In the early years of the Deseret territory, pioneer settlers in the Great Basin were largely isolated from news, both from the east and the west.
News did come in waves, though, as new settlers brought letters and newspapers with them. Brigham Young often held “news conferences” when travelers or couriers arrived with eastern papers, reading aloud to crowds for hours.
Then, on June 15, 1850 — 175 years ago — the first issue of the Deseret News was published, heralding a new era of mass media and technological innovation that still inspires us today.
From handset type to high-speed presses
The inaugural issue of the Deseret News had a run of about 220 copies printed one sheet at a time on a Ramage press — highly regarded for its price, portability and ease of use.
The shelf life for a newspaper then was weeks if not months. Published weekly — if paper stock was readily available — each copy of the Deseret News was likely to be passed around and read by many people. Newspapers were the first mass media. More efficient than in-person gatherings, word-of-mouth and letters, ink printed on paper was the best way to inform people at scale.
Because laying out type backward one letter at a time was a painstaking process, Deseret News editors and publishers were eager to adopt new technologies as they came along. And they did! Over the past 175 years, our publishing has become quicker and more efficient as we’ve incorporated each of these inventions in their time.
- Linotype machine, which automated the typesetting process.
- Halftone printing, which allowed photographs to be printed using dots.
- Offset printing, which enabled faster more efficient printing.
- Web-fed presses introduced high speed printing on rolls of paper.
- Computerized design replaced manual layout with desktop publishing.
From Pony Express to push notifications
Throughout our history, the Deseret News adopted emerging methods to improve storytelling and speed up the path from draft to delivery.
- The Pony Express brought timely letters and news to and from Salt Lake City.
- Railroads and telegraphs enabled faster news distribution across distances.
- Delivery trucks and paper routes — those kids on bikes — streamlined local distribution.
- Web publishing moved news online and with 24/7 access.
- Mobile apps enabled on-the-go consumption.
- Social media created new methods for distribution and discovery.
Innovations in distribution have allowed the Deseret News to go from reaching 200,000 print subscribers to reaching millions of online readers each month.
What AI means for journalism’s future
Now, halfway through the 2020s, the speed of technological advancement has never been faster. Audiences have more to read, watch and hear than ever — all in varying degrees of quality and worth. We’re in the early years of AI use, which already is bringing changes to content production and distribution, including news.
Our approach to AI is both careful and enthusiastic. We see it as a productivity amplifier, assisting us with research, ideation and summarization. We’re using it across the company and in every job function. Each month tech companies release new AI models that produce increasingly sophisticated tools. And anyone can use it to create videos, pictures and stories in an instant. The ease of creation underscores the importance for us to earn and maintain the trust of our audience.
As AI lowers the barrier to content creation, the role of trained and discerning journalists becomes even more significant in two ways: first, as a primary source to understand what has happened and what it means for individuals and families; and second, AI tools themselves require thoroughly vetted data and information on which to base their models. So even if consumption habits for some shift away from news websites and apps to chatbots and digital assistants, the well-reported information has to come from sources you can trust. That’s where we come in.
The Deseret News will remain a vital voice
We’ve come a long way from the news scarcity of the 1850s. Today it’s hard to go minutes without the ping of a breaking news alert from every corner of the globe.
With so much noise online today, the Deseret News stands out as a provider of trusted news and perspectives on the issues that matter most to people of faith in Utah and nationwide. We continue to recognize the vital importance of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, in particular the freedoms of speech, press, assembly and conscience. We are a watchdog for religious liberty and families.
You can continue to expect the Deseret News to provide pragmatic, values-driven journalism that is constantly utilizing new tools to gather reliable information and experiment with emerging formats. Since 1850, our aim has been to record for present and future generations the challenges of our day and the solutions we find to make the world incrementally better and more easily understandable.
Our dedication remains to seek the truth and publish it, whatever the format, to principled and discerning people. Whatever challenges emerge in Utah, the West and the nation, we will be here. Wherever there is darkness, we see opportunity for light, truth and hope.
Thank you to our readers
We’re grateful to our print subscribers and online readers who have trusted our reporting. We further thank the millions who turn to Deseret.com and the Deseret News app each month for news and perspectives. In every case, our goal is to inform and empower you, knowing we all make better decisions when we’re well informed.
Powered by purpose-driven people
All the technological advances through the years would mean nothing without the dedicated journalists, editors, designers, technologists, printers, salespeople and more who have given their careers to this noble pursuit over the last 175 years. Deseret News employees haven’t done it for fame or glory (or high salaries). There’s a powerful drive behind our teams that still thrives at the Deseret News today: to find what’s true and arm our readers with information to decide what they will do about it.
Looking ahead: Toward our 200th year
Before we know it, the Deseret News will be celebrating our 200th anniversary. For the next 25 years — and well beyond — I hope many of you and your families will still turn to the Deseret News as a source of light and truth. We will be here, pursuing the stories of the day, using the best technology available to produce and publish it. We will continue to shine a light on what the news means for individuals, families and communities.