A self-identified Utah news reporter anonymously commented Oct. 15 on a Salt Blog post, “Censorship Fight,” by managing editor Josh Loftin, about being censored by her company’s management—and she says she doesn’t work at the Deseret News or KSL!

What? The news organizations owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aren’t the only mass media outlets to censor its reporters? For shame!

“What’s most disturbing: Censorship is everywhere in the media today,” Newsgrl wrote. “You think we make the decisions about the stories we tell? It is upper management, often times incompetent, micro-managing fools who have never been journalists, but they sure as hell claim to be.”

Bravo, Newsgrl. It makes Rant Control wonder if the blundered stories about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq were the fault of the reporters or if they, like the CIA, were told to find evidence of them by “incompetent, micro-managing fools.”

Newgrl suggests media adopt nonprofit status and solicit donations. That might help, but not all management’s censorship is motivated by advertisers. After all, Rant Control feels quite free at his job, even when exposing hypocrisy of a big advertiser (which I have done). I’m not even edited before I blog (which is a blessing and curse). So independent journalism can be profit-driven and remain honest.

That’s not just management talking.