Trib publisher, director of nonprofit join alliance

The Salt Lake Tribune is back in the Alliance for Unity.

Tribune Publisher Dean Singleton and Cynthia Buckingham, executive director of the Utah Humanities Council, became the two newest members of the group last month.

The pair were voted in to help replace three outgoing members — University of Utah president Bernie Machen, who left to take the top spot at the University of Florida, Charlie Johnson and Esther Landa.

The Tribune had briefly been without representation on the 17-member Alliance for Unity after Tribune editor Jay Shelledy left the newspaper last year in the wake of a controversy surrounding his reporters' actions while covering the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. Despite quitting, Shelledy remains on the alliance.

Singleton, owner of the media conglomerate Media News Group, joins Deseret Morning News editor John Hughes as the alliance's newspaper representatives.

"As a group, we felt it was advisable to have both newspapers represented," said Alexander Morrison, executive secretary of the alliance.

In the past, it has been suggested the newspapers donate free advertising to certain projects or causes the alliance promotes. Talk of such deals have led some to criticize the newspaper leaders for being members of the alliance, which often takes political positions, solves community issues and makes news. Additionally, alliance co-chairman billionaire Jon M. Huntsman Sr.'s son, Jon Huntsman Jr., is a candidate in the governor's race, which both papers cover extensively.

The alliance, which includes church, civic and business leaders, does seem to wield much political clout. In November, the alliance adopted a position against hotter radioactive waste coming to Utah, causing waste disposer Envirocare to drop its plans to bring in hotter waste. The alliance also was a key cog in Anderson's Unity Center solution to the Main Street Plaza fray, and late last year alliance members announced they were going to start taking stands on more political issues.

Singleton is the first publisher on the alliance, which has traditionally tapped the newspapers' top editors instead of publishers. Morrison said Tribune editor Nancy Conway was considered but "I'm not sure how interested she was," in becoming a member.

"The decision was that we would have the publisher of the Tribune," he said.

Conway was unavailable for comment.

Both Singleton and Buckingham were nominated by other alliance members, Morrison said. He would not say who nominated the new members.

"That's internal business of the alliance and nobody else's," Morrison said.

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com