Wilson: It's not the newspaper wars of the 19th century, when the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune were at it tooth and nail. Then it was Mormons versus Gentiles in extremis. Today's Salt Lake dailies are far too circumspect and community-minded for the kind of mud wrestling of yesteryear.
But it is refreshing to note the new leftward tilt of the Salt Lake Tribune. Not that the paper really leans left by any measure, but it does go to the center of the political spectrum, and that is relatively liberal in this most conservative of all states — sorry Idaho!
One of the strongest arguments of the former owners of the Salt Lake Tribune was that the paper's independent nature might be compromised if a more friendly partner on the Newspaper Agency Corp. appeared. So appeared Dean Singleton, the new owner. Singleton promised to not make the Tribune an apologist for the conservative order or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And though Singleton may be friendlier to the Deseret News' desire to publish a morning paper, he has turned out to be no patsy editorially.
First of all, he retained editor Jay Shelledy. Shelledy is the boss that has given the Tribune survivability in the new era when "good old gray" news is out of style. Shelledy knows feature writing, and he continues to direct a hard-hitting staff on subjects of importance to Utah life. His writer's report a week ago on automobile safety and the paper's editorial designed to trim the unwarranted libertarianism of Rep. Chad Bennion, R-Murray, is just an example of fine community-spirited writing. Shelledy seems unshackled from the old days of Tribune libertarianism.
Look further and you will see breezy commentary by cartoonist Pat Bagley, cutting humor by Robert Kirby, the wide scope of feminist Holly Mullen, rumors and juicies by Paul Rolly and JoAnn Wells, astute political analysis by Rolly and a ton of other good writers and contributors.
Moreover, there is a new editorial slant that braved to endorse a bunch of Democrats. That must have lost some subscriptions. Call the bureau of awards as the Tribune announced its desire to restore some political balance to our state. The Tribune seems to understand: "No guts, no glory."
So if you are a conservative reading this column, you may be justifiably peeved. Just remember, an equally fine newspaper, the Deseret News, provides a measure of counterbalance. I assure you, editorial content of the News is not controlled by any entity or you would not see them using a ton of newsprint and a couple of buckets of ink producing my portion of the column.
Webb: I read both papers, and both do a good job of covering the local news. Both have some fine reporters who cover the news objectively and are credits to their craft.
However, a newspaper's heart and soul is its editorial voice, particularly its house editorials and its local columnists. And on this front the Tribune dramatically lacks political and ideological diversity, breadth and balance. The Tribune has become a one-note, old-fashioned, liberal newspaper without even a token local columnist who defends conservative Republicans, Utah County and the traditional LDS culture. (Don't tell me Laurie Wilson qualifies. She hardly defends conservatives.)
Consider the Trib's commentary people: Kirby, Mullen, Bagley, Rolly, Wells, Dan Nailen, Christopher Smart, Tom Barberi, Will Bagley and Shelledy. They all specialize in tossing out nasty little bomblets making fun of the Republican Legislature, the LDS culture and its leaders and the Deseret News. Such features as Smart's Zionide, Nailen's Culture Vulture and the Salt Substitute section (the Trib's contribution to high school journalism) are particularly spiteful, ridiculing everything conservative and Mormon.
If such journalism gets Shelledy all excited, that's fine. What surprises me is that Singleton hasn't suggested at least a modicum of balance. The Trib ought to have at least one writer who tosses out nasty little bomblets about liberals, Democrats and the wine-and-cheese crowd. It would still be 10 to 1.
By contrast, the Deseret News has a far more varied stable of local columnists who much better reflect the diversity of Utah. The News' editorial positions are generally conservative (although many papers, particularly the Wall Street Journal, are a lot more conservative). Jay Evensen writes a pretty conservative local column, but most other columnists, like Bob Bernick and Lee Davidson, stay carefully even-handed. Lois Collins, Marjorie Cortez and Ted Wilson offer more liberal perspectives on local events, and Mike Martinez, while unpredictable, is usually very liberal.
Both papers have a good smattering of liberal and conservative national columnists, but you get far more local opinion diversity by reading the Deseret News.
Being positioned in such a narrow ideological tunnel is a big problem for the Tribune, because it risks being dismissed as irrelevant. It enjoys greater circulation than the Deseret News but doesn't have near the political clout in the Legislature, for example.
It has little impact on the constituents of those legislators it loves to ridicule.
Most political leaders I talk to consider the Trib's new, more liberal editorial philosophy to be predictable, insulated and parochial. It talks to a narrow segment of Utah's population. The views of its local columnists, in particular, just don't connect with most Utahns.
Democrat Ted Wilson, former Salt Lake mayor, directs the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. Wilson is a friend of and a private adviser to Mayor Rocky Anderson, and he has agreed to chair his election campaign in 2003 E-mail: tednews@hotmail.com. Republican LaVarr Webb was policy deputy to Gov. Mike Leavitt and Deseret News managing editor. He now is a political consultant and lobbyist. E-mail: lavarrwebb@msn.com