Re "'I feel so betrayed': Utah Democrats oust first Latino outreach director" (Tribune, July 12):
The differences between the online story of July 11, and the published story of July 12 about the Democratic Party's "ouster" of Melodia Gutierrez as its Latino outreach director, were striking. The Trib chose a photo for the online story of Melodia participating in a protest regarding immigration reform which was taken before she accepted the position. The choice of that photo, which makes Melodia specifically, and the Latino community generally, look like a bunch of firebrand revolutionaries, is misleading, at best, particularly in the context of the story.
It is disturbing that The Tribune took a gratuitous opportunity to other-ize the Latino community rather than focus on whether the Democratic Party has reasonable and fair policies and procedures for handling personnel issues.
The story was cleaned up for the print edition and a "normal" photo was substituted. Melodia, and all Utah Democrats, deserve to know if the party operates in a manner consistent with its stated mission and philosophy. Sensationalizing the story by fanning xenophobic fires and distracting from the real issue raised by Melodia's forced resignation do not speak well for Tribune editorial policy and contribute nothing to meaningful discussion.
Linda Bosen
Salt Lake City