I’m sure it was a decision based on page clicks and ad impressions. If I read correctly, a whole segment of the online paper went away. No reason to think the move was based on more than that, is there?
This seems to me to be realistic. I mean, who honestly reads anything of apologetics anymore these days?
Exactly.
Peterson" wrote:
The “Mormon Times” section disappeared quite a while ago, and now the “Faith” section is gone....
here Peterson is incorrect. Mormon times stuff was absorbed into the faith section, and the faith section is still going strong. I think you are correct, Philo, that it is Peterson's apologetics that are the problem; in my opinion, Peterson's brand of mopologetics that is no longer in demand.
I think this ouster is more significant that DCP is letting on. Sure, it could just be a case of the Des News phasing out "boring" or "old fashioned" material--sort of along the lines of what FAIR Mormon has been doing with their "youth approved!" TITS videos. Then again, it could have something to do with the plagiarism allegations, though I rather doubt it. But there are other possibilities, too. I was once told by an "informant" that Dr. Peterson was friends with the Cannons, who run the Deseret News, and Joseph A. Cannon used to be the Chairman of the Utah Republican Party, and, of course, DCP got into trouble for posting political material on "Sic et Non," and, in fact, "Interpreter" lost some key donors because of that fact. It wouldn't surprise me if Cannon--or someone close to him--was irked over Peterson's political posting, and that this played a role in DCP's dismissal from the Des News. I'm speculating, of course, but it at least seems plausible to me.
"If, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
Angering a benefactor does make a lot of sense. I wonder if the DN knew about the plagiarism. I don't know if newspaper editors check for that sort of thing actively. And why Dr. P was there in the first place smells of an insider hiring his buddy. I wonder what his following was. Even so, the plagiarism was so blatant that if the DN knew about it, he would have surely been canned. Perhaps the benefactor shielded our hero from doom until politics was too much? However, I was reading the DN ocasionally during the last campaign and it continually sided with Romney of course and against Trump. Also, during the 2016 campaign it supported the libertarian, former CIA officer, candidate. I don't think the DN supported Trump. I know Elder Dodo didn't support Trump and joked about Romney being drafted had Trump been impeached the first time.
Myth is misused by the powerful to subjugate the masses all too often.
Here's a connection between Desert News and Fairmormon I wasn't aware of:
"Faith" section's features
Included in the website's sections are stories of the LDS Church's general authorities and news emanating from the Church Office Building.
Mormon Times brings the stories, photos, and updates of the more than 50,000 LDS missionaries all together in one place.
The education section contains current-event items drawn from across the Church Educational System (CES), including its seminary program, regular firesides, and the units of CES higher education, such as Brigham Young University (BYU).
As genealogy research is one of the hallmarks of Mormon culture, Mormon Times shares news and information relevant to family history enthusiasts.
Mormon Times works with the Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research to provide its readers with answers on a wide variety of topics in a Q&A section.
Mormon Times provides an entry point to a full, searchable edition of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, courtesy of BYU's Harold B. Lee Library.
The paper also has a broader faith section that covers stories that have no relation to Mormonism, and just broadly touch on religious topics or specifically mention religions other than Mormonism.[38]
Angering a benefactor does make a lot of sense. I wonder if the DN knew about the plagiarism. I don't know if newspaper editors check for that sort of thing actively....
I don't see how they could ignore it. It makes them liable.
Angering a benefactor does make a lot of sense. I wonder if the DN knew about the plagiarism. I don't know if newspaper editors check for that sort of thing actively....
I don't see how they could ignore it. It makes them liable.
It was pretty blatant and you say he still does it. I wonder if anyone here knows if there is a plagiarism checking mechanism at the DN. It's not hard. My brother did it all the time with his students. I would bet that if there were anyone charged with that job, Dr. P would have been discovered pretty quickly. I think it was Tom who found the article Dr. P lifted almost word for word from Wikipedia of all places and your work was superb. But, people with friends in high places .....
What I think is funny is that Joseph Smith is turning out to be the religious plagiarizer of the 19th century and now so is one of his main apologists of today.
Myth is misused by the powerful to subjugate the masses all too often.
Well, it’s said that in every joke there’s a sliver of truth:
Feel free to tell the folks on your message board that the evidence now indicates that I was fired for either (a) sagging ratings, unpopularity, and bad writing, or (b) moral turpitude, or (c) disgusting the leadership of the Church. (If I recall correctly, those are the three current leading candidates.)
Incidentally, I find it amusing the good Mr. Peterson can’t quite figure out if he reads this board religiously, or if he can’t be bothered to read it:
Incidentally, one of your people says that the comments section here is an exercise in how many different ways one can say "ditto," by which I presume him to be saying that only comments that agree with me are permitted here. Please be sure to tell him that he's absolutely right, that servile agreement with my every statement and opinion is required, and that your disagreements with me have pioneered whole new creative ways of saying "ditto."
I’ll remind the portly prevaricator that he’s given a good many free thinkers the boot, to paraphrase Mr. Midgley (and his totes real email troll).
- Doc
Hugh Nibley claimed he bumped into Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Gertrude Stein, and the Grand Duke Vladimir Romanoff. Dishonesty is baked into Mormonism.
You'll notice he doesn't joke about being accused of plagiarism. The facts on that are not subjective, like maybe some other issues could be. He used to justify his plagiarism, but after being caught the 5th or 6th time, he stopped referring to it at all. Now, he won't even reference it. That tells me he has no defense. Rather than have a scandal where they have to retract, DN might prefer to just quietly let him go.
You'll notice he doesn't joke about being accused of plagiarism. The facts on that are not subjective, like maybe some other issues could be. He used to justify his plagiarism, but after being caught the 5th or 6th time, he stopped referring to it at all. Now, he won't even reference it. That tells me he has no defense. Rather than have a scandal where they have to retract, DN might prefer to just quietly let him go.
It will be interesting to see how long Peterson's DN articles that contain plagiarism are accessible to readers via their website.
I know with the Church continually edging toward telling the truth about Church history, the need for apologetics probably became confusing. Still, one thing that will never change is illustrations of Joseph Smith translating directly from the Golden Plates. Perhaps Dr. Peterson could supply the Deseret News with screenshots of Joseph doing precisely that from his Witnesses movie.
