Deseret News Fabricates Story

In my last post, I noted that Big Media’s stories largely are “made-up stuff or very-poorly-sourced-and-heavily-slanted stuff intended more to incite or excite than to enlighten.”

Right on cue, the Deseret News completely made up a story today. No one in Legislative leadership is talking about changing the referendum process. Here, for example, is what I last publicly said about the process. Yet, the Deseret News, um, “reports:”

Get ready for GOP legislative leaders to take on the state’s referendum law – and a big fight with Democrats who vow to protect the current system.

It’s 100% fiction. There won’t be a “big fight,” because no one is proposing a change. The D News completely made that up. Facts aren't important to Big Media. The thing that is important to veteran reporter Bob Bernick – is that there will be an election. And anything he and other cracker jack reporters can do to influence it against Republicans – including making up stories – is fair game.

Republican leadership in Utah isn’t perfect. We get some things right, and we get some things wrong. We deserve our fair share of criticism. But, completely making up stuff does a great disservice to the public and to the health of political dialogue.

Editorial board meetings are recorded. If the D News can show me where any “GOP legislative leader” said we’d “take on the state’s referendum law,” I’ll print this entry and post a YouTube video of me eating it, saying, “Bob Bernick does not make up news,” between every bite. To the contrary, you would hear legislative leaders saying the exact opposite of what the D News reports; they would hear those leaders saying that Utah has the referendum balance in the right place.

I want the recording of that editorial board meeting made public. That would be a big story – showing how Big Media completely makes up stories to fit its agenda and to influence elections. Let us hear the recording, Bob, so we can test the veracity of your stories.

I’ve put a lot of effort into trying to promote factual political dialogue concerning legislative issues, so that more people might be encouraged to participate. I’ve had enough of the “professionals” acting like they work for tabloids. No offense to tabloids.