This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Last week, I wrote about some Spanish-language ads that were printed in one geographic area of our weekly community news sections, Close-Up. Some readers went wild and accused me of protecting "illegals" who were sneaking into this country, taking jobs and government benefits and failing to learn English. (By the way, the word illegal is an adjective, not a noun.)

I explained that historical studies found that the English-language problem straightened itself out by the third generation, that all of our ancestors were immigrants and that the Spanish-language ads were a mistake.

I also explained we were about to launch a Spanish-language weekly, Ahora Utah, for those who did not read English well. The same folks went ballistic on that.

The state of the American newspaper is in flux; no one can predict with authority how news will be delivered in 10 years. (I would note, however, we still do not have all the modern conveniences predicted in "The Jetsons," so keep that in mind.)

This week I got more negative comments about fear of Spanish sneaking into The Salt Lake Tribune. I am beginning to suspect some group has sent out an e-mail request to members calling for an exercise in paranoia.

But also among the negative e-mails, I found some positive ones, including:

"I never saw the Spanish ad insert in my paper. Maybe it wasn't in my edition, or maybe I heaved all the ads into the recycling bin without looking at them.

"But even if I had seen it, I might have been a bit puzzled, but not at all offended. Multiculturalism and multilingualism are great.

"It's not a bad idea for English-speaking Americans to have exposure to other languages. Knowing another language broadens the mind, and even makes one more marketable in the job field. I myself speak a second language, which I learned while growing up in a country where I was the alien, and now I have a good job that makes use of that language."

Ah, the salvation of the broad-minded.

Stop comments: If you believe some of the letters to the editor in The Tribune are strong, take a look at the comments posted online at http://www.sltrib.com. This reader is not a happy camper:

"Please, please, please move the comments on articles to an off-site location. I have reviewed a few over the months since moving to Utah and it seems like these comment boards are made up of the same people over and over again, bring up their same issues in every unrelated article over and over again.

"It is so annoying. Even the small clips taint the meaning of the article - thus taking away from the author's intent. The comments are basically anonymous - and thus more cruel in general and can come from anywhere in the world from anyone - thus it is not even similar to a community conversation at the bus stop or at a work place."

They certainly do not substitute for the office water cooler chat, do they?

Tribune Internet Editor Manny Mellor responded to this reader in a way that explains The Tribune's online operating philosophy:

"User participation on The Tribune site is nothing new. The Tribune has been running the TribTalk bulletin boards for about a decade, but the addition of comments to stories has made the opinions more accessible.

"The comment areas fit our general philosophy that The Tribune should be a catalyst for the free

exchange of ideas. In short, the news has little use unless it prompts some sort of action, reaction or dialogue.

"There are strong opinions on both sides of the argument (even here in the newsroom) but still the majority of the feedback, including the overwhelming popularity of our comments area itself, has been in favor of keeping the comments."

I could not have said that better or more tersely.

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* The Reader Advocate's phone number is 801-257-8782. Write to the Reader Advocate, The Salt Lake Tribune, 90 S. 400 West, Suite 700, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101. reader.advocate@sltrib.com.

This week's stats

* 26: Number upset by too much polygamy coverage

* 42: Number dismayed there wasn't more pre-Kentucky Derby coverage

* 51: Number pleased with Crandall Canyon Mine coverage

* 78: Number excited about Utah Jazz coverage