facebook-pixel

Letter: The Trib deserves censure for thoughtless headline writing

(Horace Cort | The Associated Press) In this March 4, 1968 file photo, civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., president of the Southern Christian Baptist Leadership Conference (SCLC), displays the poster to be used during his Poor People's Campaign this spring and summer of 1968. Thousands of anti-poverty activists have launched a campaign in recent weeks modeled after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Poor People's Campaign of 1968. Like the push 50 years ago, advocates are hoping to draw attention to those struggling with deep poverty from Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta, from the American Southwest to California's farm country.

(Horace Cort | The Associated Press) In this March 4, 1968 file photo, civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., president of the Southern Christian Baptist Leadership Conference (SCLC), displays the poster to be used during his Poor People's Campaign this spring and summer of 1968. Thousands of anti-poverty activists have launched a campaign in recent weeks modeled after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Poor People's Campaign of 1968. Like the push 50 years ago, advocates are hoping to draw attention to those struggling with deep poverty from Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta, from the American Southwest to California's farm country.

I couldn't agree more with the substance of the letter to the editor about a small-minded bigot, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa.

But in publishing this letter on the day after Martin Luther King Day, the print version of The Tribune created a headline (“King was always a racist,” Jan. 22) that linked the name "King" with racism, rather than civil rights. The Tribune owes an apology to journalism, its readers and the memory of Dr. King.

Steve King deserves censure for a career of hate-mongering. Martin Luther King Jr. deserves our lasting respect and honor for a life consecrated to humanity.

The Trib deserves censure for thoughtless headline writing. In the second half of January, there is only one "King.”

Chris Fassler, Draper

Submit a letter to the editor

Support free news for Utah

sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.

Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.

You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.

$15$25$35

MOST VIEWED

By Chris Fassler | The Public Forum