Journalism 101: When’s a news source at its least credible? Answer: When it’s reporting on itself. 

The July 23 issue of City Weekly featured Utah’s “Alternative Pioneers” and included John Saltas, CW’s own founder (and ostensibly its current owner, although one can’t really tell from the masthead), among the listed elite.

Saltas is even displayed as one of the “Fab Four” in the Sgt. Pepper parody graphic on the cover. OK, those choices can be seen as judgment calls as valid as any other opinion. But, to omit former Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson from among the “genius” misfits and nonconformists is a clear continuation of Saltas’ personal, well-publicized, long-running animus against Anderson even though the photo of Robert Redford looked more like Rocky than it did of the Sundance Kid. 

Come on, City Weekly! Surely someone over there has the cojones to occasionally lift Saltas’ head from off the top of some bar long enough to convince him to retain an outside-editing consultant to fact-check pieces in which he reports on himself.

Hell, I oughta know. I am one.

Jim Catano
Salt Lake City

Editor’s note: For our July 23 Alternative Pioneer issue, the editorial staff compiled roughly 60 people, places and things that collectively illustrate “anything’s possible in Zion.” As John Saltas founded the long-lived alternative paper for which we work, it is our opinion he belongs in that group. Saltas had no hand in the issue and was out of town when it was published. Obviously, many in the community deserve “alternative pioneer” props; readers were encouraged to visit CityWeekly.net and nominate their own. So why don’t you do that, Catano—and quit raining on our pioneer parade.