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Dabakis Hopes DC Trip Will Help Save the Tribune

Utah State Senator Jim Dabakis is leading an effort to salvage the financial future of the Salt Lake Tribune and next month he’ll be taking his message to Washington, DC. 

Last year, the parent companies of The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News renegotiated a joint operating agreement between the two newspapers.  The resulting JOA included a revenue sharing plan that cut the profits of the Salt Lake Tribune in half. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating possible violations of anti-trust law with the JOA.  State Senator Jim Dabakis hopes a trip to Washington he has planned will help raise awareness among key lawmakers.

“The emphasis isn’t on the Utah congressional delegation.  It is on the members who work with the Justice Department, on those that value anti-trust. And we’ve had help from several  senators from around the country who have been informing the Department of Justice.  So they’re not just hearing from Senator Hatch and Senator Lee,” says Dabakis.

More than 14,000 people have signed the online petition on Dabakis’ Save the Tribune website. Dabakis has also begun fundraising on the site. He says most of the money raised will be used to help fund a potential legal battle over the current joint operating agreement.

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