From Rag to Riches, Ruin & Revival: My Times at The Salt Lake Tribune, 1972 & Beyond
For 150 years as Utah's largest daily newspaper, The Salt Lake Tribune has reported the news independently of the Mormon Church dominating Utah politics and culture. Former political reporter O.N. Malmquist recorded the first part of that uneasy relationship in "The First 100 Years: A History of the Salt Lake Tribune, 1871-1971." In this lighter, no-holds-barred memoir, The Tribune's first female education editor and editorial writer covers much of the next half century.

Cole's critical, mischievous eye captures irreverent, often hard-drinking characters in the throes of major transition at Utah's largest newspaper. She resurrects the tension of women, minorities, professionals and computers infiltrating the newsroom, and she addresses the financial and religious manipulation that altered the paper's course yet rewarded her personally. She describes the dizzying effect of instant wealth for staffers used to living paycheck to paycheck.

At her invitation, many Tribune staffers contributed memories, remarks and graphics to this project. The result is an often humorous insider look at a swath of Utah history, politics and personality.

As gray as The Salt Lake Tribune was on the outside, on its printed pages, it was colorful on the inside the last three decades of the 20th century, when newspapers changed from hot type to cold type, from letter to offset presses, from newsrooms with old-school, small-time reporters who barely (some didn't) graduated high school, to the new breed of college-educated journalists of any sex who wanted to change the world. Computers began updating the way news stories were researched, written and stored -- and, to a limited degree, delivered to homes. What did not change was the male domination of the newspaper and the tension between The Salt Lake Tribune and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the 1970s, '80s and '90s, The Tribune stood as the alternate voice to the dominant church that owned our closest competitor, the Deseret News, and tacitly ran state government. Since the author left the newspaper, that church made its transition to the digital age all the more painful by obstructing long-time owners and squeezing funding. Subsequent owners mined the newspaper's assets, making it even tougher to stay in business. After rescuing the struggling Tribune in 2016, the Huntsman family took the bold initiative to seek non-profit status in 2019, a move requiring major fundraising to preserve the paper's independent voice.

The author hopes her memories and observations, augmented by those of her peers and husband, help put the era into perspective for students of journalism and Utah's history and for readers in general. Even better would be her ability to generate understanding and a few laughs. She wrote this book as a memoir rather than a history to narrow its focus and give herself latitude in the types of details covered. She also wanted to give readers a sense of how staffers' personal experiences affected and were influenced by The Tribune.

This second edition includes updates and an index.
1138333224
From Rag to Riches, Ruin & Revival: My Times at The Salt Lake Tribune, 1972 & Beyond
For 150 years as Utah's largest daily newspaper, The Salt Lake Tribune has reported the news independently of the Mormon Church dominating Utah politics and culture. Former political reporter O.N. Malmquist recorded the first part of that uneasy relationship in "The First 100 Years: A History of the Salt Lake Tribune, 1871-1971." In this lighter, no-holds-barred memoir, The Tribune's first female education editor and editorial writer covers much of the next half century.

Cole's critical, mischievous eye captures irreverent, often hard-drinking characters in the throes of major transition at Utah's largest newspaper. She resurrects the tension of women, minorities, professionals and computers infiltrating the newsroom, and she addresses the financial and religious manipulation that altered the paper's course yet rewarded her personally. She describes the dizzying effect of instant wealth for staffers used to living paycheck to paycheck.

At her invitation, many Tribune staffers contributed memories, remarks and graphics to this project. The result is an often humorous insider look at a swath of Utah history, politics and personality.

As gray as The Salt Lake Tribune was on the outside, on its printed pages, it was colorful on the inside the last three decades of the 20th century, when newspapers changed from hot type to cold type, from letter to offset presses, from newsrooms with old-school, small-time reporters who barely (some didn't) graduated high school, to the new breed of college-educated journalists of any sex who wanted to change the world. Computers began updating the way news stories were researched, written and stored -- and, to a limited degree, delivered to homes. What did not change was the male domination of the newspaper and the tension between The Salt Lake Tribune and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the 1970s, '80s and '90s, The Tribune stood as the alternate voice to the dominant church that owned our closest competitor, the Deseret News, and tacitly ran state government. Since the author left the newspaper, that church made its transition to the digital age all the more painful by obstructing long-time owners and squeezing funding. Subsequent owners mined the newspaper's assets, making it even tougher to stay in business. After rescuing the struggling Tribune in 2016, the Huntsman family took the bold initiative to seek non-profit status in 2019, a move requiring major fundraising to preserve the paper's independent voice.

The author hopes her memories and observations, augmented by those of her peers and husband, help put the era into perspective for students of journalism and Utah's history and for readers in general. Even better would be her ability to generate understanding and a few laughs. She wrote this book as a memoir rather than a history to narrow its focus and give herself latitude in the types of details covered. She also wanted to give readers a sense of how staffers' personal experiences affected and were influenced by The Tribune.

This second edition includes updates and an index.
19.56 In Stock
From Rag to Riches, Ruin & Revival: My Times at The Salt Lake Tribune, 1972 & Beyond

From Rag to Riches, Ruin & Revival: My Times at The Salt Lake Tribune, 1972 & Beyond

From Rag to Riches, Ruin & Revival: My Times at The Salt Lake Tribune, 1972 & Beyond

From Rag to Riches, Ruin & Revival: My Times at The Salt Lake Tribune, 1972 & Beyond

Paperback(Includes Index, non-profit status)

$19.56 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

For 150 years as Utah's largest daily newspaper, The Salt Lake Tribune has reported the news independently of the Mormon Church dominating Utah politics and culture. Former political reporter O.N. Malmquist recorded the first part of that uneasy relationship in "The First 100 Years: A History of the Salt Lake Tribune, 1871-1971." In this lighter, no-holds-barred memoir, The Tribune's first female education editor and editorial writer covers much of the next half century.

Cole's critical, mischievous eye captures irreverent, often hard-drinking characters in the throes of major transition at Utah's largest newspaper. She resurrects the tension of women, minorities, professionals and computers infiltrating the newsroom, and she addresses the financial and religious manipulation that altered the paper's course yet rewarded her personally. She describes the dizzying effect of instant wealth for staffers used to living paycheck to paycheck.

At her invitation, many Tribune staffers contributed memories, remarks and graphics to this project. The result is an often humorous insider look at a swath of Utah history, politics and personality.

As gray as The Salt Lake Tribune was on the outside, on its printed pages, it was colorful on the inside the last three decades of the 20th century, when newspapers changed from hot type to cold type, from letter to offset presses, from newsrooms with old-school, small-time reporters who barely (some didn't) graduated high school, to the new breed of college-educated journalists of any sex who wanted to change the world. Computers began updating the way news stories were researched, written and stored -- and, to a limited degree, delivered to homes. What did not change was the male domination of the newspaper and the tension between The Salt Lake Tribune and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the 1970s, '80s and '90s, The Tribune stood as the alternate voice to the dominant church that owned our closest competitor, the Deseret News, and tacitly ran state government. Since the author left the newspaper, that church made its transition to the digital age all the more painful by obstructing long-time owners and squeezing funding. Subsequent owners mined the newspaper's assets, making it even tougher to stay in business. After rescuing the struggling Tribune in 2016, the Huntsman family took the bold initiative to seek non-profit status in 2019, a move requiring major fundraising to preserve the paper's independent voice.

The author hopes her memories and observations, augmented by those of her peers and husband, help put the era into perspective for students of journalism and Utah's history and for readers in general. Even better would be her ability to generate understanding and a few laughs. She wrote this book as a memoir rather than a history to narrow its focus and give herself latitude in the types of details covered. She also wanted to give readers a sense of how staffers' personal experiences affected and were influenced by The Tribune.

This second edition includes updates and an index.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781735783338
Publisher: Diane Marie Cole
Publication date: 11/21/2020
Edition description: Includes Index, non-profit status
Pages: 474
Product dimensions: 8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.95(d)

About the Author

Diane Cole compiled comments, photographs and information from various publications and staffers of The Salt Lake Tribune, including herself, for her memoir. She also designed the cover and chose the layout. Dennis Green's illustrations appear on the cover and inside. Timothy Kelly provided most of the photographs.
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews