The Salt Lake Tribune
Encyclopedia
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S.
city of Salt Lake City
. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation
, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group
. For almost 100 years it was a family-owned newspaper held by the heirs of U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns
. After Thomas Kearns died in 1918 the company was controlled by his widow, Jennie Judge Kearns and son Thomas F. Kearns. The newspaper's long-time publisher was John F. Fitzpatrick
, who started his career as Senator Kearns' secretary in 1913.
The newspaper's motto, at the top of its masthead, is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871."
In 1873 three Kansas
businessmen, Frederic Lockley, George F. Prescott and A.M. Hamilton, purchased the paper and turned the newspaper into an anti-Mormon organ which consistently backed the local Liberal Party
. Sometimes vitriolic, the Tribune held particular antipathy for Church President Brigham Young
. In the edition announcing Young's death, the Tribune wrote,
In 1901 newly-elected Roman Catholic United States Senator
Thomas Kearns
, and his business partner David Keith, secretly bought the Tribune. Kearns made strides to eliminate the paper's anti-Mormon overtones, and succeeded in maintaining good relationships with the mostly-LDS state legislature which had elected him to the Senate
. Upon Keith's death in 1918 the Kearns family bought out Keith's share of the Salt Lake Tribune Publishing Company.
In 1902 the company started up an evening edition, known as The Salt Lake Telegram. The Telegram was from the beginning a money loser, and was sold in 1914 and reacquired by the Tribune in 1930 only to be sold to and merged into the Deseret News in 1952.
John F. Fitzpatrick became publisher in 1924. In 1952 the Tribune entered into a joint operating agreement with the Deseret News, Salt Lake's daily newspaper (which was owned by the LDS Church), creating the Newspaper Agency Corporation
. Fitzpatrick was the architect of NAC and the Kearns-Tribune's investment into the cable business. In 1960 Fitzpatrick died of a heart attack. He had no appointed successor. An emergency session of the Kearns-Tribune Corp. board selected John W. Gallivan
as the next publisher. He remained in that position until 1984 and chairman of the board until 1997.
The Kearns family owned a majority share of the newspaper until 1997 when they merged with Tele-Communications Inc.
, a multimedia corporation, which was later acquired by AT&T
. The Tribune was subsequently sold to Denver, Colorado
-based MediaNews Group
.
In 2002 the Tribune was mired in controversy after employees sold information related to the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping
case to The National Enquirer. Tribune editor James "Jay" Shelledy resigned from his job at the paper amidst the fallout of the scandal. Two staffers also were removed from their positions as Tribune reporters.
In 2004 the paper decided to move from its historic location at the downtown "Tribune" building, to the Gateway Mall
. Many people, including several Tribune employees, opposed the move, stating that it would harm the economy of Salt Lake's downtown. The move was completed in May 2005 and Tribune employees were told by Editor Nancy Conway, "It is just a building."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
city of Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation
Newspaper Agency Corporation
The Newspaper Agency Corporation Inc. is a printing, delivery and advertising company jointly owned by the Deseret Morning News and The Salt Lake Tribune, the two major daily newspapers in Salt Lake City, Utah.-History:...
, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group, based in Denver, Colorado, is one of the largest newspaper companies in the United States. It is privately owned and operates 56 daily newspapers in 12 states, with combined daily and Sunday circulation of approximately 2.4 million and 2.7 million, respectively...
. For almost 100 years it was a family-owned newspaper held by the heirs of U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns
Thomas Kearns
Thomas Kearns was a mining, banking, railroad and newspaper magnate. He was elected United States Senator from Utah from 1901 to 1905.- Immigration and mining :...
. After Thomas Kearns died in 1918 the company was controlled by his widow, Jennie Judge Kearns and son Thomas F. Kearns. The newspaper's long-time publisher was John F. Fitzpatrick
John F. Fitzpatrick (publisher)
John Francis Fitzpatrick was the publisher of The Salt Lake Tribune from 1924 to 1960. He created the Newspaper Agency Corporation in 1952.- Early life :...
, who started his career as Senator Kearns' secretary in 1913.
The newspaper's motto, at the top of its masthead, is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871."
History
A successor to Utah Magazine (1868), the publication was founded in 1870 as the Mormon Tribune by a group of businessmen led by former LDS Church members William Godbe, Elias L.T. Harrison and John Tullidge who disagreed with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' economic and political positions. After a year its name was changed to the Salt Lake Daily Tribune and Utah Mining Gazette, but soon after that, the name was shortened to The Salt Lake Tribune.In 1873 three Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
businessmen, Frederic Lockley, George F. Prescott and A.M. Hamilton, purchased the paper and turned the newspaper into an anti-Mormon organ which consistently backed the local Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Utah)
The Liberal Party, like the People's Party, flourished in Utah Territory as a local political party in the latter half of the 19th century—before Democrats and Republicans established themselves in Utah in the early 1890s....
. Sometimes vitriolic, the Tribune held particular antipathy for Church President Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
. In the edition announcing Young's death, the Tribune wrote,
- He was illiterate and he has made frequent boast that he never saw the inside of a school house. His habit of mind was singularly illogical and his public addresses the greatest farrago of nonsense that ever was put in print. He prided himself on being a great financer, and yet all of his commercial speculations have been conspicuous failures. He was blarophant, and pretended to be in daily [communion] with the Almighty, and yet he was groveling in his ideas, and the system of religion he formulated was well nigh Satanic. — The Salt Lake Tribune, August 30, 1877
In 1901 newly-elected Roman Catholic United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Thomas Kearns
Thomas Kearns
Thomas Kearns was a mining, banking, railroad and newspaper magnate. He was elected United States Senator from Utah from 1901 to 1905.- Immigration and mining :...
, and his business partner David Keith, secretly bought the Tribune. Kearns made strides to eliminate the paper's anti-Mormon overtones, and succeeded in maintaining good relationships with the mostly-LDS state legislature which had elected him to the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Upon Keith's death in 1918 the Kearns family bought out Keith's share of the Salt Lake Tribune Publishing Company.
In 1902 the company started up an evening edition, known as The Salt Lake Telegram. The Telegram was from the beginning a money loser, and was sold in 1914 and reacquired by the Tribune in 1930 only to be sold to and merged into the Deseret News in 1952.
John F. Fitzpatrick became publisher in 1924. In 1952 the Tribune entered into a joint operating agreement with the Deseret News, Salt Lake's daily newspaper (which was owned by the LDS Church), creating the Newspaper Agency Corporation
Newspaper Agency Corporation
The Newspaper Agency Corporation Inc. is a printing, delivery and advertising company jointly owned by the Deseret Morning News and The Salt Lake Tribune, the two major daily newspapers in Salt Lake City, Utah.-History:...
. Fitzpatrick was the architect of NAC and the Kearns-Tribune's investment into the cable business. In 1960 Fitzpatrick died of a heart attack. He had no appointed successor. An emergency session of the Kearns-Tribune Corp. board selected John W. Gallivan
John W. Gallivan
John W. Gallivan is an American newspaper publisher, cable television pioneer, and civic leader. A major figure in the promotion and development of Salt Lake City and Utah's ski industry, he was instrumental in starting the campaign to bring the 2002 Olympic Winter Games to Salt Lake City...
as the next publisher. He remained in that position until 1984 and chairman of the board until 1997.
The Kearns family owned a majority share of the newspaper until 1997 when they merged with Tele-Communications Inc.
Tele-Communications Inc.
Tele-Communications, Inc. or TCI was a cable television provider in the United States, for much of its history controlled by Bob Magness and John Malone....
, a multimedia corporation, which was later acquired by AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
. The Tribune was subsequently sold to Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
-based MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group, based in Denver, Colorado, is one of the largest newspaper companies in the United States. It is privately owned and operates 56 daily newspapers in 12 states, with combined daily and Sunday circulation of approximately 2.4 million and 2.7 million, respectively...
.
In 2002 the Tribune was mired in controversy after employees sold information related to the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping
Elizabeth Smart kidnapping
The kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart occurred on June 5, 2002, when 14-year-old American girl Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah, bedroom...
case to The National Enquirer. Tribune editor James "Jay" Shelledy resigned from his job at the paper amidst the fallout of the scandal. Two staffers also were removed from their positions as Tribune reporters.
In 2004 the paper decided to move from its historic location at the downtown "Tribune" building, to the Gateway Mall
Gateway District
The Gateway District is a large open air retail, residential and office complex in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The complex is centered around the historic Union Pacific Depot in downtown Salt Lake City...
. Many people, including several Tribune employees, opposed the move, stating that it would harm the economy of Salt Lake's downtown. The move was completed in May 2005 and Tribune employees were told by Editor Nancy Conway, "It is just a building."
Books
- The First 100 Years, A History of the Salt Lake Tribune 1871-1971, O. N. Malmquist, Utah State Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah 1971