Observers of U.S. journalism reacted Wednesday to news that Salt Lake Tribune owner Paul Huntsman was seeking nonprofit status for the newspaper after years of financial losses, with some saying it raises new risks and others seeing it as forging a new future for struggling newsrooms.
Huntsman, who purchased the state’s largest daily in 2016, announced to newsroom staffers Tuesday that he will soon apply for IRS approval of the switch, saying it was the only sustainable path for keeping the 148-year-old paper alive longterm.
“Roughly 1,800 communities across the U.S. have already lost their local newspapers, tearing a hole in their civic and democratic fabric,” Huntsman wrote.