SALT LAKE CITY — Unusual circumstances at times require an unusual response.
Such was the case for the editorial board of the Deseret News, made up of seasoned journalists and managers, which published an opinion calling on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to step aside.
That drew hundreds of responses from readers both praising the opinion and castigating it as misguided. It also was part of a news-heavy week that focused the eyes of politicians and media on Utah, as poll numbers first reported in the Desert News showed Hillary Clinton and Trump even with 26 percent support from respondents, and independent candidate Evan McMullin breaking through at 22 percent. With Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson at 14 percent, it revealed that Utah is fully in play in the election.
Some readers are adamant in their choice for president. Others are equally adamant in knowing who they won't vote for but are left wanting, lamenting the state of the current election. That frustration is captured in a published Letter to the Editor sent to us by Christopher Aaron of Draper, who said in response to the editorial: “You stuck your foot into the boiling cauldron, so you owe it to your readers your opinion on how to resolve the situation."
Our answer: We help you resolve it by providing clear opinion and varied commentary. We help you resolve it be providing contextual news coverage with relevance to not just Utahns, but those who live beyond the state's borders. We help you resolve it by staying true to our guiding principles to be "trusted voices of light and truth" so that you can make an informed decision.
We made no endorsement of Hillary Clinton nor any other candidate.
Here's how the week unfolded.
Continued revelations casting light on Trump's fitness for high office reached new lows last Friday when tapes revealed his vulgar objectification of women, in his own words. The editorial board sought to denounce the behavior. Then further conversations between Opinion Editor Hal Boyd and Editor and Publisher Paul Edwards began; a stronger response would be required.
Early the following morning, Edwards said he had clarity on three key points that became motivation for the editorial position and ultimately became its third paragraph: "In democratic elections, ideas have consequences, leadership matters and character counts."
It was determined that Trump is lacking in each, and the editorial board made its case.
Some letter-writers questioned whether this was the position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns the Deseret News. As Edwards clearly stated, it is solely the opinion of the Deseret News editorial board. Church officials were not consulted.
Others wondered why offer this opinion when the newspaper had offered no endorsement of a candidate since 1936.
Although they knew the opinion touched on a partisan political race, the editorial board felt this appeal for Trump to step aside was a matter of moral obligation rather than politics. It is also consistent with its past editorial stances confirming the importance of moral integrity in national leadership.
On Sept. 15, 1998, the Deseret News called for the resignation of President Bill Clinton after he violated the trust of the nation through his own White House misbehavior and false representations.
The week that followed included the ground-shaking poll by Y2 Analytics and visits to the Deseret News/KSL newsroom by Libertarian candidate Johnson and independent candidate McMullin. National media outlets, with whom we have many relationships, reached out to Deseret News staff members from both the opinion pages, including Boyd and Edwards, as well as Deseret News political reporters Lisa Riley Roche and Dennis Romboy for insight into this most unusual presidential contest.
The stakes are obviously very high for the country, perhaps unusually high. And unusual circumstances require the thoughtful coverage and response that was given.
Doug Wilks is managing editor of the News Division, the multiplatform newsroom for the Deseret News and KSL.