A Mansion, Two Dogs and a Wall: Inside The Conflict Between a Utah Billionaire And His Neighbors

Early last year, a twice-weekly newspaper in Park City, Utah, published a story on the rejection of a state measure that would’ve allowed tech billionaire Matthew Prince to build an 11,000-square-foot mansion on a hill with little say from locals.

It was the first time the Park Record had ever written about Prince’s mansion. And then something curious happened: The paper started covering Prince’s plans more regularly, and positively. In January, it reported on Prince describing his future home as “something to be proud of.” Then it suggested the city was putting Prince’s home through a longer review than normal because of his “celebrity nature.” A week later, it called out a local official for trying to “re-legislate” his project after it was approved.