Sunday, Sept. 10, 2006 | 7:37 a.m.
Richard Benedetto's column in Tuesday's Sun is an example of the worst slanting in journalism. Benedetto claims that Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's criticisms of George Bush were "rude, boorish and disrespectful of the president." Benedetto wrote that the mayor said Bush didn't deserve civil treatment, at least by Anderson.
What the mayor actually said was "a patriot" does not ask concerned people to be quiet. That to be quiet is to be a "sycophant." It is also interesting that the mayor was speaking at a rally and the president was to speak later at an American Legion convention. It's not like they were on the same stage at the same time. I doubt the mayor was even invited to the president's speech. How rude!
It's unfortunate that Benedetto's article leaves out the essence of the mayor's speech, which is, "Give us the truth." We demand the truth from our government and we demand the truth from the media instead of it, as Anderson said, "acting like nothing more that a bulletin board for the lies and propaganda of a manipulative, dishonest federal government."
Anderson goes on to say that if the media had done its job in the first place, it might have stopped the Iraq war. I believe what Benedetto wants is not decorum but silence.
Jerry Bitts, Las Vegas
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