Rocky's reports: They said, he said and what it means

Mayor Rocky Anderson says he's been victimized by reporting on the controversies that arose over alcohol purchases and a trip to Torino, Italy. The following is a look at some of the reporting, Anderson's take and analysis by the Deseret Morning News.

Reporting: KSL noted on its Web site that Anderson spent "hundreds of dollars on alcohol."

Anderson: Lesser portions of his bills went to pay for alcohol. Various media reports have inaccurately characterized how much of his bills paid for alcohol.

Analysis: It is unknown how much of Anderson's bar tab from the Grand America Hotel went to alcohol, how much went to food and how much went to pay private club memberships at the hotel's lobby lounge. Anderson has said he isn't sure of the breakdown and he didn't name all the people he paid for on his $457 reimbursement slip. The receipt similarly didn't provide a breakdown, and Anderson has declined to request one from the hotel. His Chief of Staff Sam Guevara, who was at the Grand America that night, has similarly said the night was a mix of alcohol and food but couldn't be more specific. Anderson has said a smaller, $175 bill he paid with his city credit card three nights earlier at Squatters brew pub was mostly dinner with a few beers. Others who attended that evening have backed up that claim. The receipts Anderson filed with the city only have the total bills, not what was purchased.

Reporting: The Deseret Morning News reported Anderson used city tax dollars to pay a "bar tab" of $457 and a "pub tab" of $175.

Anderson: Using the terms "bar tab" and "pub tab" gave the impression that the bills were mostly for alcohol. The paper should use the term "dinner tab" to describe the bills. The paper purposefully used the terms "bar tab" and "pub tab" to sensationalize the story. The terms were repeated in other media that picked up on the original Morning News story.

Analysis: The paper used the term "bar tab" because the bill was accrued at a private club — Utah's equivalent of a bar. The paper did mention that the bill included food and alcohol. The initial report noted in its headline that the bills were for "wining and dining," giving the connotation of both food and alcohol. City records and subsequent interviews with Anderson and others who were there haven't fully explained how much of the bill was for alcohol, how much was for food and how much might have been for cover charges.

The "pub tab" reference arose because the bill was from a brew pub. The initial article didn't put a large focus on this lesser bill, but in later articles the paper has noted Anderson's description that it was mostly food with some beer.