It used to be that newspapers were the bastions of progressive and civil righteousness in our society. They spoke the truth and provided the weakest of groups the same platform  as the dominant forces.

That time has now passed, if the example set by The Spectrum of St. George is to be believed.

The paper initially accepted the wedding announcement of Tyler Barrick and Spencer Jones, two men married in California and who were preparing for a wedding party back home in Utah.

More at Yahoo:

“After all, our marriage is just as real and legal and entitled to celebration as any of the others that are announced each week in the pages of The Spectrum,” Jones, 30, wrote in an e-mail to Welch.

“This simply is not true,” Welch replied in an Aug. 10 e-mail, a copy of which the couple provided to The Associated Press. “While that may be the case in some states it is not the case in the state of Utah. As our policy is to run marriage announcements recognized by Utah law, I have made the decision not to run the announcement.”

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Tash Hepting.