To her credit, Peg McEntee took responsibility for an embarrassing error Monday:
“I have apologized to the governor and now I apologize to my readers.”
Peg McEntee took Gov. Gary Herbert down with a systematic attack on the empty platitudes in the Guv’s inauguration speech. Her column was headlined: “McEntee: Hey, governor, hollow rhetoric won’t heal Utah’s ills”.
Unfortuantely, McEntee relied on a printed text she found online. Because she didn’t go to the event or, apparently, watch it on TV or follow it on Twitter, she and her editors didn’t learn until after her column was published online that she had based her attack on Herbert’s 2011 speech.
On first seeing the column, Herbert deputy chief of staff Ally Isom said the column was “journalism at its worst.” Other staffers wondered if McEntee has editorial oversight.
Of course, journalists make mistakes all the time and McEntee showed one way to take the hit and walk it back. It remains to be seen how much the mishap has damaged McEntee’s credibility.
Wow. Another* embarrassing screw up at The Salt Lake Tribune Monday.
Peg McEntee took Gov. Gary Herbert down a peg or two with a systematic attack on the empty platitudes in the Guv’s inauguration speech. Her column was headlined: “McEntee: Hey, governor, hollow rhetoric won’t heal Utah’s ills”.
Unfortuantely, McEntee eschewed actually attending Herbert’s speech Monday. Instead, she relied on a printed text she found somewhere. Because she didn’t go to the event or, apparently, watch it on TV or follow it on Twitter, she and her editors didn’t learn until after her column was published online that she had somehow based her attack on Herbert’s 2011 speech.
Oops.
By evening, McEntee’s column was pulled, but it still exists here (unless it’s been scraped off) with a correction and probably will live on for centuries elsewhere on the Interwebs.
Of course, journalists, like lesser mortals, make mistakes all the time. The integrity test is how you respond and tidy up later.
A couple questions:
— Will the Trib post a prominent correction or explanation of the F’up on its website where people can find it? (Maybe it’s there, but SLTrib’s website is such a mess I sure can’t find it.)
— Or will the old souls at the Trib pretend that publication online does not really count?
— Will the Trib apologize to Herbert for mocking him with something he said two years ago? The Guv’s office says no one at the Trib has “reached out” to them.
— What will Herbert’s staff say to the next Trib reporter they see? Especially considering the full column continues to mock the Guv on SLTrib.com–with the addition of a lame correction.
*I’m referring of course, to the screwed up poll results in November.
What is it about Utah that we constantly strive to make ourselves the go-to state for news of the weird?
Many had hoped that following the disappearance of adopted-favorite son Mitt Romney and the retirement of zany state Sen. Chris Buttars, we would be no longer be the butt of cheap gags about dogs on car roofs, goofy named kids and embarrassing gaffs about the gays’ civilization-ending agenda: “I don’t want ‘em stuffing it down my throat all the time.”
We dreamed of building a new image around high-tech industry, Sundance Film Fest, Olympic-class powder snow, Pac-12 football and, perhaps, a little buzz of about an unexpectedly cool place to live.
Then, BOOM. In a single week, Erectiongate explodes in sleepy Lehi, along with a scandal in suburbs over a school play based on works by two major subversives: Elvis and Shakespeare.
Erectiongate
Xactware Solutions Inc. in Lehi asked the city council to change the name Morning Glory Road. The company argued that while morning glory is a pretty flower (Ipomoea acuminata)—it is also a slang term (in Dickensian England?) for a dude’s erection upon awakening. “We never knew about the ulterior definitions until that came to light a little while ago,” said an official.
The company feared the naughty connotation would overwhelm Xactware’s brand in the minds of consumers who might see that the firm is located on Morning Glory Road. (Heh, heh.) Presumably, Beavis and Butthead are major customers of Xactware.
As any 8-year-old can tell you, virtually every phrase in English has a nastydouble meaning. Fortunately, they avoided renaming the road as Tea Bag Boulevard or Horn Dog Highway or Choke the Chicken Drive and chose the presumably safe Morning Vista Road.
(How long will it be before dudes start rousing their bedmates with this line: “Hey, honey, wanna see a beautiful Morning Vista?”
The Elvispeare Scandal
Students at Herriman High School were rehearsing “All Shook Up” a play based on the music of Elvis Presley and Bill Shakespeare’s shocking play “Twelfth Night.” Bill’s comedy includes a gag where a young woman dresses as a boy. Hilarity was meant to ensue, but apparently one Herriman parentcomplained about cross dressing and also had issues with the sexual nature of Elvis’ music.
A parent of a student who worked on the production, futilely defended the production: “They’re singing Elvis songs. A girl dresses up as a boy and kisses a boy. … It’s not promoting homosexuality. It was supposed to be a farce.”
School administrators announced a bowdlerized version of the musical, that would bore even Elizabethan audiences, will go on. Can’t wait until the kids tackle “Hamlet.”
With the Sundance Film Festival right around the corner, and the turn of the new year not too far in the rearview, I figured it was a good time to reflect a bit on my favorite flicks of 2012. Several of them debuted right here in Utah last January.
Here ya go, my 10 favorite movies of 2012, in no particular order:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Never read the book, which director Stephen Chbosky adapted himself for this slice of teen life. And I’ve never seen a Harry Potter movie, so the fact this was Emma Watson’s first major role since her run in that series didn’t mean anything to me. The promise of a new generation’s The Breakfast Club intrigued me, and this movie certainly captures the humor and harsh realities of adolescence in spades. The movie really belongs, in my mind, to Ezra Miller–that guy is going to be a major star.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
A documentary about a master sushi chef and the unusual family dynamic of working with his son at his tiny restaurant in a Tokyo subway. The food looks incredible, the passion of one man’s lifelong pursuit of perfection is palpable, and the message about the ocean’s demise as Jiro shops for fish worthy of his knife is important. Great stuff.
West of Memphis
As someone who for years has followed the West Memphis Three case about three teenage boys falsely accused of murder in a small Arkansas town, through books and multiple documentary films, I was skeptical of what new information could be had in this film produced by Peter Jackson. Turns out, quite a bit, as this chapter of the story tracks the involvement of celebrities like Jackson, Eddie Vedder and Johnny Depp in pursuing justice. The trio were released from prison during the production of the film, making for the best happy ending of the year.
Silver Linings Playbook
I literally saw this one the last day of 2012, and feel fortunate that I did. It handles mental illness in an unblinking fashion, it holds a love story between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence that is full of humor, and the family drama includes warm, winning performances from powerhouse actors Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver. Maybe my most pleasant surprise of the year.
Looper
Excellent performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt and Bruce Willis drive this story that, on the surface, is a futuristic sci-fi thriller. At its heart, though, it’s an entrancing look at mortality, albeit one with some great action sequences.
Moonrise Kingdom
The world seems divided between Wes Anderson fans and Wes Anderson haters, and I’m certainly a fan. And while Moonrise Kingdom is most assuredly a classic Anderson movie, complete with his distinct visuals and killer soundtrack. Even so, it also his most straightforward love story, one that even the haters might appreciate.
Argo
I’m fully on board with Ben Affleck as a director, and this action-adventure story based on the true story of American embassy workers who hid with Canadian allies through the Iranian hostage crisis of the late ’70s was both a vivid reminder of some not-so-distant history, and a remarkably well-made political thriller.
Marley
I’ve seen a lot of Bob Marley documentaries. I mean, a LOT. And this one, which debuted at Sundance in 2012, is easily the class of the lot, mixing the most in-depth interviews with Marley’s family and friends with some stunning live clips that remind you why Marley is such a revered figure more than 30 years after his death.
Killing Them Softly
Brad Pitt’s 2012 will be remembered by most for his bizarre perfume ad, because not nearly enough people saw him in this organized-crime tale. That’s a shame, because between Pitt’s stone-cold killer and his unhinged friend played by James Gandolfini, Killing Them Softly provided some of the best performances of the year.
Sleepwalk With Me
Another Sundance fave from 2012, Mike Birbiglia’s seeming autobiographical look at a struggling standup just starting to connect with his comedy just as his relationship seems to be foundering was a touching, and funny, tale well worth checking out.
SARA WATKINS, ECCLES CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, Park City, Saturday, Jan. 5, 7:30 p.m., $22-$67
Sara Watkins is no stranger to Salt Lake City. For years the singer and fiddle player came through town as part of the young bluegrass aces Nickel Creek alongside mandolin ace Chris Thile and her guitar-playing brother Sean Watkins. Since that ace group split, she’s created some excellent solo music of her own, and toured as a member of the Decemberists as well as on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion radio show. Expect a night of excellent musicianship and sterling vocals, along with plenty of songs from her 2012 release Sun Midnight Sun. Joining Watkins in Park City for the show is Ruth Moody, a Canadian songstress and one-time member of the Wailin’ Jennys.
BULLETS & BELLES, THE STATE ROOM, Friday, Jan. 4, 9 p.m., $10
Husband-and-wife songwriters Ryan Cron and Erin Haley might be familiar to some for their years in La Farsa, the musically adventurous group they were part of before starting Bullets & Belles along with Noel Sandberg. Calling themselves “neo-doo wop-folk,” the trio creates winning tunes full of boy/girl harmonies and creative arrangements. Earlier this year, they released a three-song EP, and now they’re ready to unleash the band’s first full-length album, Be Glad, with a headlining show at The State Room. Joining Bullets & Belles for the show are Triggers & Slips and The Bully, making this a stellar night of local music at arguably the best-sounding room in town. It’s hard to imagine a better way to release a new batch of tunes to the world.
Daniel Nailen 