A prominent Utah state senator confirmed that he's part of a group that wants to buy The Salt Lake Tribune.
Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, is one of five people in the group pursuing the purchase. He declined to say who the others are, but he has described the group in the past as "prominent, civic-minded Utah community leaders."
"My motivation really is to make sure that the newspaper is independent and is fiscally sound for the foreseeable future," Dabakis said Tuesday. He added that while The Tribune's news reporting should remain independent, he thinks it's "incredibly important for this community and this state to have a strong, progressive viewpoint, editorially.