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SALT LAKE CITY — The Deseret News plans to buy UtahPolicy.com, a local political news site, company officials announced Monday.
A statement on Utah Policy's site said the purchase will likely be finalized by the end of August after 16 years of being published by LaVarr Webb, who previously worked for the Deseret News and currently co-writes a political column for the paper.
“LaVarr Webb and the Utah Policy team have been the go-to source for behind-the-scenes policy and politics for many years,” said Boyd Matheson, Deseret News opinion editor and head of strategic reach. ”Utah Policy will continue to deliver as a daily news aggregator and inside source for thought leaders, influencers, executives, policy players and politicos.”
Webb founded the aggregation site in 2004 in effort to provide a central place for Utahns to get local political news.
“From the beginning, one of our key features has been to aggregate public policy and political coverage of interest to Utah readers,” Webb told the Deseret News. “That work will continue under the new ownership with links to daily news stories and the other features that we’ve developed.”
Prior to the sale announcement, Utah Policy managing editor Bryan Schott announced over the weekend that he was leaving the website to join The Salt Lake Tribune’s staff as a political reporter.
“Utah Policy will continue to lead out with all the features, insight and insider information you have come to count on,” Utah Policy's statement said Monday. “As a thought leader and influencer, we know you rely on Utah Policy for comprehensive news aggregation from all sources, behind the scenes access and up-to-the-minute coverage from Utah's Capitol Hill.”
Webb, who said the deal's timing coincides with his desire to slow down in retirement age, will still manage Utah Policy with the new ownership. Financial and other specifics of the acquisition weren't released.
“We will continue to deliver all this to your inbox while innovating new features, adding more robust content and improving your online experience,” the political website added.
