Sen. Mike Lee demands BYU remove article from student newspaper websitePlease ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibilityWed, 19 Feb 2025 03:34:10 GMT (1739936050016)Story Infinite Scroll - News3 v1.0.0 (common)7c604e0c7373ad956994a6913453bffd387a882cNewsWeatherRadarMapsCamerasSki Report2News Weather AppSportsFeaturesGame CenterWatch Now 35 Wed 46 Thu 43Sen. Mike Lee demands BYU remove article from student newspaper websiteby Matthew Jacobson, KUTVThu, October 24th 2024 at 12:19 PMUpdated Fri, October 25th 2024 at 7:36 AMFILE - Utah Sen. Mike Lee is seen during a previous election. (KUTV file photo)TOPICS:Mike LeeBYUArticleDaily UniverseReproductive rightsWomen's rightsCensorshipAbortionSALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Utah Sen. Mike Lee, whose personal social media account has been a popular outlet for his often no-holds-barred opinions, took to X to publicly call for Brigham Young University to remove an article from its student newspaper website.Lee made the demand in a repost from an account claiming an Oct. 17 article posted in The Daily Universe that covered a reproductive care and women's rights rally at the Utah State Capitol five days prior was condoning "grave sin" using assets of the private university's owner, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Lee's message in the repost on Wednesday, "BYU--take down this article!" came a day after he accepted accolades on his official Congressional X account from a group naming him as one of five senators "who have worked tirelessly to protect and ensure our First Amendment Rights" and who have "tirelessly fought the censorship regime."The article in question was a report on what the speakers said during the public rally in Salt Lake City, which discussed reproductive rights and focused on encouraging women to vote, and concluded with a quote from one of the organizers.The article was a straightforward report on the rally, and didn't delve into differing points of view.Lee's post didn't specify the reasons he believed the article should be removed.KUTV 2News' Brian Mullahy reached out to both Lee and BYU, submitting questions to both.Mullahy submitted these questions on Thursday morning:Questions for Sen. Mike LeeWhy should BYU take the article down?Why shouldn't BYU's newspaper cover topics and issues that both support and challenge positions of the university and its sponsoring organization?In calling for the paper to remove the story, are you trying to limit free speech?Instead of removal, why didn't you suggest the Universe and/or university provide context for the report, or seek to balance it by telling the pro-life side?Questions for BYU:Will the article on the pro-choice rally be "taken down" as called for by Senator Lee?Why/why not?Does the university believe Lee's post amounts to an effort to limit free speech?Are there topics that are off-limits for coverage by the paper?Should there be?Must its coverage affirm the university and sponsoring organization's positions?Was the Daily Universe article balanced?Should it be modified in any way?If so, why and how?BYU responded and answered the questions. Lee had yet to respond as the update day and time on this report.Church leadership has been clear on its stance against abortion, as well as its differing stance on birth control in general."Decisions about birth control and the consequences of those decisions rest solely with each married couple," according to the church's manual "Elective abortion as a method of birth control, however, is contrary to the commandments of God."Despite church direction leaving family planning to families, and despite the event being held at the Utah State Capitol Building, there was a swift social media backlash from anti-abortion advocates who stated the BYU student shouldn't have covered it at all, with Lee's being one of the latest and more prominent voices in that group.The Daily Universe article remained in place as of the most recent update time of this report.Utah's senior senator on Tuesday reposted a message from a watchdog group that praised him for standing against censorship provisions in recent legislation.The groupstated in a blog post that Lee "consistently applied constitutional principles to protect free speech rights. His relentless fight for liberty as a public official has included not only legislation and intense advocacy during hearings but also being a voice against censorship in the media and on social media."Lee has also had a history of calling for punishments over reporting, even starting a #sellKSL social media trend in 2020, for what he said is left-leaning bias by the church's media company, KSL. His public campaign against the local broadcaster was sparked by an Associated Press article that was syndicated on KSL.com, and came as media across the country covered a chaotic election that earned newspapers and TV stations either the glowing praise or the dedicated ire of former President Donald Trump's supporters.__________Stay ConnectedLike UsFollow Ussbg-envelopeNewsletter Sign up /sign-up© 2025 Sinclair, Inc.TermsEEOFCCFCCPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesLoading ...
Mormons leaders do not give a shit about truth, let alone freedom of the press. See mormon history regarding the Expositor newspaper. Or any of Paiute Peoples they murdered in various massacres around the state.