On Oct. 9, a Thursday, The Southern Utah Tribune published its first issue. The monthly, free print newspaper, identified as a “product of the Salt Lake Tribune,” was mailed to 40,000 homes and businesses across Washington County (population just over 200,000), the fast-growing southwest corner of the state in what’s known as red rock country. Beyond an array of news stories, its index points readers to a calendar, obituaries, puzzles, sports, and a “voices” opinion section.
Washington County is a four-and-a-half hour drive from Salt Lake City, where The Salt Lake Tribune — an old newspaper turned young nonprofit — is headquartered. But The Southern Utah Tribune is not intended to be a satellite or bureau offshoot of Salt Lake City’s newsroom, CEO and executive editor Lauren Gustus told me. Rather, this is a local news product for Washington County; its form and content are rooted in what county residents told the Tribune they wanted, and it has two full-time reporters living in Washington County.
