IRS approves Salt Lake Tribune becoming nonprofit, community owned

The Salt Lake Tribune’s office is pictured on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. The paper announced on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019, that it was granted nonprofit status by the IRS. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — The IRS has approved the Salt Lake Tribune’s request to become a nonprofit news organization funded by donations.

The Tribune applied for nonprofit status in May but didn’t expect a response until 2020 at the earliest. The IRS accepted the newspaper’s application in full, according Paul Huntsman, Tribune owner and publisher.

“The IRS approval opens up new possibilities for success for legacy newspapers, and we’re excited to move forward with this solution,” he said.

Huntsman, who bought the struggling newspaper for an undisclosed amount in 2016, said the current business model for local newspapers is broken and beyond repair. The Tribune, he said, needed to find a way to sustain itself beyond his ownership, and nonprofit status will allow that to happen.

As a 501(c)(3) corporation, the Tribune will be governed by a nonprofit board of directors and rely on large and small donations to fund operations. Other than the new funding mechanism, the newspaper expects to run much like it has since 1871, though its editorial board will no longer endorse political candidates.

The Deseret News and the Tribune share printing, distribution and advertising operations under a federally regulated joint operating agreement, which is set to expire at the end of next year.

“The Deseret News has had a business partnership with the Tribune for decades, and we hope its new venture will be successful. We are glad the IRS approved this action and we wish Paul Huntsman and his staff all the best as he works to continue the Tribune brand moving forward,” said Jeff Simpson, Deseret News president and publisher.

In an email to readers seeking donations, Tribune vice president of business innovation Fraser Nelson said the newspaper will reach out in the coming weeks and months to explain what it means to be led and supported by the community. The board of directors will represent a diversity of opinions and experiences, according to the email.

“The integrity of our reporting and our values as a news organization won’t change, but we will engage with the community in new ways and ask for their support,” said Jennifer Napier-Pearce, Tribune editor.

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