Returning from a vacation on Tuesday, I was confronted with the following question from several hundred readers: “When should I cancel my subscription to The Tribune?”
A disturbing question under any circumstances, but even more troubling in the wake of a bitter court fight (now under appeal) over the ownership of the newspaper.
Those readers leaving voice mails, writing letters or sending e-mails want to know the best timing for canceling their subscriptions.
My short answer: Hopefully, never if we are doing our job.
(Remember I am one of the employees here who has become used to getting paid every two weeks.)
The longer answer will take more words. Here goes. A newspaper is more than the publisher and the editor who are named on the masthead. Certainly, Dean Singleton and James E. Shelledy are the faces that many in Utah will put on The Tribune, but they are not the driving force shaping the paper on a daily basis. Certainly each sets policy pertaining to news coverage and the editorial positions, but it is the curiosity, tenacity and acumen of reporters covering every beat that bring to life the stories in The Salt Lake Tribune. A newspaper newsroom is like a living creature, drawing in short breaths of news tips, data and quotes and pushing out long breaths of information about trends, political decisions, scientific breakthroughs, medical treatments, social services, crime, education, social life, hobbies and much more.
Reporters and editors at The Tribune take their responsibilities as part of that living creature seriously. Singleton and Shelledy understand the nature of the beast for which they care. Since Singleton took possession of The Tribune last week, he has given no indication he intends to change the paper’s dedication to covering the news or its direction. However, he has begun changes to the editorial page which should make its voice more moderate.
Every day, Tribune reporters reach for phones and jump into cars to ferret out the news. This will not change.
Editors work to polish writers’ words into concise, clear reports of what is happening in your neighborhood, your town, your state and your world. This will not change.
Artists and photographers use camera and computer images to illustrate stories and events in Utah and beyond. This will not change.
Like any healthy newspaper, we will strive to be better. We will keep readers in mind when we report, write, illustrate and lay out stories. We know that you want to know. Sometimes we will succeed, sometimes we will not. Our feet are made of clay, too.
To those of you who want to know when to cancel your subscriptions, I say: Read this newspaper as long as it serves your needs.
Remember, please, the staff works hard to bring you the news and perspective you need to understand the Wasatch Front, Utah, America and the world. The fight over ownership has been prolonged and has caused some angst among the public.
In response to some readers’ concerns, only one employee of The Tribune, the former general manager and editorial page editor, has been fired. The rest of us are plowing our rows as best we can.
Thus far, 1,029 subscribers have canceled over the ownership issue, although 37 of those readers have restored their subscriptions. Single copy sales are up about 1,000 per day and the Web site is getting more hits, so some of you are peeking.
Need a reason to keep Tribune delivery while you make up your own mind? Consider the words of British philosopher and sociologist Herbert Spencer: “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance — that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”
Meanwhile, I will keep watching.
