The Salt Lake Tribune facts for kids
The July 27, 2005, front page of The Salt Lake Tribune
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| Type | Daily newspaper (1870–2020) Weekly newspaper (after 2020) |
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| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. (a non-profit corporation) |
| Founded | 1870 (as the Mormon Tribune) |
| Headquarters | 48 West Market St. Suite 200 Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 USA |
| Circulation | 74,043 Daily 84,137 Sunday (as of 2015) |
| ISSN | 0746-3502 |
The Salt Lake Tribune is a newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is owned by a non-profit corporation, which means its main goal is to serve the community, not to make money for owners. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871."
Contents
History of the Newspaper
How It All Started
The Salt Lake Tribune began in 1870, but it was first called the Mormon Tribune. It was started by a group of businessmen, including former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). These founders disagreed with some of the church's economic and political ideas at the time.
A year later, the name was changed to the Salt Lake Daily Tribune and Utah Mining Gazette. Soon after, it was shortened to the name we know today, The Salt Lake Tribune.
In 1873, three businessmen from Kansas bought the newspaper. They wanted it to be an independent voice that supported the local Liberal Party. The paper was known for writing very honestly, and sometimes critically, about leaders like Brigham Young, the president of the LDS Church.
A New Century of Changes
In 1901, a newly elected U.S. Senator named Thomas Kearns and his business partner, David Keith, secretly bought the Tribune. After Keith passed away in 1918, the Kearns family took full ownership. For nearly 100 years, the newspaper was owned by the family of Senator Kearns.
The newspaper started an evening paper in 1902 called The Salt Lake Telegram. In 1952, the Tribune made a business deal with the other major Salt Lake newspaper, the Deseret News, which is owned by the LDS Church. This deal, called a joint operating agreement, helped both papers survive. As part of the agreement, The Salt Lake Telegram was eventually stopped.
John F. Fitzpatrick became the publisher in 1924. He helped create a peaceful relationship with the LDS Church that lasted for many decades. After he passed away in 1960, John W. Gallivan took over. Gallivan helped the Tribune invest in cable television, which became a very successful business.
In 1997, the Kearns family merged their company with a large cable company. This led to a series of business deals, and in 2000, the Tribune was sold to a company based in Denver, Colorado called MediaNews Group.
The Tribune in Modern Times
New Ownership and Challenges
In 2004, the newspaper moved its offices from its historic downtown building to a new development called The Gateway. The move was completed in 2005.
The company that owned the Tribune, MediaNews Group, faced financial problems. In 2013, there were concerns about a new business deal with the Deseret News. Some people worried the deal would hurt the Tribune financially. Citizens' groups got involved and asked the U.S. government to look into the situation.
On April 20, 2016, a company controlled by Paul Huntsman bought The Salt Lake Tribune. Paul Huntsman is the son of famous Utah businessman Jon Huntsman Sr. and the brother of Jon Huntsman Jr., a former governor of Utah.
Award-Winning Journalism
In 2017, the Tribune won the very prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. The award was for a series of powerful stories about the poor treatment of students at Brigham Young University. This brought national attention to the newspaper and its reporters.
Like many newspapers, the Tribune faced challenges as more people started reading news online. In 2018, the paper had to reduce the number of people in its newsroom because of falling income from print copies and online ads.
Becoming a Nonprofit
A major change happened in 2019 when the Tribune became a non-profit organization. This means it is supported by donations from the public, much like a public radio station or a museum. It was the first major daily newspaper in the United States to make this change.
In 2020, the newspaper stopped printing a new paper every day. Instead, it began printing a larger weekly edition while continuing to publish news online every day. That same year, the 68-year-long business partnership with the Deseret News came to an end.
As a nonprofit, the Tribune has been able to grow its team of reporters and start new projects. In 2023, it took over the operation of The Times-Independent, a newspaper in Moab, Utah.
Political Endorsements
For many years, the Tribune would recommend candidates in presidential elections.
- It endorsed George W. Bush in 2004.
- It endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.
- It endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016.
When the newspaper became a non-profit organization in 2019, it stopped endorsing political candidates. Rules for non-profits do not allow them to support or oppose any candidates for public office.
See also
- Category:The Salt Lake Tribune people
- Pat Bagley - Editorial cartoonist for the Tribune
- Derks Field - minor league baseball park for the Salt Lake Bees named after Tribune sports editor John C. Derks (1873–1944)
- Peggy Fletcher Stack – religion reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune
- Frank Hewlett - Washington bureau chief
- Robert Kirby – humor columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune
- Tom C. Korologos - Politician who began career at Tribune
- Florabel Muir - first female reporter for Tribune
- Jennifer Napier-Pearce - Former executive editor of the Tribune
- William Nelson - Wisconsin politician who was editor of the Tribune
- Harold Schindler – historian, television screenwriter and editor for The Salt Lake Tribune
