This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
— How BYU should deal with its sexual assault scandal — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial
" ... But as the people who are in charge of Brigham Young University, and those who love and revere the institution, struggle to deal with the growing scandal of how female students who are victims of sexual assault are treated by the school, one thing should be clear. ...
" ... Rape victims are victims. Full stop. ..."
— LDS church accuses Tribune for 'gotcha journalism' in reporting BYU rapes — Cimaron Neugebauer | KUTV
" ... In a blog posted Thursday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said recent Tribune stories made 'extraordinary claims' and implied that there was a 'rape culture' on BYU campus. ...
" ... The Tribune's editor, Terry Orme, says he is 'very confident' in the reporting the paper has done on the issue of sexual assaults on college campuses.
"'I don't think we are guilty of 'gotcha journalism' ... we have no interest in that,' Orme told 2News on Friday. ..."
— Mormonism in the News: Getting It Right — Mormon Newsroom
"For several weeks, the Salt Lake Tribune has aggressively reported on the incidence of alleged sexual assaults at Brigham Young University. In one report on May 6, 2016, the newspaper not only implied that a 'rape culture' exists at BYU but that the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints materially contributed to that culture. ..."
— One Tribune journalist who leaves an indelible mark — Terry Orme | The Salt Lake Tribune
" ... I stand completely and unequivocally behind The Salt Lake Tribune's reporting on the issue of the sexual assault problem at BYU. We are telling the stories of real women facing real issues. If not for The Tribune, the story would not be told. I'm proud of our coverage. ...
" ... I believe if you read the story carefully, we were not talking about doctrine, but about past statements and writings of leaders. ..."
— 'You're a sinner': how a Mormon university shames rape victims — Maria L La Ganga and Dan Hernandez | The Guardian
"Madi Barney sat sobbing in the Provo, Utah, police department. It had been four days since the Brigham Young University sophomore had been raped in her off-campus apartment.
"She was scared – terrified – that the officials at her strict, Mormon university would find out and punish her.
"Nonsense, the officers told her, they'll never know, and they won't hurt you. But a month or so later, there she was with her attorney in Brigham Young University's Title IX office – a place where rape victims are supposed to get help – and offered an ultimatum by a university official.
"Barney was told the school 'had received a police report in which 'A) it looks like you've been raped and B) it also looks like you may have violated the honor code'", she recounted, and that 'I was going to be forwarded to the honor code office unless I let them investigate me. I said absolutely not.'..."
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— Bathroom fuss gives a new meaning to 'Why We Can't Wait' — George Pyle | The Salt Lake Tribune
" ... Folks whose search for a suitable restroom is being painfully complicated because some brittle state form says they are one gender and their own being tells them they are another.
"At least a dozen states have laws that say the person in that situation gets to choose and nobody gets to second-guess them. Reported sexual assaults in such facilities going back at least 15 years: Zero.
"One state, North Carolina, got all hot under the waistband and, with a sudden reverence for the infallibility of government documents, adopted a law that said the opposite. U.S. Attorneys General and National Basketball Associations who spoke out against such inane legislation: Two.
"Meanwhile, effective steps taken by anti-transgender politicians to deal with sexual assault on college campuses, sexual assault in the military, health care (including abortion) for victims of sexual assault, children who will never be assaulted in a public bathroom but have bad schools, poor diets and meager prospects: Not very bloody much. ..."
— In a world full of problems, we're talking about this? — St. George Spectrum Editorial
" ... We have to wonder if the politicians who initiated this debate in North Carolina and continue to push the issue around the nation aren't simply using this titillating topic to distract us from the real issues that continue to plague our society. ..."
— Finding – not forcing – a balance for transgender rights — Deseret News Editorial
"The complex and serious challenges faced by people who are transgender deserve society's attention, care and respect. It is therefore unfortunate that a joint U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Department of Education decree about transgender access to bathrooms in federally funded educational facilities may have actually set back the cause for respect of transgender people. ..."
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— If porn is a crisis, where is the true commitment to stopping it? — Provo Daily Herald Editorial
" ... Standing on a soapbox and yelling about a problem is a tradition as old as time. We have no problem with Utah officials believing pornography is a scourge that must be dealt with.
"The problem is, amidst all the screaming, they provided absolutely no blueprint for doing so. Which makes it nothing more than empty rhetoric. ..."
— Science behind Utah's declaration against pornography debated — Doug Gibson and Lisa Larsen |Ogden Standard-Examiner
"After the Utah Legislature designated pornography 'a public health hazard' and an 'epidemic,' it might be reasonable to expect that local health departments are preparing to deal with the health risks.
"But that's not happening. ..."
— What is the definition of porn in Utah? It's not exactly clear — Mark Saal | Ogden Standard-Examiner
"The Utah Legislature and Gov. Gary Herbert — by non-binding resolution — recently declared pornography to be a serious public health hazard.
"Which leaves us with just one little question: What, exactly, is pornography?
"For some in the community, pornography is the bra advertisements in the Sunday newspaper. For others, material doesn't rise to the level of porn until it depicts a sex act. ..."
— Utah lawmaker wants porn filtered from Internet, anti-porn software installed on all cellphones — Hallie Golden | Associated Press | The Salt Lake Tribune
" ... Republican Sen. Todd Weiler said his resolution declaring pornography a public health crisis, which sailed through the 2016 session, was only the first step. He plans to introduce at least three new proposals next session including one that could require Internet service providers add filters so everyone in Utah has to opt-in to view pornography. ...
" ... Pete Ashdown, founder of Salt Lake City-based Internet provider XMission, said completely filtering the Internet of porn is impossible from a technological standpoint, citing China's failure to fully restrict its citizens' access to certain parts of the Internet. He said it would likely involve finding and filtering out each individual website that contains porn.
" 'Trying to control the Internet in these broad stroke ways never works,' he said. 'Whether you're an autocratic government trying to tell people that democracy is not good for them or an uptight legislator in Utah telling everyone what is pornography and what is not pornography.'..."