The Salt Lake Tribune’s core value is journalistic excellence. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization, The Tribune holds independence and accountability to the public as its guiding principles. The Salt Lake Tribune does not accept donations from elected officials or 501(c)4 groups. The executive editor of The Salt Lake Tribune has full editorial control on all stories, columns and photographs it publishes. Story ideas, complaints and news tips should go through the executive editor. You may download our gift acceptance policies, which describes the values, standards and practices pursued by The Tribune when seeking financial support. You can also find this policy below.
Donors over $5,000 are listed here.
For questions please email development@sltrib.com.
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE GIFT ACCEPTANCE POLICIES
Adopted by the Board on March 15, 2023
The Salt Lake Tribune’s core value is journalistic excellence. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization, The Tribune holds independence and accountability to the public as its guiding principles. The following guidelines describe the values, standards, and practices pursued by The Tribune when seeking financial support.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND ETHICS
The Salt Lake Tribune adheres to the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics as well as additional internal standards outlined in The Tribune Professional Standards Guide. In short, The Tribune strives to ensure that its reporting methods are fair and thorough, and its reports accurate and transparent.
DISCLOSURE OF SUPPORT FOR THE TRIBUNE’S MISSION
The Salt Lake Tribune is proud of the reputation for independence, accuracy, and integrity that it has fostered since 1871. The Tribune’s leadership also understands that becoming a nonprofit and accepting donations places transparency in a new light.
As Utah’s independent voice, The Tribune makes every effort to be transparent about its relationships with readers and supporters. To this end:
While The Tribune will seek financial support for its reporting and special projects, no donor or gift will be able to direct The Tribune’s reporting on issues, people, or organizations. To ensure this critical independence, The Tribune adheres to the following standards:
Governing bodies
The Tribune’s management and staff greatly value the service offered by its board members, advisory board members, and donors. The Tribune welcomes news tips from these individuals as from any member of the public. However, The Tribune maintains a strict firewall between the newsroom and any governing bodies, advisers, and/or donors. This means that governing bodies, advisers, and donors will have no more influence on editorial decision-making than any other member of the public. The same rules apply to advertisers and sponsors, as has been the practice historically.
Editorial control
The editor of The Salt Lake Tribune has full editorial control on all stories, columns, and photographs published by The Tribune. Story ideas, complaints, and news tips must be funneled through the editor.
DISCLOSURES
When The Tribune writes about any issue involving a board member or major donor, or cites them as an expert source, The Tribune will disclose that relationship to readers. The Tribune will also publicly disclose when a topic it reports on is specifically supported by a board member, major donor, or corporate sponsor. If The Tribune publishes a story that includes the name of the board member, their affiliation with The Tribune will be noted. If The Tribune covers a story about the organization that employs the board member or major donor, the editor will make the decision about if and how to disclose the relationship to the public. Any individual or organization that donates over $5,000 to The Salt Lake Tribune is considered a major donor.
GRANTS
When evaluating whether to seek or accept gifts or sponsorships from individuals, corporations, or foundation grants, The Tribune’s development staff ensures that its values and practices are clearly communicated and that the editor retains control of all development and news content decisions.
TRANSPARENCY
The Tribune website will publicly display:
PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SPONSORSHIPS
Community engagement is a core aspect of The Salt Lake Tribune’s nonprofit mission. The Tribune regularly hosts educational events and forums and will seek the support of individuals, corporations, and foundations in order to do so. Sponsors may be publicly acknowledged in the following ways:
EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE
The Salt Lake Tribune may also seek and accept funding to support or augment specific areas of reporting — such as business, health, environment or education.
The Tribune does not accept gifts from any entity or person that seeks or expects control over its work. In other words, no donor—no matter the size of their donation—will have any role in deciding which stories reporters pursue or write, the timing of those stories, or their content. Donors are not given access to The Tribune’s editorial work at any time prior to publication. All members of the public, including donors, are welcome to share their feedback about Tribune reporting.
The Salt Lake Tribune reserves the right to decline funding from any source that is not in alignment with its nonprofit mission. The Tribune does not have a list of individuals, corporations, or foundations from whom it would not accept a donation. Instead, the editor, in consultation with others as necessary, considers each situation and opportunity and makes a decision with integrity and the trust of readers and the public in mind.
As the editor and, when appropriate, the Board of Directors, considers a grant or gift, they also keep in mind the following guidelines:
Approved as revised by the Board of Directors on March 28, 2020.
