No serious newspaper wants to scare the bejabbers out of its readers — especially about something as ominous as a recession.
The Salt Lake Tribune has concentrated on bringing readers not only the day’s financial news — as bleak as it may be — but also analysis articles to put the news in perspective.
On Friday, for instance, the top story in the Money section was “Will Obama’s rules work?” a look at the new financial market rules proposed by the Obama administration and how bright minds on Wall Street might circumvent them.
The page also has a story on how national jobless numbers have set a record and another about 30-year mortgage rates dropping to the lowest level on record.
Friday’s front page had a story about where the energy efficiency stimulus money will go in Utah. The $27.8 million to promote energy efficiency and jump-start job growth will be divvied up among state, county and municipal departments. The article gave the breakout by cities, state agencies and counties.
Online at www.sltrib.com, the Business section has a personal finance page with all sorts of information on spending wisely, saving more and streamlining lifestyles. The page, titled “Money Matters,” can be accessed directly at http://money.sltrib.com.
News articles are posted there as well as other sections focusing on such personal finance as understanding the economy, finding deals, planning and investing, living on less and housing. There is a question and answer section where readers can post questions and get answers from other readers. On Friday, the top item concerned an informal poll to find out about various bank charges:
“Some of us have had the unfortunate experience of having to pay overdraft charges to our bank or credit union when you had insufficient funds to cover that check. This poll is to give us an idea of what you pay. You can also indicate whether you bank at a bank or credit union.”
Then there’s One Cheap Chick, the Lesley Mitchell blog where she posts tips on coupons, special offers and general ways to live cheaply. She describes herself:
“She’s been a devotee of frugal living for more than three decades, starting when she was 8 and began washing cars (rain insurance anyone?) as a way to fund her goal of early retirement. A graduate of Utah State University’s MBA program, Lesley, and her family, are dedicated to finding creative ways to save money, avoid debt and still have fun.”
This woman can wring all 100 cents out of a dollar and still come up smiling.
Tribune Business Editor Michael Limon explains the department’s philosophy:
“From our blog to enterprise to breaking news, we endeavor to relate every item, every story, to our readers and their pocketbooks. Whether the topic is investing or just making it to the next paycheck, we’re trying to help people cope, survive and thrive.”
The combination of printed paper and the Internet is giving The Tribune a perfect opportunity to do what it does best: Take complicated concepts and actions and boil them down so readers can understand them and use the information in their own lives.
The Reader Advocate’s phone number is 801-257-8782. Write to the Reader Advocate, The Salt Lake Tribune, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. E-mail: reader.advocate@sltrib.com
This week’s stats
53 People miss syndicated opinion columnists on Monday.
89 People think Sports section is too big.
42 People love Bagley cartoons.
15 People want less local news on A1.
