Aug. 14 was indeed an historical day, for a number of reasons. Regardless of your political persuasion, the day was dominated by two very different and impactful stories. The Trump administration’s role in helping to broker full diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates was a monumental achievement in a time when good news from that part of the world is hard to come by. The other story, with huge ramifications, was President Trump’s admission that he is preventing the U.S. Postal Service from receiving much-needed funds to continue providing needed service, in order to stop mail-in votes that he has determined will hurt him in the upcoming general election.
I was anxious to read more of these stories, and was pretty sure they would occupy key acreage on the front page. They were indeed covered, but the front page story, in big, blaring letters, was, “Prep football is back.” Really?
I recognize that high school football is important for players, their families and for their schools, but in the current scheme of things, with pressing, critical issues at the forefront of our lives, the decision to elevate that story above more important stories was disappointing. Yes, we all need positive, feel-good stories, and there is plenty of space within the newspaper for them. But to relegate other stories that have more impact than high school football to secondary status is not responsible journalism, and my expectation is that the Deseret News prioritize impactful stories more than those that are just interesting.
Mark Duke
West Valley City