Deserette? Desert Rat? A familiar buzz of confusion

It's a common occurrence. You call somebody from out of state, or even a newly arrived Utahn, and identify yourself as a reporter from the Deseret News.
"The what?"
"The Deseret News."
"The Desert Rat News?"
"No, Deseret. D-E-S-E-R-E-T."
"Deseret? What does that mean?"
"It's a word from the Book of Mormon meaning honey bee."
"Huh?"
You get the idea.
Before Utah was Utah, it was the territory of Deseret, so when its first newspaper started in 1850, the name was perfectly descriptive and understandable.
Alas, that is no longer the case, nor has it been for many decades. The name "Deseret News" is the source of considerable confusion — ironic for a company in the communications business.
When staff writer Susan Whitney was covering fashion in New York City, she wasn't invited to many of the shows, being from a small, relatively unimportant Western newspaper, and she got a back-row seat at most of those she did attend.
But when she went to Oscar de la Renta's show, she got a front row seat.
"The woman who showed me to my place said, in a French accent, 'Ah, yes, zee Desiree News,' " Whitney said. "I think she thought it was a pretty exotic and important publication, perhaps having to do with 'desire.' "
In fact, that frequent mispronunciation of Deseret — des-er-ray — is pronounced almost exactly the same way as the French verb "desirer" — to desire.
Many people have an irresistible urge to French-ify the name. One example is Katie Couric, of NBC's "The Today Show," who used that mispronunciation when quoting the Deseret News on an Olympic scandal story.
(Utah in general is often troublesome for news anchors. During a radio broadcast with President Jimmy Carter, Walter Cronkite never did get the correct pronunciation of "Tooele," pronouncing it "Too-lee.")
"I went to the Olympics in Los Angeles, and they couldn't find my credentials among the U.S. journalists," said Lee Benson, columnist and former sports editor. "I couldn't figure out the problem, nor could they. Then I got a brainstorm. 'Check in France,' I said. They did, and there it was: 'The Deserey News.' "
Other documented mispronunciations and misspellings include "Desert News," "Deserette News," "Deserted News," "Dessert News" and "Desired News." ("I liked that one," city desk secretary Jeannine Garrett said.)
The name almost invites parody. Salt Lake Tribune gossip columnists Paul Rolly and JoAnn Jacobsen-Wells, who delight in pointing out foibles of the rival newspaper, usually refer to it as "The Distressed News" or some variation thereof.
Reporters vary in their reactions to questions about the name. When staff writer Ed Carter took a leave of absence to earn a master's degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., fellow students asked what the name meant.
"I launched into a long, drawn-out explanation of Mormon pioneers and honey bees," he said. "By the time I finished, they probably had forgotten what the question was."
That's a bit different from staff writer Lucy Campbell-Weber: "No, it's Deseret. Don't ask. Just give me the interview."
Misspellings, while certainly understandable, are sometimes quite obviously the result of simple carelessness. Staff writer Marilyn Karras once received a letter addressed to:
Mr. Marilyn Carrots
Desert Rat News
Salt Lake City, Ariz.
Like its elegant French cousin, "Desert Rat" has proved to be an enduring variation, conjuring up visions of dusty miners named Zeke or Festus wandering around the Salt Flats on their mules.
It has also borne fruit in an unexpected way: The newspaper's in-house rock 'n' roll ensemble is called — what else? — the Desert Rat Blues Band.
The undisputed king of all mispronunciations, however, was experienced by staff writer Dennis Lythgoe.
"Four or five years ago I did a PTA (telephone) conference interview with an author about a new book," he said. "There were five or six journalists on the line with me, and the moderator introduced me as 'Dennis Lythgoe from the Death Threat News.' I corrected it when I asked my first question, but he just kept repeating it. Then, when the transcript of the interview came, it listed me in several places as being with 'The Death Threat News.' It looked odd next to the Kansas City Star, Denver Post, etc."
Recognizing the confusion the name causes, after 150 years with only one minor variation ("Deseret Evening News"), the paper's board of directors has talked from time to time of changing it.
In the meantime, we understand if you mispronounce it. And no, we won't kill you.

E-MAIL: alan@desnews.com

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