Fifth Most-Clicked
Salt Lake Tribune Article in 2012:
Mormons Can Drink Coke
News that it’s OK for Mormons to drink cola ranked Number 5. That means that what God lets the Saints drink mattered more than, say, the economy, the Middle East, the Newtown shooting, the Batman movie shooting, attacks on U.S. embassies, the Curiosity landing on Mars, Superstorm Sandy, and even the outcome of the presidential election, to name a few.
Even Elizabeth Smart’s engagement announcement pulled more clicks than any of the above-listed, arguably real stories, none of which made the top 11.
The only election-related story to make the list was the Tribune’s endorsement of President Obama. It came in at Number 1, though probably not due to local interest. The ironic endorsement made world news. Even the respected myth-busting website Snopes.com took the trouble to verify it.
So, what are The Salt Lake Tribune’s 11 most-clicked stories in 2012? Here goes, starting with the most-clicked:
1. The Salt Lake Tribune endorses President Obama
2. An obituary of Utahn Val Patterson, penned by himself
3. Difficulties pertaining to an adoption case in Utah
4. A voicemail message left by local murderer-suicide Josh Powell
5. No official ban on Mormons drinking cola
6. Local murderer-suicide Josh Powell again—West Valley police chief calls his last act “just evil”
7. Tea Party PACs fail to oust Orrin Hatch in primary
8. FBI thinks a most-wanted fugitive might be hiding among Mormons
9. BYU student Brittany Molina receives a note accusing her of immodest attire. (That’s Brittany in said scandalous attire, in the photo at right. It’s odd that this story was “news” at all. The note wasn’t from a BYU official, but from a nameless passerby who handed it to her and walked away. Sure, he’s a pig ... but, this made the local news? We suspect that the record clicks were generated by the curious who just had to see the outfit. How disappointed closet letches must have been.)
10. A crowd of Mormons publicly resign from the LDS Church
11. Elizabeth Smart gets engaged