Liberal? We can only hope
In a Public Forum letter (Jan. 30) a writer uses the word “liberal†as though it has a negative connotation, and criticizes The Tribune for its “liberal bias.†I must conclude that the writer didn’t bother to check on the definition of the word “liberal†before using it.
The gold-standard, Oxford English Dictionary, typically gives a number of definitions for a word, including, for the word “liberalâ€: “generous, open-hearted, free from narrow prejudice, open-minded, candid, free from bigotry or unreasonable prejudiceâ€, and . . . “favourable to reforms tending in the direction of freedom or democracy.†Such liberal individuals or institutions are frequently characterized by acute and chronic decency. Is the writer criticizing The Tribune for favoring freedom and democracy?
From the perspective of increasing decency in our community, we can hope that the writer is correct about a liberal bias of The Tribune, and that it, along with those liberals in our community, should take pride in being called liberal.
Zell A. McGee Salt Lake City
