Salt Lake City Weekly
Encyclopedia
Salt Lake City Weekly is a free alternative weekly
tabloid-paged newspaper
published in Salt Lake City
, Utah
. It began its life as the Private Eye. City Weekly is published and dated for every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. of which John Saltas is majority owner and president.
In 1988, the Private Eye became a bi-weekly newspaper although it was available mostly in clubs. Distribution of the paper broadened as new liquor rule interpretations at the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
(DABC) allowed mainstream media to carry club advertisements as long as they weren't "soliciting" members. The "Private Eye" thus ended its mailed period and was available for free in public distribution outlets for the first time. In 1989, Private Eye was admitted to the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
(AAN), the organization's 40th member.
journalist Tom Walsh. Walsh was a veteran writer with experience from the alternative Phoenix New Times
, and he took a significant salary cut because of his enthusiasm for the new paper.
The Private Eye' s early contributors included Ben Fulton (who served as editor in chief until spring 2007), Christopher Smart (currently a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune
), Mary Dickson, Katharine Biele, Lynn Packer, and notable Utah defense attorney
Ron Yengich.
From 1992 onward, reporter Lynn Packer scooped
many stories about then-Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini
, and Bonneville Pacific, an energy company. Ron Yengich's relationship with the paper would end days after he was retained as Corradini's attorney in 1996. Yengich had mocked the mayor in a Private Eye column just days before becoming her representative.
In June 1996, Tom Walsh resigned from the paper to become an executive of another alternative weekly, the Miami New Times
. The Private Eye hosted the annual AAN convention May 29–31, 1996, after Walsh had already announced his resignation.
During 1996 the Private Eye Weekly' s page count outgrew independent Salt Lake City presses, so the paper made printing arrangements with the publisher of the Ogden Standard-Examiner
. Content for City Weekly is sent by computer to the press in Ogden
, and bundles of printed papers are trucked back south into Salt Lake City. The paper also began posting all content online in 1996, originally using the URL www.avenews.com. City Weekly is currently available at www.cityweekly.net and starting in 2005 began posting additional information on a sister-commerce site, cwlistings.com
In the early 1990s the paper began giving out yearly awards that were chosen by readers. The categories and pages devoted to the "Best of Utah" issues expanded over time, and these issues are typically the largest published all year. Many establishments proudly display City Weekly "Best of..." awards, and often have several years' worth mounted above the cash register.
In 1996 the paper began recognizing local music in the "SLAMMY awards" (Salt Lake Area Music & More). As with the "Best of Utah" issues, locals are encouraged to vote for their favorite local bands and album
s in different categories. The paper also hosts a party featuring several of the winners.
.
The paper published stories of the 2002 Winter Olympics
bribery scandal
. Discoveries that International Olympic Committee
members apparently accepted gifts in return for votes to select Salt Lake City as the Olympic host erupted into an internationally-significant story in 1999 and 2000.
During the late 1990s, a suit to allow club and liquor advertising began making its way through local courts. City Weekly had tried and failed to persuade the state's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to lift Utah's peculiar restrictions on liquor advertising. National media like The Wall Street Journal and USA Today
were published without constraints on their advertising. The case dragged on for years in Utah District Court before Judge David Sam, who rejected the claim that advertising liquor in Utah was bound by national precedent. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals
overturned this ruling on July 24, 2001 when the court remanded plaintiff's request for appeal on the district court's ruling to deny preliminary injunction
. The Tenth Circuit stated that the plaintiffs satisfied requirements for an injunction, forcing the state to allow liquor advertising. In August, the Utah Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission began drafting amendments to legalize liquor advertising in print, in restaurants, and on billboards. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) thought that the Commission's proposed changes went too far and urged retention of the old rules. John Saltas chided the LDS Church in an editorial, but offered them a free full-page ad so they could explain their position against liquor advertising. The Church had not previously advertised in the paper, which was often considered anti-Mormon
, but they took Saltas up on his offer. On November 29, 2001 City Weekly published the LDS statement. In the same issue, City Weekly featured its first liquor ad, for Jim Beam
. Saltas told the Tribune that the timing was "just an ironic coincidence."
In October 2002, editor Christopher Smart left City Weekly for a higher-paying news position with The Salt Lake Tribune
. Saltas named John Yewell as editor; Yewell was let go after nine months. The paper's editorship was turned temporarily over to Ben Fulton, a long-time associate editor at the paper. Later Saltas announced that Fulton's editorship would be permanent. During his many years at the paper, up to his leave as editor in April 2007, Fulton garnered many editorial awards, including a Hearst Award for long-form journalism, as well as several first-place awards from the Utah Chapter Society of Professional Journalists and the Utah Press Association.
As the paper gained popularity and staff, the load on John Saltas decreased. In 2003 he stepped aside as publisher, naming Jim Rizzi as his successor. Rizzi, with over 20 years of alternative weekly experience, was groomed for the position. Saltas had hired him as a vice president in 2002. After being uninvolved with the paper's operations for several months, Rizzi asked Saltas to contribute a weekly column. Saltas now writes a light-hearted, somewhat blog
-like column called "Private Eye" where he talks aimlessly about his favorite Utah Jazz
players (especially Carlos Arroyo
), his Greek
heritage, and jokes that he's soon going to be fired.
In April 2007 Holly Mullen was announced as the paper's new editor. She had been an area journalist for nine years, most recently (until January 2007) as a columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune. In addition to her renown as a leftist reporter and writer, she is now noted as the wife of former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson. On February 26, 2009, Mullen informed her friends through her Facebook profile that she had parted ways with the paper. At the same time, long-time City Weekly Managing Editor, Jerre Wroble was promoted to the Editor position.
Salt Lake City Weekly is currently available at over 2000 locations, including sites outside the Salt Lake Valley (such as the Tooele Valley). The paper is found online at www.cityweekly.net. The 60,000 weekly Circulation for City Weekly is independently audited by Verified Audit and has been so for nearly 20 years.
In 2009, the Utah SPJ awarded Salt Lake City Weekly 13 journalism awards.
Stephen Dark, a senior staff-writer won Best Newspaper Reporter. The judges wrote, "by far Dark had the most diverse and interesting subject matter. His ability to tell a story in a clean and compelling manner also stood out." Dark won in the Military Reporting category for "Diary of a Suicide" and in Religion/Values Reporting for "Swap Meet."
Scott Renshaw, the Arts and Entertainment Editor received 2nd place in Review/Criticism for the article, "Romancing the Stoned" and 2nd place for Headline Writing.
Eric S. Peterson received 2nd in Criminal Justice Reporting for the article, "Hard Labor" and 1st place in Consumer Reporting for the article, "Jacked" the judges wrote, "Peterson did an excellent job of raising questions about the necessity for steep state tax breaks for oil companies at a time when they were earning record profits. He attempted to independently calculate the cost to taxpayers, who he pointed out are paying more at the pump in Utah than residents of other states without such a big industry presence. He was also fair, offering significant commentary from oil executives who way they need breaks to counter the costly process of production. With both sides, Peterson facilitated an intellectual debate with no easy answers." Peterson won 1st place in the Government Reporting category for the article, "Drug Deal." The judges wrote "Peterson offers a comprehensive analysis of a no-bid contract and the influences that contributed to the deal-making process. Reporter went above and beyond his call of duty by investigating business incorporation records, raising questions about the validity of the company awarded work and the state's attending to detail. Looks ripe for a follow-up." Peterson received 3rd place in Minority Issues Reporting for "Afraid to Talk."
Ted McDonough won 3rd place for Consumer Reporting for the article "Renting Sucks!" he won 3rd Place in Medical/Science Reporting for "Dust Up" and placed 3rd in the Personality Profile category for "Final Shot."
Carolyn Campbell won 3rd place for "Gay Bride" in Religion/Values reporting.
Apart from covering scandals about former Democratic
Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini
, the paper controversially editorialized against her and her associates. The paper often listed her actions as "misses" in the "Hits & Misses" column on the opinion page.
City Weekly attacks on district attorney
Neal Gunnarson so upset him that he stole hundreds of copies of the paper from the racks in 1997. Technically, this is theft because only the first copy of publication is free; additional copies are one dollar each. An article appearing in the issue posited that Gunnarson was being too soft on Mayor Corradini, claiming that his weak prosecution didn't "pass the smell test."
During the 1999 mayoral elections, the scandal-ridden Corradini declined to seek re-election. City Weekly endorsed Rocky Anderson
in a crowded primary. Anderson was an attorney who was once retained by the paper. Facing Stuart Reid, a member of Corradini's administration, Anderson won, but the paper remained neutral during his 2003 re-election. However, during Anderson's second term, he was visiting another city and crossed a police picket line in order to attend a scheduled meeting. He later remarked to a reporter that the line was not a picket line, but a demonstration, so there was no harm in crossing. This did not sit well with John Saltas, who viewed it as a repudiation of a useful labor negotiating tactic, and since that time Saltas has made several critical comments toward the Mayor in his columns.
In 2004, City Weekly published a series of articles criticizing embattled Salt Lake County
mayor Nancy Workman
. Workman was acquitted of criminal charges for misuse of County funds, but was forced out as a candidate by vote of the Salt Lake County Republican Party Central Committee. The Central Committee then proceeded to nominate and accept by acclamation candidate and developer Ellis Ivory. In the ensuing election last minute replacement Ellis Ivory, was defeated by Democrat
Peter Corroon
.
Of the two daily papers in Salt Lake City, The Salt Lake Tribune
and the Deseret News, City Weekly surprisingly values the LDS Church-owned Deseret News for its investigative reporting in spite of its conservative editorial page.
Saltas has mocked the Tribune' s byline "Utah's Independent Voice" by calling the paper "Utah's co-dependent voice." The paper, he points out, is published with the same MediaOne facilities as the two paper's joint operating agreement. Thus City Weekly casts the paper as being "less independent than it pretends to be."
The 2002 Tribune acquisition by Dean Singleton, owner of the nation's 7th largest newspaper chain, prompted an exposé. City Weekly asserted that increased cooperation and expansion of the two daily papers under Singleton's Tribune leadership hurt surrounding papers' viability. The Tribune has hired a two former reporters of the City Weekly, while City Weekly has hired nearly half dozen former Tribune reporters over the same time span, with moves in both directions affirming the legitimacy of news reporting in City Weekly.
audience than the area's other papers. Some of its more prominent features include its reviews of art film
s (Scott Renshaw), restaurant
s (Ted Scheffler), local music groups (Portia Early), scheduled art shows and events, and television
(Bill Frost). Founder Saltas writes a stream-of-thought column called "Private Eye". Ted McDonough writes an opinion-briefs feature called "Hits & Misses". The paper has a satire column called "Deep End" written by D.P. Sorensen who, among other things, jokingly claims to have been Mitt Romney
's missionary companion. It also carries syndicated columns such as "News Quirks" by Roland Sweet, and "¡Ask a Mexican!
" by Gustavo Arellano. Other syndicated features often seen in free alternative weeklies include the Straight Dope
, by Chicago-based Cecil Adams, Free Will Astrology and comics such as Tom Tomorrow
's This Modern World
, and Keith Knight's K Chronicles. The paper has also expanded its online content in recent years, providing video features from actress/writer Deena Marie Manzanares and interview segment "Who The Hell". "Zionized: Local People Doing Local Stuff", is a weekly video web series produced by staff videographer, Marty Foy and airs every Wednesday on the website www.cityweekly.net. As well as adding material to their popular Salt Blog which includes topical postings from staff writers and editors, plus featured blogs from Tom Barberi and Gavin Sheehan.
City Weekly publishes a number of special issues each year, including the Best of Utah guide and the City Weekly Music Awards (formerly SLAMMys) issue (see also Music of Utah
).
Alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
tabloid-paged newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. It began its life as the Private Eye. City Weekly is published and dated for every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. of which John Saltas is majority owner and president.
History
John Saltas founded what would become Salt Lake City Weekly in June, 1984. He called his monthly publication the Private Eye because it contained news and promotions for bars and dance clubs, which due to Utah State liquor laws were all private clubs. Saltas originally mailed the Private Eye as a newsletter to private club members. State law forbade private clubs from advertising at the time, so Saltas' newsletter was the only way for clubs to get promotional information out.In 1988, the Private Eye became a bi-weekly newspaper although it was available mostly in clubs. Distribution of the paper broadened as new liquor rule interpretations at the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Utah. It has its headquarters in Salt Lake City....
(DABC) allowed mainstream media to carry club advertisements as long as they weren't "soliciting" members. The "Private Eye" thus ended its mailed period and was available for free in public distribution outlets for the first time. In 1989, Private Eye was admitted to the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
The Association of Alternative Newsmedia is a diverse group of covering every major metropolitan area and other less-populated regions of North America. AAN members have a combined weekly circulation of over 6.5 million as well as a print readership of nearly 17 million active, educated and...
(AAN), the organization's 40th member.
Private Eye Weekly
In 1992 the Private Eye Weekly emerged as a weekly tabloid-style alternative paper with distribution outlets in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Park City and Utah County. Saltas hired his first editor, then-KSL-TVKSL-TV
KSL-TV, virtual channel 5, is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. KSL-TV is owned by Bonneville International Corporation, which is in turn owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
journalist Tom Walsh. Walsh was a veteran writer with experience from the alternative Phoenix New Times
Phoenix New Times
The Phoenix New Times is a free, weekly Phoenix, Arizona newspaper, put out every Thursday. It is the founding publication of the New Times Media , but The Village Voice is now the flagship publication of that company....
, and he took a significant salary cut because of his enthusiasm for the new paper.
The Private Eye
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....
), Mary Dickson, Katharine Biele, Lynn Packer, and notable Utah defense attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Ron Yengich.
From 1992 onward, reporter Lynn Packer scooped
Scoop (term)
Scoop is an informal term used in journalism. The word connotes originality, importance, surprise or excitement, secrecy and exclusivity.Stories likely considered to be scoops are important news, likely to interest or concern many people. A scoop is typically a new story, or a new aspect to an...
many stories about then-Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini
Deedee Corradini
Deedee Corradini served as mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah from 1992 to 2000. Corradini was Salt Lake City's first and to date only female mayor....
, and Bonneville Pacific, an energy company. Ron Yengich's relationship with the paper would end days after he was retained as Corradini's attorney in 1996. Yengich had mocked the mayor in a Private Eye column just days before becoming her representative.
In June 1996, Tom Walsh resigned from the paper to become an executive of another alternative weekly, the Miami New Times
Miami New Times
The Miami New Times is a free weekly newspaper published in Miami and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami area and is headquartered near Miami's Design District.-Overview:...
. The Private Eye hosted the annual AAN convention May 29–31, 1996, after Walsh had already announced his resignation.
During 1996 the Private Eye Weekly
Ogden Standard-Examiner
The Standard-Examiner is a daily morning newspaper published in Ogden, Utah. With 63,000 subscribers, it is the third largest daily newspaper in terms of circulation in the State of Utah after the Salt Lake Tribune and The Deseret Morning News...
. Content for City Weekly is sent by computer to the press in Ogden
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, and bundles of printed papers are trucked back south into Salt Lake City. The paper also began posting all content online in 1996, originally using the URL www.avenews.com. City Weekly is currently available at www.cityweekly.net and starting in 2005 began posting additional information on a sister-commerce site, cwlistings.com
In the early 1990s the paper began giving out yearly awards that were chosen by readers. The categories and pages devoted to the "Best of Utah" issues expanded over time, and these issues are typically the largest published all year. Many establishments proudly display City Weekly "Best of..." awards, and often have several years' worth mounted above the cash register.
In 1996 the paper began recognizing local music in the "SLAMMY awards" (Salt Lake Area Music & More). As with the "Best of Utah" issues, locals are encouraged to vote for their favorite local bands and album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s in different categories. The paper also hosts a party featuring several of the winners.
Salt Lake City Weekly
In 1997 the growing paper changed its name to Salt Lake City Weekly. This name is abbreviated to City Weekly on the paper's masthead. Many people misunderstood the paper's original name, assuming that the Private Eye was a detective agencyPrivate investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
.
The paper published stories of the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
bribery scandal
2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal
The 2002 Olympic Winter Games bid scandal was a scandal involving allegations of bribery used to win the rights to host the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Prior to its successful bid in 1995, the city had attempted four times to secure the games; failing each time...
. Discoveries that International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
members apparently accepted gifts in return for votes to select Salt Lake City as the Olympic host erupted into an internationally-significant story in 1999 and 2000.
During the late 1990s, a suit to allow club and liquor advertising began making its way through local courts. City Weekly had tried and failed to persuade the state's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to lift Utah's peculiar restrictions on liquor advertising. National media like The Wall Street Journal and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
were published without constraints on their advertising. The case dragged on for years in Utah District Court before Judge David Sam, who rejected the claim that advertising liquor in Utah was bound by national precedent. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Colorado* District of Kansas...
overturned this ruling on July 24, 2001 when the court remanded plaintiff's request for appeal on the district court's ruling to deny preliminary injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
. The Tenth Circuit stated that the plaintiffs satisfied requirements for an injunction, forcing the state to allow liquor advertising. In August, the Utah Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission began drafting amendments to legalize liquor advertising in print, in restaurants, and on billboards. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) thought that the Commission's proposed changes went too far and urged retention of the old rules. John Saltas chided the LDS Church in an editorial, but offered them a free full-page ad so they could explain their position against liquor advertising. The Church had not previously advertised in the paper, which was often considered anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed at members of the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, but they took Saltas up on his offer. On November 29, 2001 City Weekly published the LDS statement. In the same issue, City Weekly featured its first liquor ad, for Jim Beam
Jim Beam
Jim Beam is a brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky. It is currently one of the best selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 , seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand, which was given the name...
. Saltas told the Tribune that the timing was "just an ironic coincidence."
In October 2002, editor Christopher Smart left City Weekly for a higher-paying news position with The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....
. Saltas named John Yewell as editor; Yewell was let go after nine months. The paper's editorship was turned temporarily over to Ben Fulton, a long-time associate editor at the paper. Later Saltas announced that Fulton's editorship would be permanent. During his many years at the paper, up to his leave as editor in April 2007, Fulton garnered many editorial awards, including a Hearst Award for long-form journalism, as well as several first-place awards from the Utah Chapter Society of Professional Journalists and the Utah Press Association.
As the paper gained popularity and staff, the load on John Saltas decreased. In 2003 he stepped aside as publisher, naming Jim Rizzi as his successor. Rizzi, with over 20 years of alternative weekly experience, was groomed for the position. Saltas had hired him as a vice president in 2002. After being uninvolved with the paper's operations for several months, Rizzi asked Saltas to contribute a weekly column. Saltas now writes a light-hearted, somewhat blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
-like column called "Private Eye" where he talks aimlessly about his favorite Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
players (especially Carlos Arroyo
Carlos Arroyo
Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermúdez is a Puerto Rican professional basketball point guard who last played for the Boston Celtics. Arroyo is the fifth player from Puerto Rico to play in the NBA...
), his Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
heritage, and jokes that he's soon going to be fired.
In April 2007 Holly Mullen was announced as the paper's new editor. She had been an area journalist for nine years, most recently (until January 2007) as a columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune. In addition to her renown as a leftist reporter and writer, she is now noted as the wife of former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson. On February 26, 2009, Mullen informed her friends through her Facebook profile that she had parted ways with the paper. At the same time, long-time City Weekly Managing Editor, Jerre Wroble was promoted to the Editor position.
Salt Lake City Weekly is currently available at over 2000 locations, including sites outside the Salt Lake Valley (such as the Tooele Valley). The paper is found online at www.cityweekly.net. The 60,000 weekly Circulation for City Weekly is independently audited by Verified Audit and has been so for nearly 20 years.
In 2009, the Utah SPJ awarded Salt Lake City Weekly 13 journalism awards.
Stephen Dark, a senior staff-writer won Best Newspaper Reporter. The judges wrote, "by far Dark had the most diverse and interesting subject matter. His ability to tell a story in a clean and compelling manner also stood out." Dark won in the Military Reporting category for "Diary of a Suicide" and in Religion/Values Reporting for "Swap Meet."
Scott Renshaw, the Arts and Entertainment Editor received 2nd place in Review/Criticism for the article, "Romancing the Stoned" and 2nd place for Headline Writing.
Eric S. Peterson received 2nd in Criminal Justice Reporting for the article, "Hard Labor" and 1st place in Consumer Reporting for the article, "Jacked" the judges wrote, "Peterson did an excellent job of raising questions about the necessity for steep state tax breaks for oil companies at a time when they were earning record profits. He attempted to independently calculate the cost to taxpayers, who he pointed out are paying more at the pump in Utah than residents of other states without such a big industry presence. He was also fair, offering significant commentary from oil executives who way they need breaks to counter the costly process of production. With both sides, Peterson facilitated an intellectual debate with no easy answers." Peterson won 1st place in the Government Reporting category for the article, "Drug Deal." The judges wrote "Peterson offers a comprehensive analysis of a no-bid contract and the influences that contributed to the deal-making process. Reporter went above and beyond his call of duty by investigating business incorporation records, raising questions about the validity of the company awarded work and the state's attending to detail. Looks ripe for a follow-up." Peterson received 3rd place in Minority Issues Reporting for "Afraid to Talk."
Ted McDonough won 3rd place for Consumer Reporting for the article "Renting Sucks!" he won 3rd Place in Medical/Science Reporting for "Dust Up" and placed 3rd in the Personality Profile category for "Final Shot."
Carolyn Campbell won 3rd place for "Gay Bride" in Religion/Values reporting.
Editors
- 1984 - 1992: John Saltas
- 1992 - 1996: Tom Walsh
- 1996 - October 2002: Christopher Smart
- November 2002 - August 2003: John Yewell
- August 2003 - April 2007: Ben Fulton
- April 2007 - February 2009: Holly Mullen
- February 2009–present: Jerre Wroble
City Weekly and politics
In its origin as a publication promoting Salt Lake City-area nightlife during a time when state alcohol regulations were more strict, City Weekly developed a reputation for its tendency to challenge established viewpoints—a reputation which now extends to the paper's coverage of local politics.Apart from covering scandals about former Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini
Deedee Corradini
Deedee Corradini served as mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah from 1992 to 2000. Corradini was Salt Lake City's first and to date only female mayor....
, the paper controversially editorialized against her and her associates. The paper often listed her actions as "misses" in the "Hits & Misses" column on the opinion page.
City Weekly attacks on district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Neal Gunnarson so upset him that he stole hundreds of copies of the paper from the racks in 1997. Technically, this is theft because only the first copy of publication is free; additional copies are one dollar each. An article appearing in the issue posited that Gunnarson was being too soft on Mayor Corradini, claiming that his weak prosecution didn't "pass the smell test."
During the 1999 mayoral elections, the scandal-ridden Corradini declined to seek re-election. City Weekly endorsed Rocky Anderson
Rocky Anderson
Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson served two terms as the 33rd mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, between 2000 and 2008. He is the Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights...
in a crowded primary. Anderson was an attorney who was once retained by the paper. Facing Stuart Reid, a member of Corradini's administration, Anderson won, but the paper remained neutral during his 2003 re-election. However, during Anderson's second term, he was visiting another city and crossed a police picket line in order to attend a scheduled meeting. He later remarked to a reporter that the line was not a picket line, but a demonstration, so there was no harm in crossing. This did not sit well with John Saltas, who viewed it as a repudiation of a useful labor negotiating tactic, and since that time Saltas has made several critical comments toward the Mayor in his columns.
In 2004, City Weekly published a series of articles criticizing embattled Salt Lake County
Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...
mayor Nancy Workman
Nancy Workman
Nancy Workman was the first county mayor of Salt Lake County, and a member of the Republican Party. Utah She was born December 9, 1940 in Pueblo, Colorado, but grew up in Boise, Idaho where her father was an automobile dealer...
. Workman was acquitted of criminal charges for misuse of County funds, but was forced out as a candidate by vote of the Salt Lake County Republican Party Central Committee. The Central Committee then proceeded to nominate and accept by acclamation candidate and developer Ellis Ivory. In the ensuing election last minute replacement Ellis Ivory, was defeated by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Peter Corroon
Peter Corroon
Peter Maitland Corroon is the current mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah, and a member of the Democratic Party. He was the Democratic candidate for governor in the Utah gubernatorial election, 2010, losing to Gary Herbert by a 33 point margin...
.
Relationships to other Salt Lake papers
City Weekly comments extensively on local media through a "media beat" column and letters from the editor. In 2006 the major newspapers (through their joint publishing arm, MediaOne, formerly the Newspaper Agency Corporation) launched In Utah This Week. Throughout the alternative newspaper industry, such publications produced by a city daily are referred to as Fake Alts, or FauxAlts.Of the two daily papers in Salt Lake City, The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....
and the Deseret News, City Weekly surprisingly values the LDS Church-owned Deseret News for its investigative reporting in spite of its conservative editorial page.
Saltas has mocked the Tribune
The 2002 Tribune acquisition by Dean Singleton, owner of the nation's 7th largest newspaper chain, prompted an exposé. City Weekly asserted that increased cooperation and expansion of the two daily papers under Singleton's Tribune leadership hurt surrounding papers' viability. The Tribune has hired a two former reporters of the City Weekly, while City Weekly has hired nearly half dozen former Tribune reporters over the same time span, with moves in both directions affirming the legitimacy of news reporting in City Weekly.
Current Features
City Weekly tends to be geared toward a younger, more urban, and more liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
audience than the area's other papers. Some of its more prominent features include its reviews of art film
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
s (Scott Renshaw), restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s (Ted Scheffler), local music groups (Portia Early), scheduled art shows and events, and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
(Bill Frost). Founder Saltas writes a stream-of-thought column called "Private Eye". Ted McDonough writes an opinion-briefs feature called "Hits & Misses". The paper has a satire column called "Deep End" written by D.P. Sorensen who, among other things, jokingly claims to have been Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
's missionary companion. It also carries syndicated columns such as "News Quirks" by Roland Sweet, and "¡Ask a Mexican!
¡Ask a Mexican!
¡Ask a Mexican! is a U.S. syndicated weekly column written by Gustavo Arellano and published by Orange County's alternative weekly OC Weekly. It was first published in 2004 as a one-time spoof, but it ended up becoming one of the weekly's most popular columns.Every week, readers submit their...
" by Gustavo Arellano. Other syndicated features often seen in free alternative weeklies include the Straight Dope
Straight Dope
The Straight Dope is a popular question-and-answer newspaper column published in the Chicago Reader, syndicated in thirty newspapers in the United States and Canada, as well as being available and archived at the .-Newspapers:...
, by Chicago-based Cecil Adams, Free Will Astrology and comics such as Tom Tomorrow
Tom Tomorrow
Tom Tomorrow is the pen name of editorial cartoonist Dan Perkins. His weekly comic strip This Modern World, which comments on current events, appears regularly in over 90 newspapers across the U.S. and Canada as of 2006, as well as on CREDO Action and Daily Kos, where he is its comics curator...
's This Modern World
This Modern World
This Modern World is a weekly satirical comic strip by cartoonist and political commentator Tom Tomorrow that covers current events from a liberal point of view. Tomorrow also runs a weblog that informs readers about stories of interest, often presented as a follow up to his cartoons...
, and Keith Knight's K Chronicles. The paper has also expanded its online content in recent years, providing video features from actress/writer Deena Marie Manzanares and interview segment "Who The Hell". "Zionized: Local People Doing Local Stuff", is a weekly video web series produced by staff videographer, Marty Foy and airs every Wednesday on the website www.cityweekly.net. As well as adding material to their popular Salt Blog which includes topical postings from staff writers and editors, plus featured blogs from Tom Barberi and Gavin Sheehan.
City Weekly publishes a number of special issues each year, including the Best of Utah guide and the City Weekly Music Awards (formerly SLAMMys) issue (see also Music of Utah
Music of Utah
Utah music has long been influenced culturally by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . The local music scene thrives in clubs. However, the musical history of Utah, and much of its current distinctiveness, is owed to secular artists....
).