On Wednesday, The New York Times ran an obituary of Thomas Monson, the 90-year-old president of the Mormon church. Here’s what they tweeted:
Here’s what they reported about Monson’s life:
Facing vociferous demands to recognize same-sex marriage, and weathering demonstrations at church headquarters by Mormon women pleading for the right to be ordained as priests, Mr. Monson did not bend. Teachings holding homosexuality to be immoral, bans on sexual intercourse outside male-female marriages, and an all-male priesthood would remain unaltered.
The New York Times had no such harsh treatment for Hugh Hefner, about whom they tweeted:
Here’s Hugo Chavez:
So it’s much worse, from the Times’ perspective, to be a religious person who abides by religious dictates on female ordination and same-sex marriage than to be a sexual profligate who trafficked in pornography, or to be a socialist dictator who destroyed an entire country. Monson was obviously a monster.
As McKay Coppins of The Atlantic pointed out:
The expectation that Monson would have changed church doctrine is reflected in the Times’ similar puzzlement at Pope Francis’ constant refusal to join the pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage brigade. But it’s certainly instructive to see where The New York Times puts its focus when someone dies.