Welcome to Behind the Lines, a weekly conversation between Salt Lake Tribune cartoonist Pat Bagley and BYU economist Val Lambson:

Bagley: This week Val Lambson is at an economics conference. To pick up the slack, BTL has invited a guest to share his views on last week's cartoon about West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder's moonlighting stint as a citizen journalist. Thanks for being here, Mr. Burwash. Mind if I call you Richard?

Burwash: Mind if I call you an insignificant cog in the liberal media elite propoganda machine?

Bagley: I've been wondering, Mr. Burwash, what is life like for a "good news" citizen journalist, such as yourself, who resides entirely in Mayor Winder's imagination?

Burwash: I run wild a lot. I enjoy access to information and sources that traditional journalists can only dream of. For instance, face time with the mayor is as close as the nearest mirror.

Bagley: Mayor Winder complained that local newspapers, especially The Salt Lake Tribune, were making West Valley City look bad because of the crime coverage.

Burwash: You wanna know what's criminal? That a good man like Mayor Winder, acting with only the purest of intentions, should be subjected to a high-tech lynching by the lame stream media simply because he put a positive spin on stuff he made up. Hey, the mayor loves the First Amendment and free speech as much as the next anonymous commentator on Disqus.

Bagley: Don't Mayor Winder's actions display contempt for journalists and journalism's highest standards?

Burwash: The mayor has a great respect for journalists who do their job. I know this from personal experience. Not once in my reporting career has he ever called to complain that I got my facts wrong or that I misquoted him.

Bagley: Isn't being too close to one's "story" a possible problem?

Burwash: How so?

Bagley: You're sleeping with the mayor's wife.

Burwash: I'm deeply offended at your insinuation that sharing the same bed with the woman whose husband I am doing stories about could somehow compromise my impartiality! And besides, she fully supports my reporting as well as being one hundred percent behind the mayor's policies.

Bagley: Are you sure the mayor doesn't mind?

Burwash: Let me ask him ...

No.

Bagley: Moving on ... what are your plans going forward?

Burwash: I'm thinking of sticking with journalism. So what if I put words in peoples' mouths? So what if I exaggerated a bit? So what if I got people riled up? ...

I figure all I need is a few drawing lessons.

Bagley: Sorry, the position's taken.

The comment section last week was lively, informative and refreshingly civil. Many compared Mitt Romney's "evangelical problem" to their own problem living as non-Mormons in Utah. Being viewed as weird and exotic is hard on the outsider. The following top comment sums up the sentiment of many on the discussion board.

tck62w wrote:

Wouldn't it be refreshing for a candidate and come out and say "I'm not going to discuss my faith. If you're interested in my beliefs, judge my actions and figure it out for yourself"