Utah Episcopal paper ending its print run

SALT LAKE CITY — A newspaper geared toward members of Utah's Protestant community has decided to abandon its monthly print edition and will publish primarily online.

The January issue of the monthly Diocesan Dialogue, which has served the Episcopal Diocese of Utah for 20 years, noted in its cover story that, "The change is definitely a result of the times."

"As we all know, printed news is being challenged by Web delivery. Daily papers, news magazines, and newsletters are giving way to the Internet. ... More and more people simply want to get their news from the Internet. Simply put, the Diocese will have a considerable cost savings by moving the paper to a quarterly, as well as reaching new people with the expanded Web edition."

Editor Craig Wirth told the Deseret News that the decision to move online came when the national Episcopal Church's newspaper — Episcopal Life — decided to do the same. The Dialogue was actually printed in New Jersey with Episcopal Life and wrapped around the national paper before being mailed to those in the Utah diocese.

"A number of dioceses from throughout the nation were dropping their printed version. We were publishing in conjunction with the national church, and we were kind of one of the last still doing a monthly print. That figured into it, and we took a hard look at our increasing participation in an online newsletter that we have," he said.

"It's a combination of economics and what was happening nationally in the Episcopal Church. We were doing the entire cost of distributing the paper to everyone on our mailing list."

"We are aware a number of faithful and wonderful people wish the friendly monthly paper would not go away," Wirth wrote to readers, noting some "don't have computers or the desire to get their news by electronic means."

For that reason, the new quarterly publication will include a news summary, and will be wrapped around a quarterly Episcopal Life publication by the national church, as the monthly edition has been. The first edition will come out in March, Wirth said.

Local pastors are being encouraged to provide interested members with a printed copy of a weekly e-mail from the diocese for those without computer access.

Readers looking for the online edition of the Diocesan Dialogue will find it at www.episcopal-ut.org.