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12/18/2008
So this is a little fishy
When you search Google News for the words "gay LDS" (but without the quotes), this Salt Lake Tribune story comes up in the top spot:
Only thing? There is not one mention of gays in the story. Not in the story, not in the comments, and not in the website coding. The gunman and motive in the story are both completely unknown, so there is absolutely no reason to assume that he himself is gay. But for some reason, this story was clearly tagged to go into a "gay" search.
An unfair assumption, a deliberate attempt to foster a "gays are mean to Mormons" meme, an honest mistake, or some weird techno screwup? We're on it.
Google News search for gay LDS [Google News]
Cops seek gunman who shot at LDS missionaries [SLT]
(H/t: Scott Hutcheson)
**UPDATE: The same thing seems to have happened with this Deseret News story on the same topic. No mention of gays at all (in article, comments, or coding), yet it's in a Google News search that includes the term gay .
This paper is owned by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, a for-profit business holdings company owned by the LDS church.
Your thoughts
Well, JH, you are missing the obvious! Those LDS Missionaries are probably gay! All of the LDS Missionaries that I have ever known are gay... ergo...
But the big question is what is "seel"? Is that Mormon speak for "seek"?
Posted by: Dick Mills | Dec 18, 2008 2:39:04 PM
Yeah definitely gay... They were having a snowball fight with each other after all...
Posted by: KP | Dec 18, 2008 5:06:42 PM
It's the Google algorithm at work. It takes any search entry, "gay LDS" in this case, looks back over the history of what others with the same entry have chosen to go to, with more weight for the most resent choices, and "guesses" that these are what you might be looking for too.
Many others in the resent past who typed in "gay LDS" went to this Salt Lake Tribune article, more than any other choice, so even though there's no mention of gays in it, it ended up on top. It's as simple as that.
Posted by: Bill Ware | Dec 18, 2008 5:55:22 PM
The Salt Lake Tribune is NOT owned by the Mormon Church. Sorry. The two daily papers share the printing presses but they are separate.
One could argue the Salt Lake Tribune is not as virulent protector of truth and right as we would like but they are like any other media in Utah. For the most part, the main-stream-media in Utah is wary of insulting the big knuckle-dragging ape in the room. There is no real reporting of discord or in-depth discussion of the Mormons or its leadership in any media in Utah. All Utah TV/Radio/Talk Shows are heavily slanted to the Hannity/Limbaugh ideals. They're all businesses who can afford to rock the boat.
The Salt Lake Tribune is owned by W. D. Singleton of MediaNews Group out of Denver...and more generally speaking...is conservative in its editorials.
But hang in there, pardner!
Posted by: cowboy | Dec 18, 2008 7:29:07 PM
Cowboy: I'm afraid you misread, my friend. We never said the Salt Lake Tribune is owned by the Mormon Church. It is the Deseret News that we said "is owned by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, a for-profit business holdings company owned by the LDS church."
Posted by: G-A-Y | Dec 18, 2008 10:21:13 PM
oops...my bad. I see where I misread. As one stand-up comic Craig Shoemaker would say: ERASE ERASE
Posted by: cowboy | Dec 19, 2008 10:04:41 AM
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