Reader comments
Deseret News changes to address revenue decline

Not free forever | 8:11 a.m. July 9, 2008

People will always want news and information. Currently, it's too accessible for free. But, that won't always be the case. Eventually, what we're getting for free we'll have to pay for because people won't provide the news to us for free forever, because they have to pay someone to gather it and write it. In other words, what's happening today with newspapers across the country is not good. It will cost us eventually.

lost in DC | 8:29 a.m. July 9, 2008

I don't know how the DN can further eviscerate the business section, there is nothing to it already. Utah is home to the bulk of industrial bank assets which garner a lot of attention in DC, yet hardly a peep about the industry in the DN. An irresponsible US senator, Schumer of NY (D) causes a $100 million deposit run on a large S&L and discourages investors, and not one drop of ink about it. When you ignore the banking world, not much can be said for your business coverage.

Oh, but wait, you can print the photo of the new assistant chief filing clerk at BYOB Realty in your people on the move section. I guess that counts as hard journalism.

Dave | 8:35 a.m. July 9, 2008

Lighten up "lost in DC"

Comments continue below

lost in DC | 8:53 a.m. July 9, 2008

Dave, sorry your business writer buddy is losing his job. Or is it you? Maybe if the job had been done better...

Just voicing my disappointment

Autolycus | 9:33 a.m. July 9, 2008

Two points:

(1) Something vital will die if print newspapers -- the kind you can unfold and hold in your hands -- disappear.

(2) Neither of the Salt Lake dailies is well-written. But how can we espect they shall be, when few US dailies are? The New York Times is competent but imposes a colorless house style on all its writers. The Wall Street Journal, once vivid, is now suffering under R. M. The place for excellent newspaper writing is London, where, day after day, the Times, the Telegraph, the Guardian, and the Indpenendent, from their different political positions, put out (among much dross, granted) acres of interesting and well-written prose.

Reader | 9:59 a.m. July 9, 2008

I love the ridiculous comments from the "experts" here (especially from something called tobiasrex) about how the Deseret News should run itself. If you are so knowledgeable, then quit your $8.00 an hour job at the convenience store and get into journalism. Having seen a lot of newspapers around the country, the Deseret News and Tribune are actually very good newspapers compared to other similar-size and larger markets.

Ryan | 10:00 a.m. July 9, 2008

The online paper can attract visitors by hosting debates between readers!

Some level of debating does take place in the comments section, but the comments disappear after a few days. I'm talking about structured, one-on-one all-out debates. Those who are not participating in the actual debate can comment on the debate, in a side area.

Those who are interested in local and national issues will be drawn to watch or participate. And most importantly, we can get to the bottom of issues rather than skimming the surface.

Zasu Pitts | 10:01 a.m. July 9, 2008

This paper has all the Mormon readers it's going to get. They should quit trying to be "more Mormon" and focus on reporting the news without filtering it. If people didn't perceive the News as just another mouthpiece for the LDS Church they might consider it a real newspaper. It's too bad they aren't eliminating some of the "columnists" - there are way too many of those.

And that dopey Mormon Times - bland, uninspiring, and competely useless. Why pour money into something that doesn't produce revenue. And where did you find the people that write for that? Is the management of the Deseret News completely brain dead?

Non-believer | 10:17 a.m. July 9, 2008

I have to join in on this one. I read the DN and Trib on-line. The opening article on the web page of DN is dated August 7, 07. It is an article about Rommney running for president and pouring a milkshake. It has been there for almost a year. I think that says it all about the DN. They can't even update their on-line paper.They are a small-town newspaper. I am not sure making it smaller makes it any better. I don't know that the Trib is much better but I can go to their opening web page and find an index of articles. Utah is only about 60% Mormon. Why does the DN have to continue to be a Mormon newspaper. Their problem is in their mission statement assuming that they have one. They need to give news to the entire state. Their new item on LDS surely has not helped any. I was born and raised in Utah. The DN has always struggled to become a big time newspaper. NOthing has changed.

Parker | 10:53 a.m. July 9, 2008

For the past twenty years, I have bought a DesNews every Sunday morning. It has always set a higher standard than the Trib for layout and copy editing. And if I want a pile of liberal propaganda, I can always buy a New York Times, where the lefties are at least literate. But since Joe Cannon took over, the DesNews has dwindled. Instead of a 10,000 word feature on legislative ethics or crumbling infrastructure, we're more likely to see 10,000 words about something the Church wants people to know.

The Church has more money than God (intercepted, apparently, on its way to Him), so it can keep the DesNews going forever if it wants to. As for me, I no longer care.

georgiaonmymind | 11:31 a.m. July 9, 2008

Ok the haters are out! Jeez guys y'all need to lighten up! Why don't you move somewhere else in the country! Problem solved!

Dave Anderton | 11:45 a.m. July 9, 2008

As a former business writer for the Deseret Morning News I am shocked to hear of the decision to eliminate the business section of the newspaper. The business section represents the "brains" of a newspaper. This watered-down approach to covering Salt Lake City, which continues to economically outperform most U.S. cities, is a mistake. Nationally and locally, the economy continues to rank as the No. 1 story. The message the D-News is sending to Salt Lake's business community is loud and clear: If you want local business news coverage, read the Salt Lake Tribune.

Anonymous | 12:16 p.m. July 9, 2008

Nice to see Joe Cannon is performing his Geneva Steel brand of miracle-working on the Deseret News.

If that doesn't get this comment banned, I have a few suggestions:

1) Stop trying to be "more Mormon." Those of us who aren't Mormon don't care. We want a conservative paper open to lots of differing views.

2) Change your typeface. Not a major change, but the Salt Lake Tribune is by far the prettier paper.

3) Throw out the pompous old gasbags. John Florez? Don Gale? Mark Russell? These guys are tired, irrelevant, and unfunny.

4) Bring in some fresh columnist blood. George Will is a genius, though aging. But there are some eloquent, young, funny voices out there: Jonah Goldberg is one example. Find someone a little irreverent.

5) Scour the cultural and academic scene for part-time and guest writers. Folks with English and journalism degrees aren't the only people with something to say.

6) Feel free to be irreverent from time to time.

7) More (and more prominent) attention to local happenings, like cultural events.

8) Make the online Classfieds link more prominent. I've never noticed it.

That's my advice, and it's worth every penny you paid for it.

Utah County | 3:54 p.m. July 9, 2008

All you had to do was have a local obit page and you would have sent the Herald running.

Patriot | 4:31 p.m. July 9, 2008

My take on all this is that the Des News has been in decline for 20 years. These guys went out of their way to pander to the non-mormons several years ago to try and scare up new readers. This didn't work and actually alienated their core readers and now they've made a small attempt to come back to their base. Anyway,you non-mormons who think this paper is too mormon ought to re-examine this paper.

The problem with the Des News is that it is too liberal and pushes a liberal agenda from Illegal Alens to Global Warming. Until they stop the liberal agenda pushing I won't pay a dime for this paper. I think that all of us could agree non-mormon as well as mormon that taking a more balanced approach would serve its readers well.

Smoke on the Water | 2:55 p.m. July 12, 2008

Any truth to the rumor that Joe Cannon's plan to save the D-News is to install a Q-Bop machine in the newsroom?

Mr. Obvious | 2:59 p.m. July 12, 2008

Quote: "We still expect to deliver what people have come to know as the Deseret News," said Joe Cannon.

Let's see ... no Utah Valley section, no business section, no Washington bureau -- yep, that's the same ol' Deseret News I've come to know.

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