• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

The Salt Lake Tribune, a major news source in a major market, is scrapping its paywall in May. As promised last November, there will be no charge for accessing stories. 

Why is the Tribune doing this at a time when many news organizations are struggling to exist?

“We believe trusted, independent journalism is a right — not a luxury,” the Tribune writes in an article announcing the shift. “And at a time when misinformation spreads faster than ever, expanding access isn’t just important — it’s necessary.”

But it adds that “free to read does not mean free to produce. This model only works if readers like you continue to support it as donors.”

Here’s a little historical background. 

“When The Tribune became a nonprofit in 2019, we focused on rebuilding the foundation — creating a governing board, developing new ways to accept donations (yes, even crypto), and reshaping how we operate, including reducing print days to sustain the organization.”

How will it work?

“All newly published stories on sltrib.com and in the app will be “free to read — no subscription required.”

The Tribune continues, “Additional benefits will be available to those who donate, including the e-edition version, the ability to comment and older stories in the archive.”

It adds, “As a current subscriber, you will automatically receive these additional benefits if you continue to support us at the same level you currently pay. When we make the shift you will continue to be charged at the same rate and frequency of your current subscription. The payment will then be a tax-deductible donation and you will receive a receipt acknowledging it. The charge will appear on your credit or debit card statement as The Salt Lake Tribune.”

Why does the Tribune deserve this support?

“We expanded accountability and solutions reporting,” it writes. “We told more stories that reflect what it means to be a Utahn. We helped launch the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, bringing together more than a dozen newsrooms focused on saving the lake. And through the Utah News Collaborative, we worked to strengthen journalism across the entire state.”

The Tribune deserves credit for taking this risky action and we hope more big-city dailies follow suit. And donations? Even The Guardian, which has long had no paywall, requests them.

We can’t cite scientific evidence, but we believe paywalls reduce traffic, just as Google does with its AI Overviews. 

We’ve been held up by paywalls even when publications announced they are going out of business.

Granted, news providers need revenue to survive. But there is a growing need for credible information in this heated time. 

“The Tribune cannot afford to continue to limit who has access to independent and trusted news,” Lauren Gustus, CEO and executive editor, said during a fundraising event late last year. 

Gustus had vowed that Utah’s nonprofit newsroom would kill the paywall if it could raise $1 million in a year. 

Newspapers are not the only types of publications taking a stab at eliminating their paywalls. Stanford Social Innovation Review is doing so in a more limited way. 

“As you may have noticed, we have made a few changes to our website,” the publication recently wrote. “In short, we've revamped our paywall so that non-subscribers are able to read a limited number of articles each month before they are prompted to create a free account and then, eventually, required to upgrade to a paid subscription.”

“We believe this is the best way to balance our mission to spread social innovation knowledge as widely as possible with our need as a nonprofit media organization to generate a sustainable amount of subscription revenue.”

Many other publishers are approaching it the same way. But we look to the ones that totally eliminate their paywalls. 

Note: we accessed all of the above announcements for free.