About Utah Money Watch

A Letter to/for Anyone Interested in Utah Money Watch, including Subscribers, Readers, PR/Marketing People, and Corporate Executives:

In my opinion, All the President's Men is the best movie about journalism ever.

To me the most pivotal/instructive scene in the film occurs when the character known as Deep Throat says to reporter Bob Woodward:

"Follow the money."

That phrase has stuck with me since I first saw this flick many years ago.

Unfortunately, the critically foundational role of money was not something I was taught in my Mass Communications classes at Brigham Young University. Nor did my parents share such insights with me either.

Perhaps it was just assumed that I understood the role and importance of money, whether in life or in business.

And yet, as I have traversed a career that now spans 4+ decades, it is crystal clear that when it comes to the professional arena —

• For Profit companies, 
• Not-for-Profit organizations,
• Nonprofit entities, and yes,
• Even Government (of all shapes and forms) —

if the organization in question is not focused on generating, managing, and maximizing the use of money, then that organization will die. Period.

It's just a matter of when.

The Why Behind Utah Money Watch

When I moved back to Utah (post-college) in the late 1980s, there was a combined total of 13 full-time journalists working on the business desks of the Salt Lake Tribune, the Deseret News, and the Daily Herald (in Provo).

Today, that number has collapsed to a single business journalist working full-time at just one of those three papers.

To be clear, it's not like there is less happening in the business ecosystem of Utah today versus what was happening 30+ years ago. 

It's just that the financial models supporting newspapers and the entire publishing world have been completely transmogrified by the unending advancements of technology.

But when it comes to understanding the financial /monetary why's and wherefore's of business within Utah —

• The nuanced in's and out's of this deal versus that deal, let alone
• The contextual perspective or analysis of why a given company is worth $X versus another firm —

I simply realized that the actionable information available to me on a national or international scale by such stalwarts as the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg, and others was NOT available for the business ecosystem of Utah.

So when I launched Utah Money Watch in 2023, I did so with a very clear, three-pronged vision in mind:

1. To provide our subscribers/readers with breaking news, analysis, and insights on all aspects of the state of Utah, but
2. To ONLY focus on financial/monetary news, analysis, and insights specifically about or tied to Utah, its organizations, residents, former residents of the state, friends of Utah, and the most critical issues facing them and the state of Utah, and
3. To take such an approach through a lens of monetary / financial context, impact, and perspective not generally available via other media outlets (especially those based in or focused on Utah).

As such, when I initially published this About Utah Money Watch page last year, I thought the focus of this media property was abundantly clear. 

Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Hence, I am updating this About Utah Money Watch page today in an effort to be even more precise, but to do so without "calling out" or "offending" anyone in the public relations, marketing, or executive ranks.

So, to be very specific:

• Unless your "news" is specifically about or tied to Utah, we will not be covering your "news" at Utah Money Watch.
• Additionally, unless your "news" is financial / monetary in nature, the likelihood we will cover such "news" is essentially zero.
• Additionally, just because your organization has employees, offices, subsidiaries, and/or shareholders based in Utah, this reality does NOT make your "news" relevant to Utah Money Watch and its subscribers/readers.

Last of all ... if you or your organization completes a financial / monetary action involving a Utah-based organization and you/your organization do NOT include financial or monetary data within your announcement, we will either

• Not report on your announcement at all, or
• We will provide de minimis coverage of/about your "news."

The Other Why Behind this Approach

The reason for this very stringent approach to publishing is simple:

Life is Too Short to Do Otherwise.

To be clear, we applaud journalists and publishers everywhere who make the effort to report and provide information, insights, context, and analysis to their respective audiences, especially within a financial/monetary setting, for that is our objective as well.

But because technology has now advanced to the point that literally every person and organization with a smartphone and/or an email address has become a publisher (whether they know it or not), the downside is this:

The world is flooded with data dressed up as "news" that provides little, if any, information that is actually valuable, let alone actionable. Unfortunately, it is my experience that this is especially true when it comes to financial/monetary matters.

Hence, we will NOT regurgitate news releases or press announcements. Ever.

[NOTE: If that is what you want to consume, you are welcome to do so. We just won't be taking that approach at Utah Money Watch.]

Additionally, if an organization or individual makes an announcement about a financial transaction but chooses to not include specific monetary data, we might attempt to uncover the specifics about that transaction and then report about it. But there is no guarantee we will do so.

Finally, at the risk of appearing obtuse, the name of this media property is, in fact, Utah Money Watch. 

So, if you're looking for reporting, news, information, context, and/or analysis that does not involve Utah in at least some manner, you have come to the wrong place.

Similarly, if you are attempting to get Utah Money Watch to cover your announcement and it does not have

1. At least some connection to Utah, plus
2. A financial/monetary aspect to it,

please don't bother. 

We're not interested.

In closing, thanks for understanding, as well as for your continued interest and support.

Sincerely,

David Politis,
Publisher, Editor, and Founder
Utah Money Watch

P.S. For anyone so inclined, you might also find the video below interesting. In it I visit with Garrett Clark, Managing Director of Silicon Slopes, in a podcast interview/discussion about Utah Money Watch and some of the monetary, financial, and business activities in the state of Utah.

ONE MORE THING

The only way to receive instant notifications that Utah Money Watch has published a new report, news story, and/or analysis is to subscribe (for free) to Utah Money Watch. Doing so takes less than 30 seconds and can be done on any page on the Utah Money Watch website.

Simply,

1. Click on a Blue & White "Subscribe" button on any Utah Money Watch webpage,
2. Enter in your name in the proper field in the popup window that appears on-screen, and
3. Enter your preferred email address in the proper field too.

That's it. And "Yes," it really is that simple.

And ... it IS free.

So please subscribe today.

Thank you.

Team Utah Money Watch

P.P.S. If you have a story idea or a breaking news tip, we'd love to hear from you ... as long as there is a monetary and/or financial aspect to your pitch that is fundamentally relevant to Utah.

That said, to reach us, please email David Politis at David.Politis@UtahMoneyWatch.com. Thanks. DLP