I wouldn’t call it “bull” as it is simply bbell’s opinion, to which he is entitled, but I think I will disagree.

Let me admit to not being a regular SLT reader: it is neither my hometown paper nor a world-renowned one, so I don’t spend much time with it.

But I do agree with Ardis that, since the offenses were made against children, and the man worked/volunteered with children, it is relevant to mention with what organization he was affiliated. Just like a teacher so accused would definitely be identified, along with their workplace and a gymnastics coach who had gotten involved with a gymnast would absolutely have the name of the training gym named in the associated news story.

Ardis’ point that the police are hoping for more information from readers is a good one. I also think that the 24-hour news cycle also contributes to more seemingly un-newsworthy stories being reported. I wonder if this story, for example, appeared in this form in the printed version, or was it just a new story to put up on the website? I don’t know. Personally, I find this story newsworthy, but certainly I have seen loads of un-newsworthy stuff reported in the recent past at other news outlets.

My grandmother (who is not Mormon) has always agreed that the SLT has an anti-Mormon bias. It may just be due to the large LDS base there and the fact that non-Mormons living in the area have usually decided a)a to detest all Mormons (so they cheer stuff that is inflammatory) or b) that it’s an even mix of types of people (and simple take everything with a grain of salt).

No, bbell, you have seen me complain about the anti-Mormon bias/rancor in COMMENTS added by Trib readers, for which Trib editorial policy is hardly to blame, but you have never seen me complain about anti-Mormon bias on the part of the Trib itself. Ever. I defy you to find such an example.

Blake, your accusation that my loyalty to Mormonism is purchasable by the Trib’s occasional check is as loathesome and despicable as it is false. You would be ashamed of yourself if you were “past feeling,” as the scripture puts it.

Blake: The word you are floundering for is “perp.”

bbell- the Church, and most churches, definitely need to do a better job of screening volunteers who work with children. The Church due to it’s volunteer nature is much more susceptible to this than other religions. The Catholic church has a similar issue and gets dinged all the time for it. (see here)

I think Peggy Stack does a fantastic job at the Tribune. I really admire her articles.

The tribune does possibly have a bias towards typical liberal characteristics, but that doesn’t necassarily always entail “anti-church”, though sometimes it does.

#3:
Ardis: Those who are on the payroll don’t get to address bias. But I’m glad that you disclosed your bias so we know why you have good reason to contest the bias.

Ardis and I almost never see eye to eye these days, but Blake, this was entirely uncalled for. As a historian and author, Ardis is professional to the core. Beside that, if she believed in her own heart that the Trib was “anti-LDS,” I can almost guarantee she’d tell them to take a flying leap, regardless of any potential paycheck. I hope you spoke out of ignorance in this case, but whether you did so or not, you clearly owe Ardis an apology.

Ardis.

If the Tribune is biased in one way, Deseret News is biased in another. I don’t have a solid opinion about this post but I do think that the pro LDS sentiment outweighs the opposite and is a burden to many Utahns.

Too bad there have to be extremes but I’m not going to complain about the Tribune too much.

bbell,
I’m with Ardis and others on this. No, papers don’t report every instance of child abuse, but this was sexual abuse of at least three girls. I don’t know a local paper that wouldn’t cover it. And, while his religious affiliation isn’t important to the story, his position working with children is. Like Matt, I’ve seen references to Catholics in similar situations, and I’ve seen references to profession where that profession is teaching.

It may be that the word “Mormon” jumps out at you at a way “Catholic” or “Baptist” doesn’t. But we’re not particularly oppressed by biased coverage. If we were Muslim, on the other hand . . .

I think it’s interesting which of my family in SLC get the SLT and which get the DN. My relatives who work in governmental functions get the News. Two SILs with arts connections get the Trib. A relative who works in “government relations” gets both the News and the Trib. The science professor at the Y gets the News. Other family members get it based on the split on sports coverage (red vs. blue) or local politics (the DN does Provo, Ogden, and Logan better than the SLT, they believe).

I have found that political views and Church activity are actually the *least* accurate predictor of which paper they read…

I actually think that newspapers would have a better shot at surviving if they openly acknowledged a bias and aggressively pursued it. No one likes a blog that caters to *everyone*. Same goes with newspapers. I think the battle lines between DN and SLT should become very well-defined and oppose each other at every front.

(There’s my highly uninformed opinion of the day.)

queuno, I looked at the Deseret News coverage, and they merely said “Far West Man,” with no reference to his religious affiliation or involvement with youth.

Blake, choose as you wish, even if your choice is contemptable.

I disclosed my connection to the Trib so that no petty fool could come back later and accuse me of hiding something that certain bottom-feeders think is relevant. It didn’t occur to me that some petty fool would choose to give offense based on my candor. You choose to reoffend with your non-apology. (Have we met? Do I have any reason to know what rock you habitually live under? Why the personal attack when I was so utterly oblivious to your existence?)

I do better understand your worldview now, though. Since you think I care whether your dollars make it into the Trib’s coffers — enough to have commented twice about canceling your subscription — I realize that money is very, very important to you, that you express or withdraw your approval by the payment (or not) of small sums, that money governs your decisions and colors your views in ways that are foreign to me. Naturally you would think my loyalties are for sale, since your own so obviously are.

Ardis: I didn’t give offense. You freely chose to take offense. At least take accountability for your choices. And calling me a bottom-feeder is a pretty bad name calling (I got over that in 2nd grade). And yeah, money is important to me. So shoot me. However, suggesting that I am just open to bribes falls into the legal category of libel and slander per se. Note it carefully. Have you really thought about what you are saying? I had a good deal of respect for you based on your historical articles — but I have lost that respect. Your comments are really personal and hateful. I invite a retraction.

Ardis: that is so much BS — note what the article admits: ” The alleged abuse happened at his home on the 2500 block of Remuda Drive and did not immediately appear to be related to his position as a leader of teenage boys with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Anderson said.” Not related. That means it’s not related to his position or church membership doesn’t it?

Blake,
“However, suggesting that I am just open to bribes falls into the legal category of libel and slander per se.”

No it doesn’t. It may (may) fall under the legal category of libel OR slander (it would be libel, btw, since it’s written, not spoken), but it’s not both.

Unless Ardis was speaking to her computer as she typed. And there was someone there to hear her. I’ve never really thought through it, but, if she were typing publicly and speaking as she typed, she might be able to commit libel and slander at the exact same time!

Your journalistic skills are as lacking as your legal skills, Blake.

You get no more notice from me — I wash my hands or dust my feet or whatever we’re saying in the Bloggernacle now. You’re a waste of my time.

I think that the DN messed up by not disclosing his religion and responsibilities. They seem relevant in this case (especially, as Ardis points out, that’s how he gained access).

I wouldn’t consider DN readership to necessarily be a measure of journalistic integrity or success. It could be all the people in Utah who want the Church News…

Try that on for size Ardis. I use this name on all kinds of LDS related blogs and it is well known. I again invite a retraction.

Blake, not so. The cause of action would be defamation, which covers both libel (written) and slander (spoken).

Race and religion are two separate things.

But if the race were somehow material to the alleged crime, I’m sure they do…

In this case, his religion and calling within the Church is *possibly* material to the crime, no?

Blake,
Libel: A defamatory statement expressed in a fixed medium, esp. writing but also a picture, sign, or electronic broadcast.

Libel per se: Libel that is actionable in itself, requiring no proof of special damages.

Slander: A defamatory statement expressed in a transitory form, esp. speech.

Source: Blacks Law Dictionary, 7th ed.

Or what MCQ said.

I meant “good way”, sheesh.

Thank you, MCQ — even a former legal secretary like me knows the difference. It’s particularly surprising that Blake, who finally identifies himself as a lawyer, appears not to. Or maybe that was as much a part of his intimidation technique as his refusal to answer questions or respond to issues I raised, instead merely attacking from some new and ever more trivial direction.

At least I finally got him to identify himself by playing on his wounded pride at not being recognized. Pish. He was an easy target.

Bookslinger – I guess I just didn’t really think about it. I assumed she was paid by the Trib at some level that would prompt her to admit that it could reasonably be viewed as a conflict of interest not to disclose it.

Ardis: You’ve been given notice of my position.

I jeer at your position, Blake.

I’m in the Church History Library most days. It’ll be easier on your constable to find me there than anywhere else.

Blake (45),
Yes, the “per se” doesn’t require damages, but that doesn’t make slander cover written and oral defamatory statements. If it were anything, it would be libel per se, but there’s no way it can be slander per se, unless Utah’s interpretation of the common law differs from the default common law rules.

Nick: We’ll see. I don’t know why you’re joining her in her over-the-top response. You see, we have standards which define what constitutes civilized conduct in this country. The kinds of statements she made are among those the law clearly defines as not acceptable and subject to per se legal penalties. With respect to your position, I’ll just consider the source and make sure that I don’t bend over around you.

Sam: You may be right. Slander per se is the common law category of wrongful speech that doesn’t require a showing of actual damages to recover because it is so likely to be damaging. In more modern law, libel applies to written statements and Utah statutes provide for a claim for libel per se if libelous statements are not retracted after a request for retraction.

You got it bbell. You do deserve a Niblet.

Nick: Don’t flatter yourself. Your suggestion that I would bend over for sexual activity is beyond disgusting to me — and you apparently have no sense of propriety of proper civil discussion at all. Like I said, our civilization has certain standard for civilized conduct and you just went way beyond it.

If there were a Niblet for “ranting from the hip,” I’d go ahead and nominate bbell.

Ardis’ very first comment is still the most dead on here.

Blake, you’re a real piece of work. Seriously.

To this blog’s credit, Brother Ostler tried out his “wink wink, nudge nudge, chuckle chuckle, alpha male” BS routine here, and got pwnd.

Tomorrow will be better when certain folks finally realize there’s no longer an approving audience for the latest reworking of the ol’ locker room chestnut of “Don’t drop the soap, dude” …

Oh man, where’s DKL and his love and sunshine when you need him?

Just a quick comment: Blake, do you really want to threaten legal action based on an accusation — that money sways loyalty and judgment — that you initiated on this thread?

I think the Deseret News is biased.

Read this story,

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700008558/Lehi-businessman-in-fraud-case-lived-double-life-accusers-say.html

then tell me why it was necessary to say that he is a popular speaker at EFY programs.

Clearly, the DN hates Moormons.

I’ve got to admit, when I saw the title for the post, I never imagined it would take this turn.

I agree with those who have said that the reason the perp’s religious affiliation was mentioned is that the affiliation is likely how he obtained access to the victims. One of the natural questions that comes up when you read/hear about sex offenders is how the perp got access to his victims. Did he attack them by jumping out from behind the bushes in the front yard? Walk in on a high school gym locker room? Meet them in a church setting? People want to know these things.

Brad, add a Hutchence noose and you’ve got it just about right.

I like to think that the bloggernacle is a way for us all to come together to discuss Mormon related issues on the same level. Which is why I am glad that not one person here today has decided to take the high road or act with dignity.

Well played, DKL. I’ve even heard rumors that Blake’s firm was paid with real money to do said work. Not that it matters, really. Blake’s sins here consist not in foolish, transparent argumentative trickery, but in attempting to intimidate and bully a fellow LDS with wildly and laughably absurd threats of legal action.

Someone should forward a copy of this thread to Blake’s employers or clients. It’s like realizing that the private lifeguard you have hired to protect your kids spends his spare time trying to drown the women he can’t get to take his pathetic pick-up lines seriously at the local beach.

“… not one person here today has decided to take the high road or act with dignity.”

Matsby, what I suspect you’re thinking of as “acting with dignity” might normally be appropriate, but not under these circumstances. Sometimes, grotesquely offensive behavior demands an energetic counter-offensive, and this is one of those times.

AB

True enough, Ecclesiaticus,

But only one of them was buffoon enough to threaten legal action and pose as an arbiter of civilized norms.

“Which is why I am glad that not one person here today has decided to take the high road or act with dignity.”

Including yourself. However, by posturing as someone who did this by pointing it out, you do come off as major tool. Congrats.

TiVo, pull my finger. Seriously. Pull it. I can’t say what’s going to happen, but trust me, it’s gonna be great.

It’s probably time, ESO, to close down this train wreck, don’t you think? Please?

Blake had a bad day, and I can be decent enough to forgive him whether or not he ever rises to the decency of a genuine apology. Otherwise, this dead horse has suffered enough of a whipping.

Hold up. Let’s allow Ecclesiasticus the chance to elaborate.

I don’t believe in closing down posts just because it gets uncomfortable. I always vote against it.

I like what Ecclesiasticus said. Basically, this worthy post has become about ego and seeing who can insult the most effectively.

Back to the topic: I read the article and I don’t see anything objectionable. It’s newsworthy when a Mormon youth leader behaves in this way. Did Deseret News publish the story? They should have.

The reason it’s newsworthy is that people expect more of Mormons. It’s a compliment. If he were a Catholic youth leader, they should mention it. They might not, but they should.

I don’t actually subscribe to either paper, but when I’m buying a Sunday paper, I buy the Tribune. I like it better, but I can’t put my finger on exactly why. Sure not because Ardis is in it.

Blake, what happens when people become defensive is they become more objectionable and lose the strength of their argument. Despite my problem with Ardis, I don’t think she would be open to bribes or any other pressure. She has the right to her opinion.

Plus, the topic isn’t “can Ardis be bought?” (I can certainly testify that she can’t, or her price is a lot higher than $10); it’s “is the Tribune biased?” I believe it may be. But the source of the bias, the reason for it, may justify it. We live in a state where there is a lot of peer pressure to comform to the Mormon norm. More and more, as people move in from out of state, that’s being diluted, but there is still residual resentment. I know I resent greatly :) the immense weight brought to bear for conformity.

So, if a major paper takes the opposite stance, I’m all for it. I feel the same way about the two (or however many) party system in our country. The situation brings needed balance.

Care to comment on that and abandon your “Ardis sucks” theme?

For what it’s worth, I just took a poll, and the vote was unanimous in favor of keeping this post open forever.

The “uncomfortable” is of a different nature here than any other thread, ever, anywhere in the ‘nacle, annegb. It’s your playground, though, not mine, so I’ll be the one to bow out of participation at Mormon Mentality.

I hope, though, however unlikely it is, that permas and commenters will have the grace not to comment further about anything to do with Blake or me. The problem has been resolved, and any further mention of it here falls to the level of the rankest gossip.

Is there really a need to elaborate? It’s not as if this were an isolated incident. Sure, the momentary coincidece of these two fighting with each other may be remakable, but they seem to be regularly taking umbrage with someone. I read and enjoy both Ardis and Blake, but I marvel at their respective personality disorders and wonder what it might have been that arrested their emotional development so early in adolescence.

Oh my. That was not at all the sort of upbeat elaboration I was expecting or looking for, Ecclesiasticus. And since everybody’s apparently so grumpy, I suppose I’ll just have to start the elaborating as best I can.

A review from 2009: “You’re currently in second place for Best Actor award, Ardis, so you must be doing something right.”

Second place??? Gah. Not after this thread. Thank goodness that nominations for last year’s Niblets are already closed. Because by this time next year, BCC will be running the Niblets properly (for a change) and accepting nominations in the NEW category of “Most memorable bloggernacle pas de deux” … And once the voting starts, there will be no question of settling for second, because we already know who the winning pair will be.

Congrats! Cue Norma Desmond: “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”

I’m glad you guys aren’t my judge — especially Ecclesiasticus.

Glad to see you around, DKL. It is good to see the warring parties apologize and accept, too. But sorry, we don’t close threads much. Try FMH for that; love ya gals!

it is too late to make a comment about everyone’s mothers and combat boots?

just checking.

I saw a report on Channel 2 about this guy that emphasized his church membership and that he’d been disciplined by the church. It was at the tail end of something I’d recorded on my DVR.

Doesn’t it stand to reason that if a Mormon yout leader is charged with molestation in Utah, it would be newsworthy in a Utah paper? Did the Deseret News report it?

If this happened in, say, Amish country–an Amish youth leader accused of molestation, it seems like it would be pertinent, not bias.

What’s really inexcusable is the trib publishing garbage from that miserable excuse for a human being Garrison Keillor, man that guy is a grade A douche bag.

I remember Garrison Keillor writing some inane piece regarding Veterans Day where he said something to the effect that he was the “boatman” in some monet painting or something and how offended he was by some fat guys on harleys that he felt should hop on a plane to Iraq or something for some patriotic displays or such, not realizing those dudes were probably vietnam vets and what not. The guy came off sounding like a prissy out of touch douchebag.

I remember Garrison Keillor writing some inane piece regarding Veterans Day where he said something to the effect that he was the “boatman” in some monet painting or something and how offended he was by some fat guys on harleys that he felt should hop on a plane to Iraq or something for some patriotic displays or such, not realizing those dudes were probably vietnam vets and what not. The guy came off sounding like a prissy out of touch douchebag.

And I bet that Garrison Keillor douchebag even writes like he’s prissy––you know, with punctuation… or something, or such, and whatnot.

That was quite the article! (Not to mention the comments section.) He did kind of come off as a “douchebag,” but––to reiterate––he is a douchebag that uses punctuation.

Garrison Keillor used to be funny. He still can be when he remembers he is an entertainer. When he tries to be “relevant,” he just shows that years of success in public radio (really? success in public radio?) have left him out of touch. If he were still the mainstream midwesterner he portrays himself to be, he would already know that the vast majority of those bikers are vets, and that the bike ride to DC for many of them includes a visit to the Wall to find the names of, and to remember, friends who died too soon. When he veers into politics on his radio show, he always goes for the cheap laugh.

And I’m not sure why it matters that the final version of an article published in a newspaper that probably has editors to proofread has punctuation. If I had an editor reviewing everything I write, I probably wouldn’t have so many compound sentences.

By that definition of douche bags being people who use punctuation. And whatnot.

I’ve never been bothered by GK’s alleged douchebaggery, so I took a look at the article to see if it was detectable. So he doesn’t like Harleys in massive amounts. Meh. They are kinda loud, even one at a time. I did like what he had to say about art and the everyday world:

“A work of art can lift you up from the mishmash of life, the weight of the unintelligible world, and vulgarity squats on you like an enormous toad and won’t get off. You stroll down past the World War II Memorial, which looks like something ordered out of a catalog, a bland insult to the memory of all who served, and thousands of motorcycles roar by disturbing the Sabbath, and it depresses you for hours.”

Motorcycles don’t necessarily depress me for even minutes, but I still think the guy is a rather witty writer.

My kids don’t like him though. Maybe it’s a generational thing.

I can’t believe we’ve come from talking about whether the Tribune is biased to whether Garrison Keillor is a douchebag. Geez. That used to be a rather embarrassing word when I was a young woman.

Obviously, he’s a functioning douchebag. Unlike the ones in NYPD Blue.

Okay, he’s a douchebag.

Al Jazeera, now there’s some biased journalism.

Those Vietnam Vets on motorcycles probably know more about the “weight of the unintelligible world, and vulgarity squats on you like an enormous toad and won’t get off” than does GK. I know a couple of local Vietnam Veterans organizations that participate in “Rolling Thunder” aka, “The Ride to the Wall.”

GK doesn’t get it. He should have done some research.

Anyhoo, GK is a _Northern_ midwesterner, from Minnesota. Them and the Wisconsin folk are generally more liberal and effete than most of the rest of the midwest.

I kind of like Prairie Home companion, where all the women are beautiful and all the children are above average.

Edje, whatever standing you had, you just lost.

bbell,

Yes, they are, and so are you.

How else do you explain similar stories that run in the DN which also mention LDS church affiliation? Is the Deseret News biased? You should read them a story from the DN and then one from the SLT without identifying the source, then ask them to say which is which.

WHY DOES THE DESERET NEWS KEEP PERSECUTING US?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Bookslinger, My wife is beautiful and my son is above average.

SUNNof a B.C. Rich,
based on definitions I found here (http://www.campussqueeze.com/post/69-Ways-Youre-A-Douchebag.aspx), I no longer think GK is a douchebag.

That being said, MCQ, based on everything I have read know about GK which pretty much constitutes the currently discussed article and a commercial for Prairie Home Companion I once saw on HBO, I don’t like him.

Brian, I saw a report on this guy on channel 2 news. They emphasized his calling as a young mens leader. They used the exact words.

Maybe the Tribune echoes the resentment some people feel towards the church. And that appears to be bias.

It feels like we’re forced to conform. Well, not actually forced but pressured to conform. I believe the Tribune is a positive voice for those who don’t conform.

Opposing viewpoints are healthy, like Democrats v Republicans. We need them.

Add KSL to the list of media outlets which obviously hate Mormons AND WON’T QUIT PERSECUTING US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=9708060

I like the Trib. I usually prefer it to the Deseret News. Occasionally I feel like it’s a little biased, but I think that has more to do with what I, as Mormon, read into things than their intent. Overall, I think they try to be as impartial as possible.

The Deseret News, on the other hand, is so obnoxiously pro-LDS that I have a hard time taking it seriously sometimes.

bbell, on a more seroius note, I am reminded of the feelings among us during Helen Whitney’s PBS special about Mormons. Many of us loved it and thought it was very faith-promoting, and even invited our neighbors to watch it with them as a sort of missionary opportunity. Others of us felt is was a hatchet job, and testified in Fast meeting about the spirit of darkness we felt as we watched it. How do we explain that difference? I think the same thing is going on here.

In general, our tendency to see persecution everywhere is one of our worst qualities. We would do well to get rid of the chip on our shoulders, but I think it might take surgical removal. Some of us appear to be pretty attached to them.

Bbell, I think it’s relevant that he was a young mens leader. I know I’m appalled and will look askance at young men leaders from now on. Although, tell the truth, I’ve been skeptical ever since Arthur Bishop killed all those little boys.

You can’t trust anybody nowdays. nowadays. whatever.

As a longtime Utah resident and a reader of both papers it seems to me that the papers play off each other a bit. For example several years ago a son of a church leader was involved in a high profile sexual harassment case. The Deseret News didn’t cover the story at all and the Tribune seemed to cover it enough for both papers.

I think that the Tribune has made real efforts to be relevant to Mormons by covering issues that pertain to the Church and its members.

It certainly provides broader coverage of LDS-related news than the DN does.

Frankly the worst aspect of the Tribune is not any sort of bias but the terrible layout of its website. What a rat’s nest. It gives me a headache just thinking of it. The mobile site is cleaner but the article selection on it is so terrible as to render it useless. I wonder if an actual human editor picks the articles for the mobile site or if it is just an automated process.

Frankly the whole dynamic between the papers is further skewed by the fact that not only is the DN a clearly pro-LDS paper but it is owned by the Church. This has to influence the dynamic between the papers more than simply having one seem to be pro-LDS and the other anti would.

Disclaimer: As a child I spent several years working as a paperboy for the Newspaper Agency Corporation. While the NAC is jointly owned by the SLT and DN I happened to deliver the DN.

Personally, I don’t recommend trusting any journalists.

I asked about 10 of my LDS friends at church over the last few days if the SLTRIB was biased against Mormons and all 10 said yes.

Wait. You asked 10 of your (active) Mormon friends in your ward (the majority of whom are probably transplants, given our area demographics, and I’ll bet at least half went to BYU) and they thought the Trib was biased. How many are from Utah? How many lived in Provo or SLC?

Geez, I could go ask the right 10 people in *my* North Texas ward and they’ll all agree that Bronco Mendenhall is a child molester and that Kyle Whittingham is gay.

queuno,

The real question is if he also asked them if the DN was biased, and furthermore which of the two is more biased. A bonus question about whether Dick Harmon’s writing skills reflect poorly on Cougar fans would probably itself be biased.

I am suing every participant in this thread for intentional infliction of emotional distress. You have been given notice of my position.

So how do I get to guest post on this blog, seems a bit slow as of late…

Frankly the worst aspect of the Tribune is not any sort of bias but the terrible layout of its website

The layout could be better to be sure, but at least it is not as insipid as the layout of the Deseret News website. Everything in light pastel bluish grey…

if it wasn’t too much work i’d make my own blog.

Minnesota… didn’t they elect a wrassler to be governor and Stuart Smalley to be a senator? And Wisconsin… oh gee.

Love the trackback (169). Bias or accurate reporting?

I can honestly say that this is the most insipid discussion I’ve ever read. It’s amazing to me how uncivil people feel they can be online while staying somewhat anonymous.

The Deseret News is, yes, pro-LDS biased.
The Salt Lake Tribune started as a news source for non-LDS citizens, and in the 80′s and 90′s had a strong anti-LDS stance, but seems to be getting nicer about that.

I read the Deseret News, because it applies to me much more than the Trib (and no, I do not, nor have I ever, lived in Provo). I have read articles in the Trib and I feel like there is still some anti-LDS sentiment in the articles and especially in the letters to the editor (eg April 15, 2011′s letter listing reasons not to live in Utah, most of which were anti-LDS).

Basically, you can read either, or neither, or both. You can get upset about either of them, or you can choose to take the good and dispose of the bad (in your opinion, of course). But I feel there is no call for the sort of discussion that has been going on here. I cannot take most of you seriously, as you are acting extremely childish.