Political endorsements are among the oldest, most controversial and least understood traditions of the newspaper industry, with ongoing debates inside and outside U.S. newsrooms on whether, why, and how to choose sides in partisan races.
The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board has taken a position on each of Utah’s four Congressional races, its statewide Senate race and the various questions, propositions and amendments on this year’s ballot. But how does the paper decide what and who to support? And exactly whose voice do the endorsements represent?
On this week’s episode of “Trib Talk,” Paul Huntsman, Tribune publisher and owner, joins reporter Benjamin Wood to discuss the process behind the paper’s political positions, and the backlash from readers who disagree with those choices.