the weak signal coming from inside the monolith of Mormon Media under new strongman Mark Willes.

Despite the recent de-evolution of the 150-year-old DNews under Editor Joe Cannon (photo above) and Willes from the "Christian Science Monitor of the West" to a LDS faith-promoting publication with a purged political staff, it still remained a player in Utah's media, particularly in state government coverage.

Newspapers, including The Tribune, have struggled the last few years with declining revenues following the online information revolution, but the DNews also has been buffeted by pressures to publish news with a positive slant and to advance the LDS religion. Such goals are, of course, an anathema to good journalism.

The funny thing is that everyone in the business thought the DNews would outlast the Tribune because of its iconic position in LDS Church history. But all it took was a couple of suits with a management theory.

Full disclosure: Hard to believe, but I was a reporter at the DNews in the 1980s.

[Colofornian]

From the column: Despite the recent de-evolution of the 150-year-old DNews under Editor Joe Cannon (photo above) and Willes from the "Christian Science Monitor of the West" to a LDS faith-promoting publication with a purged political staff, it still remained a player in Utah's media, particularly in state government coverage...the DNews also has been buffeted by pressures to publish news with a positive slant and to advance the LDS religion. Such goals are, of course, an anathema to good journalism.

So does this mean more puff Mormon propaganda in the future?

From the column: ...a significant part of the DNews staff will be laid off...The DNews will no longer publish daily, but three days or so a week (it would, of course, continue to exist online with Mormon Times). The staff at the DNews is so utterly demoralized and terrified...

Well, even the Mormon church acting as proxy saviors for the dead can't save journalism's slow demise.

[MissesBush]

but the DNews also has been buffeted by pressures to publish news with a positive slant and to advance the LDS religion. Such goals are, of course, an anathema to good journalism.

But of course printing news with a positive slant to Obama and the Democrats is perfectly in keeping with good journalism based on the ethos of the mainstream media today, including at times the SL Tribune. Nothing wrong with political bias, only religious bias I guess.

[Choose Ye This Day]

If anything, the downfall of the Deseret News has to do with their bizarre, unshakable support of unlimited illegal immigration. Many of us LDS readers are fed up with their pro-amnesty propagandizing the past year or two.

[Elsie]

Bad News for DNews

Don't they mean MORMONism?

Why didn't MONSON (the, ahem, Living Prophet®), see this coming?

[Elsie]

...the DNews also has been buffeted by pressures to publish news with a positive slant and to advance the LDS religion.

So now it 'officially' becomes a house organ for LDS, Inc.?

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At least it'll still be around, supplying fodder for us Hateful and Bigoted ANTI's to use.

[Elsie]

The Trib seems to report this GLEEFULLY!

[Elsie]

If anything, the downfall of the Deseret News has to do with their bizarre, unshakable support of unlimited illegal immigration.

But isn't the paper merely parroting the official unofficial stance of Headquarters?

[SkyPilot]

LDS Church repeats call for 'civil discourse' on immigration

You all know, of course, the real reason the LDS wants more illegals.

[Tennessee Nana]

BookieMark

[Elsie]

LDS Church repeats call for 'civil discourse' on immigration

 

#12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

 

 

What's to TALK about?

 

---

 

 

Articles of Faith

The Articles of Faith outline 13 basic points of belief of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Prophet Joseph Smith first wrote them in a letter to John Wentworth, a newspaper editor,
in response to Mr. Wentworth's request to know what members of the Church believed.
They were subsequently published in Church periodicals.
They are now regarded as scripture and included in the Pearl of Great Price.

 

THE ARTICLES OF FAITH
OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
History of the Church, Vol. 4, pp. 535—541

 

 

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
   
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
   
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
   
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
   
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
   
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
   
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
   
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
   
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
   
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
    
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
    
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
    
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Joseph Smith

[Utah Binger]

Twelve years ago when we came back to Utah, we subscribed to the Deseret News. It only took about three days to realize what a dumb decision that was.

It just didn’t go well with the morning coffee.

[colorcountry]

Ha! I realized what a snoozer the Dnews was when my father-in-law’s obit was featured only in that paper. No one knew he died, no one came to the funeral.

He was a TrueBlueMormon, and even THEY didn’t know he died - I guess they were reading the Trib.

[Utah Binger]

And why would anybody trust this fine dude? You can pick your nose and you can pick your seat but you can't pick your relatives.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Don’t know, but they’re WAY off base from where the general Utah population is on the issue.

[svcw]

Very good point.

[Elsie]

And you had no pet bird?