This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

You don't have to spend millions to preserve a free press ...

— Your subscription makes a difference — Jerry Mitchell | The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger

"I received a note from someone I know today. She told me she is canceling her long-time subscription to The Clarion-Ledger. 'The news reporting isn't the issue. In fact, it seems to me that it's gotten better in the last year or so.'

"She reassured me that she wants to keep up with my work, ending with the line, "One subscription doesn't matter."

"Here is my reply to her:

" 'You are welcome to stop getting the paper, but your one subscription does matter. Your one subscription made it possible for me to investigate the killings of Medgar Evers and other racial violence that stained the name of Mississippi. Your one subscription made it possible for the newspaper to expose problems in the state Department of Health, leading to massive reforms. Your one subscription made it possible to reveal gang violence, corruption and terrible conditions inside our state's prisons. ...

" ... your one subscription is more than just a subscription; it's an investment in a free press. Your subscription is more than just a subscription; it's an investment to ensure a watchdog for our Legislature and our democracy. ..."

But it sure can help if you do:

— Don't know Paul Huntsman? His ownership of The Salt Lake Tribune may change that — Matt Canham | The Salt Lake Tribune

" ... But Paul Huntsman wants to make this much clear: His billionaire father isn't buying The Tribune nor is the Huntsman family. He is. ..."

— Jon Huntsman Sr. 'excited for the second coming of The Salt Lake Tribune' — Tony Semerad | The Salt Lake Tribune­

"If Paul Huntsman succeeds in buying The Salt Lake Tribune, it will fulfill what at times has seemed an all-but-unattainable goal to his billionaire father.

" 'This has been amazing,' 78-year-old Jon Huntsman Sr. said of the pending Tribune purchase. 'In my opinion, it's absolutely a miracle that a situation like this can be pulled off.'..."

Whatever may seem iffy about the Huntsman deal in Salt Lake City, there are folks in St. Paul, Minn., today who are very envious indeed:

— Pioneer Press owner's plan is to 'harvest' what is left of the newspaper — Lee Schafer | Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"The hedge fund that controls the Pioneer Press has apparently decided on one of the time-honored strategies to make money in a declining business.

"It's called simply 'harvest.'

"It's a business term that probably doesn't need much further explanation. Selling off assets like real estate and cutting staff across the board are signs that the harvest is underway. At the Pioneer Press one indicator of what's happening is that there are just 74 union jobs in the newsroom after the latest cutback, according to the Newspaper Guild, down from more than 200 in late 2006. ..."

[The hedge fund mentioned here, Alden Global Capital, is the one that owns Digital First Media and, if there is any justice, is about to sell The Salt Lake Tribune to Paul Huntsman.]

"A short Wall Street Journal story in April put the news this way: 'Newspaper company Digital First Media completed its acquisition of the publisher of California's Orange County Register and began laying off employees.'

"Of course it did."