Mayor pretends to be an independent journalist to get positive media coverage
NOT THE SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE DRAWER: Frustrated with the quality of the coverage of his city by Deseret News, West Valley City, UT, Mayor Mike Winder began submitting articles to the paper and other media outlets using a pseudonym – without informing his editors, The Salt Lake Tribune reports:
Winder said that four articles he submitted earlier this year under the name Richard Burwash were published in either the Deseret News or on KSL.com.
"I care deeply about having news stories about my community beyond what the crime desk churns out, since there is a negative reputation we are working hard to turn around," Winder told The Salt Lake Tribune. "In a three-month period, 16 percent of Salt Lake Tribune stories that mentioned West Valley City were about crime, but 56 percent of Deseret News stories about my city were about crime."
The articles were submitted through Deseret Connect, a venue for freelance writers to contribute to the Deseret News, KSL, Mormon Times and LDS Church News. …
The articles published in the News under the Burwash name were about a new Buddhist temple in West Valley City; an update on the TRAX construction; and the Taylorsville city budget. The budget story was written by his sister, Aimee Newton, Winder said.
A fourth article, about a former UTOPIA contractor accused of extortion, was published by KSL.com.
"All of the articles submitted by Richard Burwash were 100 percent truthful, accurate, and verifiable," Winder said.
Though Winder points to a long tradition of pols using pen names – amongst them, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison – he decided to come clean because "I do believe in transparency and openness." That was after he told the Deseret News that Burwash had moved to London and would no longer be writing articles for the paper.
Winder could have saved himself and the paper some embarrassment if he had simply offered to write a weekly op-ed piece on community issues for free. The cash-strapped paper would have welcomed the high-quality work Winder says he provided, and he would have had a forum to balance the paper’s coverage of his city with topics that would not have otherwise found their way into print.
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