John Hughes made Utah history in 1997 when he became the first non-Mormon to assume the position of Deseret News editor in chief. The move was one Deseret News marketing director Stephen Handy said he hoped would broaden appeal and break stereotypes for the church-owned paper. Apparently Utah readers did not get the message.

After five years with Hughes as their leader, Deseret News staff members are pleased with the direction the paper has taken. But Utah readers seem unconvinced and unimpressed. In 1997 the weekly circulation of the News was 61,016 with a Sunday circulation of 66,125. Half a decade later, the News has gained little ground with a weekly circulation of 64,707 and a Sunday circulation of 69,506. The numbers secure its second place circulation among the six Utah daily newspapers, but still fall disappointingly short to The Salt Lake Tribune's daily circulation of 135,018 in the year 2000.

Despite the fact that Utah readers have not responded to the Deseret News's changes, including John Hughes, Sunday edition in-depth "extras," and additional graphics, some people are taking notice. Among those who recognize improvements in the paper are staff members at the News, professional journalism organizations and even the publisher of a downtown Salt Lake weekly news magazine. For BYU advanced reporting students a crude "Milquetoast test" intended to roughly quantify the quality of hard news shows the News isn't quite as bad as circulation suggests.

The Milquetoast test evolved from a 1988 speech given by investigative reporter Don Baker. In an address to BYU students Baker said the Utah press lacked hard-hitting in-depth news, often glossing over the real issues while overindulging in soft entertainment oriented news.

Data obtained by BYU journalism students 14 years later indicates that Baker's observations of the Utah press still hold true. The contents of three issues of Utah's six daily newspapers including The Deseret News, The Salt Lake Tribune, Ogden Standard Examiner, The Herald Journal (Logan), The Daily Herald, and The Spectrum (St. George) were examined in detail. Each story in the paper was reviewed and given a Milquetoast score based on a set criteria ranging from one to ten. The scores were given according the following description and continuum.

* (1)Advertising based

* (2) Public relations originated

* (3) Syndicated, canned, or outside institution

* (4) Soft News (features, sports)

* (5) Wire service copy/ general news written by full time staff

* (6) Analysis

* (7) Enterprise reporting, in-depth reporting, advanced reporting, mild muckraking

* (8) Investigative reporting, depending on someone else's work i.e. tips, government documents.

* (9) Precision reporting, using techniques of social scientist

* (10) Original in depth muckraking work, using your own information and revealing something secret.

The average milquetoast score received by articles in the Deseret News was 4.6, suggesting that the typical story in the News barely reaches the level of general news and wire service copy. In fact, the numbers collected in the study show that on average only 39 percent of the articles in the News are actually written by News staff writers. The other 61 percent are provided by wire services such as the Associated Press and local public relations professionals.

To put things in perspective the Tribune scores only differed in insignificant amounts. It averaged a 4.7 on the milquetoast scale with only 42 percent of its articles written by reporters on staff. The bottom line is that Utah readers are getting shortchanged out of in-depth coverage of the issues that affect Utah. In fact, only 9.4 percent of the stories examined in the Deseret News scored higher than five on the milquetoast scale and 10.3 percent in The Salt Lake Tribune. On Average the Tribune received scores approximately one percent higher than the News even though its circulation is more than double that of the News.

Despite the fact the test result indicated very few of the articles in the Deseret News were in depth, Twila Van Leer, long-time journalist and education reporter for the News, said the paper carries on a tradition of in-depth reporting the began two decades ago. First hired by the News in 1951, Van Leer said she has watched the advent of in-depth journalism develop and take shape in today's industry. "In-depth reporting was a real nationwide phenomenon in the early 1980s, especially coupled with graphics-an idea pushed by television," she said.

The Deseret News was quick to jump on the bandwagon. "We were way ahead of the Tribune on a lot of these things," she said. Van Leer said the News put an emphasis on investigative and in-depth articles to be printed in its Sunday paper, when it has its highest circulation (69,506), and additional pages for longer articles and more graphics.

Originally, the Deseret News had an entire team of reporters working together on investigative stories full time. Van Leer said the reporters involved in the investigations enjoyed their assignments and often became very involved and passionate about their work. According to Van Leer the trouble for the team arose when it came time for publication. "Sometimes the things they found the Deseret News wouldn't publish," she said. Van Leer said sometimes the articles involved people the paper did not want to harm. "If publishing something would do more damage than the good it will provide, we won't run it," she said. The reporters would feel like they really had something worthwhile, but editors, removed from the situation, were more sensitive to potentially harmful issues, Van Leer said.

Sensitive issues are what City Weekly, a downtown Salt Lake news magazine is all about. City Weekly publisher, John Saltas said that denial of the issues only propagates them further. "If you never run the story the problem will never be solved," he said. Despite his criticism Saltas said he prefers the Deseret News to the Tribune because of its graphic appeal and fine staff of writers, however he can sense that the paper does not allow its reporters to go full bore. "I don't think they are told, 'this is our policy'," Saltas said. "They just seem to have an intuitive knowledge that some things are just not allowed, so they don't do it."

Although the Deseret News has chosen not to run all of the investigative reports produced by its staff members, Van Leer said it is not because the paper is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "People mistakenly assume that because we are church-owned that we always protect church people-and that simply is not the case." Van Leer said she knew of church members who would not subscribe to the News, because they believe it protected the church too much. "When it comes down to it, the Salt Lake Tribune has more holy cows that we do," she said.

Van Leer insisted it is the degree of damage that would result from an article, not the subject's religious affiliation, that determines whether or not an article makes it in the paper. She recounted a time when a group of reporters were working on a story involving the Central Utah Project that would have cast a poor light on the program. The article would have provided information regarding potential problems with the plans. The decision was made not to run the article because the Deseret News feared the information might lead the federal government to pull funding from the project.

While Saltas agrees that some considerations are necessary even in investigative journalism, he disagrees with the idea that religious affiliation is not a factor. Saltas said when City Weekly does a story on a scoutmaster or stake president who abuses members of his ward it get labeled as liberal and anti-Mormon. "In Utah liberal is a bad word-nobody wants to be the bad guy," Saltas said.

The Deseret News certainly does not want the bad guy label either so some stories are not run. This policy proved to be frustrating to many journalists involved in investigative reporting. After many hours of painstaking research and writing they would find themselves at a dead end. "They would get all excited about it and then nothing would come of it," Van Leer said. Eventually the investigative team was disbanded, leaving investigative reporting to the individual journalists who came up with ideas and were motivated by their own initiative. "Those are the kind of journalists we like-creative ideas and willing to look a little deeper," she said.

Although the Deseret News no longer has a team completely devoted to in-depth and investigative reporting, each of the reporters is expected to continually come up with ideas for more in-depth coverage of their beat, especially for the weekend editions. The reporters are divided up into teams that meet every two weeks to brainstorm and discuss possibilities for investigative or in-depth coverage.

Sometimes general news, like elections, dictates in-depth coverage such as investigating candidates. Others develop from specific community needs. During the week of June 5, 2002, the Deseret News ran an in-depth series on the economic health of downtown Salt Lake. Van Leer said efficient coverage of education issues normally requires her to produce 2-3 in-depth stories a month. The education beat requires a little more coverage because it is given a full page every week, she said. The space is dedicated to addressing high profile concerns regarding education in Utah, such as tuition increases, budget cutbacks, and legislation that affects how Utah schools are run.

As mentioned earlier, although efforts are made by the Deseret News to produce in-depth work, in actuality very few of the articles from the sample we examined could be classified as possessing analytical aspects (and receive a ranking of at least a six on the milquetoast scale).

While Utah readers suffer the consequences of a milquetoast press, Saltas said City Weekly reaps the rewards of a timid press. "We wouldn't exist if the papers did the whole story," he said.

In contrast to the Deseret News, City Weekly takes pride in its more aggressive attitude that doesn't shy away from even the most sensitive topics. "We cover the issues the Utah newspapers like to skirt around." It was only recently that the News began to run stories typical of those featured in City Weekly, such as the above average use of prescription drugs in Utah. Saltas said City Weekly had published a story regarding the high use of anti-depressant drugs among Utah housewives. A few weeks later saw the issue covered by the News. "If Hughes is behind that then he is doing good things," he said.

Although improvements have been made, Saltas said the Deseret News still has a way to go. Remaining in denial and acting like 'all is well in Zion' is recipe for disaster, he said. Circulation once again is some indication that readers want to read information that isn't always popular. Saltas isn't alone on a soapbox when it comes to his interest in discussing the real, sometimes uncomfortable issues. City Weekly has only been around for 10 years and already circulation has climbed to 60, 000 in the year 2001, while the Deseret News, which been around over 152 years has a circulation that is roughly comparable. In business numbers aren't supposed to lie. Utah readers are interested in reading about the "sensitive" issues.

Some of the most sensitive coverage faced by the Deseret News is its coverage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the religious affiliation of 70 percent of the Utah population-and the owner of the Deseret News. When it comes to church-related news Saltas said he does not waste his time reading the News articles. He said he feels the News, especially its editorial page, has a very preachy feel to it. "That's not good for any paper-- religiously associated or not. Nobody likes to be preached at-save it for Sunday," he said.

Despite Saltas's criticism, religion reporters are among the journalists at the News who have received recognition within the industry for their work. In 2002 the News was selected as one of three finalists in the national Religion Newswriters Association's Schachern Contest in for the mid-size paper division. The Schachern Contest judges the religion section of a newspaper and is designed to measure a journalist's grasp on a diversity of religion issues.

Individual Deseret News reporters have also has been recognized. Carrie Moore, religion reporter for News, is one of 10 nationwide finalists for 2002 Cornell Award given by the RNA for journalism excellence in secular mid-size publications. The Tribune's, Bob Mims has also been selected as a finalist for the Cornell Award this year.

Moore isn't the News's only reporter who has been awarded honors from the RNA. In 1997 News religion reporter Lois Collins was recipient of the Cornell Award, naming her the "Religion Writer of the Year" among mid size publications.

Although Deseret News staff members have received awards for their work Saltas said the religion coverage has fundamental problems. He said conveying an LDS point of view is not what damages the credibility of the with the News's coverage of the church and its members. Most Utahns know the church has strong opinions on certain topics. "The real issue is that the way they cover the church attacks the ideals of pure thought," he said. "By delivering a pre-interpreted message you are essentially telling the reader they are not intelligent enough to see both points of view and make an educated decision on their own."

Not everyone shares the Saltas opinion. Leanne Hoffman of Eagle Rock, Utah said when it comes to church news she's more likely to trust the News. Because the paper is church owned, she figures the sources and information obtained by the reporters would likely be from the highest authority on the matter. "I just trust the information I get from the Deseret News because I assume they function with integrity," she said. Hoffman said she subscribes to the Deseret News because she considers it lighter reading and that is what she enjoys more. "The Salt Lake Tribune has a drier Wall Street Journal-type feel that doesn't really interest me, " she said.

Although there are subscribers like Hoffman who appreciate the church coverage by the News, many more are critical of what they consider to be biased and unprofessional journalism. Deseret News City Editor, Anglyn Hutchinson, said she thinks much of the perceived bias in the News can be attributed to predetermined ideas about a church-owned paper. Hutchinson admits that when a conflict arises on the editorial page the News always comes down on the side of the church. "The editorial pages are different from the rest of the paper," she said, "all papers come down on the side of their owners." Hutchinson said she'd like someone to show her the pro-church bias in the News's coverage of general news. "The church doesn't tell us what to cover or what to write," she said.

While no definite conclusion can be made regarding the presence of pro-church bias in the Deseret News, one fact is clear. As often as the News is accused of having a Mormon bias, the Tribune is accused of having an anti-Mormon bias. So is there any truth to this war of words that has continued for the past century and a half? Hutchinson, who has worked for both camps, said it's a tough call. She said there are definitely some Tribune reporters and editors who have a bitter hatred towards Mormons and look for every opportunity to kick at the church. However, Hutchinson also said there are many Tribune staff members who work hard to produce balanced and professional journalism. "To paint the Tribune as an anti-Mormon paper is unfair," Hutchinson said.

Saltas said he believes the anti-Mormon paper vs. the Mormon paper war, although very real at one time, is now nothing more than a façade. "Both papers are actually quite conservative," he said. A quick look at the Tribune's editorial page will confirm Saltas belief. "The Tribune hasn't been anti-Mormon for 100 years," Saltas said.

"Now accusations of bias are only used as tools to rally troops to one side or the other," he said. The newspapers have much bigger business in mind than just religion. "It's all about money and power and they both want to come out on top," Saltas said.

If what Saltas suggests is true the Deseret News remains the underdog despite its improvements, prizes and a new staff spirit. Deseret News circulation has not increased significantly during the past five years under the direction of Hughes as it had anticipated. Hughes status and reputation has not transferred into numbers he hoped for with qualifications. In the December 15, 1996 edition of Editor &Publisher, Hughes said in regard to his impending editorship at the News, "I'm going to look more at what we do than worry about the competition. The News is a good paper that can be better." Maybe someday Utah readers will notice too.

The new dream for the church paper is that readers may take more notice of their improved paper if it is published for morning delivery. Although this has been the goal, the Tribune has been successful in frustrating it for too long, say Deseret News staffers

A new owner of the Tribune as well as court rulings suggesting a realignment of the joint operating agreement controlled by the Tribune, provide hope that the Deseret News can realize its early morning vision and get out of the afternoon hole to bite a chunk out of the massive Tribune circulation lead.

When this happens Utah readers may be the major beneficiaries. When the two largest papers in Utah meet head to head on an equal playing field in the morning a fierce competition may ensue. Based on the past records of both papers the score may rise and the Milquetoast content diminish as the papers both strive to create better, more in-depth coverage of the issues that effect Utah.

For the Deseret News at least most of the news will be good if the second place paper gets to go morning. In fact the only bad news is that the afternoon paper may lose its all-star veteran reporter.

"I just want to stick around until we go morning," Van Leer says.

Copyright Brigham Young University 17 Jul 2002