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Chicago Tribune

“'The Trib' redirects here. For other newspapers with similar names, see Tribune...”

Contents
  • 1. Overview
  • 2. Etymology
  • 3. Cultural Impact

“The Trib” redirects here. For other newspapers with similar names, see Tribune (disambiguation) .

Chicago Tribune

The front page of the Chicago Tribune on March 27, 2024. Type: Daily newspaper Format: Broadsheet Owner: Tribune Publishing Founders:

The Chicago Tribune, a daily newspaper rooted in Chicago , Illinois, United States, has been a cornerstone of American journalism since its inception in 1847. For a significant period, it proudly proclaimed itself the “World’s Greatest Newspaper,” a moniker that extended its influence to its sister entities, WGN radio and WGN television , which derived their call letters from this very slogan. Currently, it stands as the most widely read daily publication within the Chicago metropolitan area and the broader Great Lakes region , and ranks as the sixth-largest newspaper in the nation by print circulation.

In the mid-19th century, under the stewardship of Joseph Medill , the Chicago Tribune forged a strong association with prominent Illinois politician Abraham Lincoln and the burgeoning Republican Party . This alliance positioned the paper as a voice for the progressive wing of the party. As the 20th century unfolded, under the leadership of Medill’s grandson, ‘Colonel’ Robert R. McCormick , the Tribune cultivated a reputation as a fiercely independent and crusading newspaper. Its editorial stance championed American conservatism and often stood in opposition to the policies of the New Deal . The newspaper’s reach extended beyond Chicago through its affiliations with the New York Daily News and the Washington Times-Herald . Throughout much of the 20th century and into the 21st, the Tribune maintained a robust network of international news bureaus and foreign correspondents, providing a global perspective to its readership. The corporate umbrella, Tribune Company , began a period of expansion in the 1960s, acquiring additional daily newspapers. A significant shift occurred in 2008 when, for the first time in its history, the Tribune’s editorial page offered its endorsement to a Democrat, Barack Obama , then a U.S. senator from Illinois, for the presidency.

Initially published exclusively in a broadsheet format, the Tribune announced a change on January 13, 2009. While home delivery would continue in the broadsheet style, newsstand and commuter sales would transition to a tabloid format. This experiment, however, proved less than successful with its readership. By August 2011, the newspaper reverted to its traditional broadsheet format across all distribution channels, a decision met with renewed reader approval.

The Chicago Tribune is a property of Tribune Publishing . In May 2021, Alden Global Capital acquired Tribune Publishing, integrating its media properties under Digital First Media . This acquisition has seen a notable shift in the newspaper’s editorial focus, moving away from extensive national and international coverage towards a more concentrated emphasis on news pertaining to Illinois and, particularly, the Chicago metropolitan area.

In 2013, the Tribune settled a lawsuit concerning illegal billing practices directed at consumers. A subsequent lawsuit regarding similar deceptive billing practices was filed in 2023.

History

19th century

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An 1870 advertisement for Chicago Tribune subscriptions. The lead editorial in the Chicago Tribune following the Great Chicago Fire .

The Chicago Tribune’s inaugural issue was published on June 10, 1847, by its founders: James Kelly , John E. Wheeler, and Joseph K. C. Forrest. The subsequent eight years witnessed a dynamic period of shifting ownership and editorial direction. Initially, the Tribune maintained a politically independent stance, though it generally favored either the Whig or Free Soil parties in electoral contests, often in opposition to the Democrats . By the latter part of 1853, the newspaper began to publish editorials critical of foreigners and adherents of Roman Catholicism . Around this same period, the Tribune also became a vocal advocate for the temperance movement. Despite the nativist undertones of its editorials, it was not until February 10, 1855, that the Tribune formally aligned itself with the nativist American Party, colloquially known as the Know Nothing party. The party’s candidate, Levi Boone , secured the position of Mayor of Chicago the following month.

In approximately 1854, Capt. J. D. Webster, who would later achieve the rank of General and serve as chief of staff at the Battle of Shiloh , along with Charles H. Ray from Galena, Illinois , influenced Joseph Medill of Cleveland’s Leader newspaper to assume the role of managing editor at the Tribune. This transition was facilitated through Horace Greeley . Ray was appointed editor-in-chief, Medill took on the responsibilities of managing editor, and Alfred Cowles, Sr. , brother of [Edwin Cowles], initially managed the bookkeeping. Each of these individuals held a one-third stake in the Tribune. Under their collective leadership, the Tribune began to distance itself from the Know Nothings and emerged as the primary Chicago organ for the Republican Party . Nevertheless, the paper continued to publish editorials expressing anti-Catholic and anti-Irish sentiments, a reflection of the significant famine immigration from Ireland that was occurring at the time.

The Tribune absorbed three other Chicago publications under its new editorial team: the Free West in 1855, the Democratic Press owned by William Bross in 1858, and the Chicago Democrat in 1861. The editor of the latter, John Wentworth , departed his position upon his election as Mayor of Chicago . Between 1858 and 1860, the newspaper was known as the Chicago Press & Tribune . On October 25, 1860, it became the Chicago Daily Tribune. Leading up to and throughout the American Civil War , the new editors offered strong support to Abraham Lincoln , whom Medill had actively helped secure the presidency in 1860, and championed an abolitionist agenda. The paper sustained its influence within Republican politics for many years thereafter.

In 1861, the Tribune published new lyrics by William W. Patton for the song “John Brown’s Body ”. These lyrics were composed in rivalrous proximity to those later published by Julia Ward Howe two months later. Medill served a term as mayor of Chicago following the devastating Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

20th century

The Tribune, circa 1919.

During the 20th century, under the command of Colonel Robert R. McCormick , who assumed leadership in the 1920s, the newspaper adopted a strongly isolationist stance and aligned itself with the Old Right in its political and social commentary. Its motto became “The American Paper for Americans.” From the 1930s through the 1950s, the Tribune was a fierce critic of the Democrats and Franklin D. Roosevelt ’s New Deal . It displayed a consistent disdain for Britain and France and expressed considerable enthusiasm for Chiang Kai-shek and Senator Joseph McCarthy .

When McCormick became co-editor alongside his cousin Joseph Medill Patterson in 1910, the Tribune held the third-highest circulation among Chicago’s eight daily newspapers, with approximately 188,000 readers. The young cousins introduced new features, including advice columns and original comic strips like Little Orphan Annie and Moon Mullins . They also championed political crusades, achieving an early success with the ousting of the Republican political boss of Illinois, Senator William Lorimer . Concurrently, the Tribune engaged in a fierce circulation war with William Randolph Hearst’s newspaper, the Chicago Examiner . By 1914, the cousins had succeeded in replacing the newspaper’s managing editor, William Keeley. By 1918, the Examiner was compelled to merge with the Chicago Herald .

In 1919, Patterson relocated to New York City to establish his own newspaper, the New York Daily News . In a renewed circulation battle with Hearst’s Herald-Examiner, McCormick and Hearst sponsored rival lotteries in 1922, a competition the Tribune ultimately won, adding 250,000 readers. The same year, the Chicago Tribune initiated an international design competition for its new headquarters, the Tribune Tower . This competition proved to be an exceptionally effective publicity campaign, attracting over 260 entries. The winning design, a neo-Gothic structure, was created by New York architects John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood .

The newspaper sponsored a pioneering venture in Arctic aviation in 1929, an ambitious attempt at a round-trip flight to Europe via Greenland and Iceland in a Sikorsky amphibious aircraft. Tragically, the aircraft was destroyed by ice on July 15, 1929, near Ungava Bay at the northern tip of Labrador , Canada. The crew was subsequently rescued by the Canadian science vessel CSS Acadia.

The Tribune’s reputation for innovation extended to the burgeoning field of radio. In 1924, it acquired an early radio station, WDAP, and rebranded it as WGN , the call letters reflecting the paper’s self-proclaimed title as the “World’s Greatest Newspaper.” WGN Television commenced broadcasting on April 5, 1948. These broadcast entities remained under Tribune ownership for nine decades, representing one of the longest-standing instances of newspaper and broadcasting cross-ownership in the nation. (Its East Coast counterpart, the New York Daily News, later launched WPIX television and FM radio .)

The Tribune’s renowned sports editor, Arch Ward , conceived the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1933, coinciding with the city’s Century of Progress exposition.

Among the Tribune’s most significant journalistic achievements was obtaining the full text of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919. Another notable scoop was its revelation of United States war plans on the eve of the Pearl Harbor attack. An article published on June 7, 1942, which suggested that the United States had successfully broken Japan’s naval code, carried the risk of revealing a highly classified military secret to the enemy. This story, which implied that American forces had cracked enemy naval codes, was not submitted for censorship approval and reportedly incensed U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the point where he considered shutting down the Tribune.

From 1940 to 1943, the paper augmented its comic strip offerings with The Chicago Tribune Comic Book, a response to the burgeoning popularity of comic books . Simultaneously, it launched the more successful and enduring The Spirit Section , an initiative by newspapers to compete with this new medium.

Under McCormick’s direction, the Tribune actively promoted the adoption of modified spelling for the sake of simplicity. Beginning in 1934, the paper published lists of common words that could be spelled more “sanely,” for instance, by removing double L’s or shortening “-ogue” endings to “-og.” In 1939, some of these experimental spellings were abandoned due to lack of public acceptance, such as “crum” for “crumb” and “sherif” for “sheriff.” However, more prominent changes, like the use of “altho,” “tho,” “thoro,” and “thru,” persisted and became distinctive features of the Tribune for decades. Most of these simplified spellings were retained until a stylebook revision in 1975 adopted Webster’s Third as the paper’s official authority on spelling. An accompanying editorial concluded that “we do not want to make any more trouble between Johnny and his teacher.” Despite this, a few simplified spellings, including “cigaret” and “dialog,” remained in use as late as 1981.

1948 U.S. presidential election

Truman was widely expected to lose the 1948 election, and the Chicago Tribune ran the incorrect headline, “Dewey Defeats Truman ” in its early edition the day after the election.

The newspaper is famously known for a significant error made during the 1948 presidential election . At the time, a substantial portion of its composing room staff was on strike. Early election returns led editors to believe, as did many across the country, that Republican candidate Thomas Dewey would emerge victorious. Consequently, an early edition of the following day’s paper featured the headline “Dewey Defeats Truman ,” inadvertently transforming the newspaper into a valuable collector’s item. Democrat Harry S. Truman ultimately won the election and famously displayed the erroneous newspaper in a well-known photograph taken at St. Louis Union Station . Beneath the headline was a false article , penned by Arthur Sears Henning, which purported to detail West Coast results, despite being written before the East Coast election returns were fully available.

Colonel McCormick, a staunch supporter of the Republican Party, passed away in 1955, mere days before Richard J. Daley , the Democratic boss, was elected mayor for the first time.

In 1969, under the leadership of publisher Harold Grumhaus and editor Clayton Kirkpatrick , the Tribune began to broaden its editorial perspective. While the paper maintained its Republican and conservative leaning in its editorials, its commentary sections started to incorporate a wider array of diverse opinions. Crucially, its news reporting shed the overtly conservative slant that had characterized the McCormick era.

On May 1, 1974, in a remarkable journalistic feat, the Tribune published the entirety of the 246,000-word Watergate tapes in a 44-page supplement that was available to the public within 24 hours of the transcripts’ release by the Nixon White House . Not only was the Tribune the first newspaper to publish the transcripts, but it also managed to preempt the U.S. Government Printing Office ’s official version, generating significant headlines.

A week later, after a thorough review of the transcripts, the paper’s editorial board issued a statement observing that “the high dedication to grand principles that Americans have a right to expect from a President is missing from the transcript record.” The Tribune’s editors concluded that “nobody of sound mind can read [the transcripts] and continue to think that Mr. Nixon has upheld the standards and dignity of the Presidency,” and called for Nixon’s resignation. The Tribune’s call for Nixon’s resignation garnered widespread attention, signaling not only a shift in the paper’s conservative ideology but also marking a critical juncture in Nixon’s ability to weather the unfolding scandal. The White House reportedly viewed the Tribune’s editorial stance as a significant loss of a long-standing supporter and a damaging blow to Nixon’s prospects of overcoming the crisis.

On December 7, 1975, Kirkpatrick announced in an editorial page column the resignation of Rick Soll , describing him as a “young and talented columnist” for the paper, whose work had “won a following among many Tribune readers over the last two years.” Soll had admitted that one of his columns, dated November 23, 1975, contained verbatim passages taken from a piece written by another columnist in 1967 and later published in a collection. Kirkpatrick did not identify the original columnist. The passages in question, Kirkpatrick explained, were from a notebook where Soll regularly recorded words, phrases, and snippets of conversation he wished to remember. The paper initially suspended Soll for a month without pay. Kirkpatrick further elaborated that subsequent evidence revealed another of Soll’s columns contained information that he knew to be false. At this point, Tribune editors made the decision to accept Soll’s resignation, which he offered when the internal investigation commenced.

After leaving the Tribune, Soll married Pam Zekman , who was then a reporter for a Chicago newspaper and later transitioned to television journalism. He subsequently worked for the short-lived Chicago Times magazine, owned by Small Newspaper Group Inc. of Kankakee, Illinois , in the late 1980s. Soll was born in 1946 in Chicago to Marjorie and Jules Soll. He graduated from New Trier High School , earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968 from Colgate University , and completed a master’s degree from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 1970.

In January 1977, Tribune columnist Will Leonard passed away at the age of 64. In March 1978, the Tribune announced the hiring of columnist Bob Greene from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Kirkpatrick retired as editor in 1979, succeeded by Maxwell McCrohon, who held the position until 1981 before transitioning to a corporate role. McCrohon remained in his corporate capacity until 1983, when he departed to become editor-in-chief of United Press International . James Squires served as the paper’s editor from July 1981 until December 1989.

Jack Fuller held the position of editor of the Tribune from 1989 to 1993, after which he became the president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Tribune. Howard Tyner served as the Tribune’s editor from 1993 to 2001, when he was promoted to vice president/editorial for Tribune Publishing.

The Tribune garnered 11 Pulitzer Prizes during the 1980s and 1990s. Editorial cartoonist Dick Locher received the award in 1983, and editorial cartoonist Jeff MacNelly won one in 1985. Subsequently, future editor Jack Fuller earned a Pulitzer for editorial writing in 1986. In 1987, reporters Jeff Lyon and Peter Gorner were awarded a Pulitzer for explanatory reporting. In 1988, Dean Baquet , William Gaines, and Ann Marie Lipinski received a Pulitzer for investigative reporting. In 1989, Lois Wille won a Pulitzer for editorial writing, and Clarence Page secured the award for commentary. In 1994, Ron Kotulak won a Pulitzer for explanatory journalism, while R. Bruce Dold received it for editorial writing. In 1998, reporter Paul Salopek won a Pulitzer for explanatory writing, and in 1999, architecture critic Blair Kamin was honored with the award for criticism.

In September 1981, baseball writer Jerome Holtzman joined the Tribune after a distinguished 38-year career at the Sun-Times.

In September 1982, the Chicago Tribune inaugurated its new printing facility, the Freedom Center , a project costing $180 million.

In November 1982, William H. “Bill” Jones, managing editor of the Tribune and a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1971, died at the age of 43 from cardiac arrest, stemming from complications following a prolonged battle with leukemia .

In May 1983, Tribune columnist Aaron Gold succumbed to complications from leukemia at the age of 45. Gold had co-authored the Tribune’s “Inc.” column with Michael Sneed and previously wrote the paper’s “Tower Ticker” column.

The Tribune secured a significant journalistic coup in 1984 by successfully recruiting popular columnist Mike Royko away from its rival, the Sun-Times .

In 1986, the Tribune announced a change in the role of its film critic, Gene Siskel , who was arguably the paper’s most recognizable writer. Siskel transitioned from a full-time film critic to a freelance contract writer, tasked with covering the film industry for the Sunday paper and providing capsule reviews for the entertainment sections. This adjustment followed Siskel and his long-time colleague Roger Ebert ’s decision to move their weekly movie review show, then known as At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert and later Siskel & Ebert & The Movies , from Tribune Entertainment to The Walt Disney Company ’s Buena Vista Television unit. Editor James Squires stated at the time that Siskel had “done a great job for us” but acknowledged the difficulty of balancing a major television career with newspaper duties. Siskel declined to comment on the new arrangement, but Ebert publicly criticized the Tribune’s management for what he perceived as a punitive action against Siskel for taking their television program to a company other than Tribune Entertainment. Siskel continued in this freelance capacity until his death in 1999. He was succeeded as film critic by Dave Kehr .

In February 1988, Tribune foreign correspondent Jonathan Broder resigned after publishing an article on February 22 that contained numerous sentences and phrases lifted without attribution from a column by Joel Greenberg, which had appeared 10 days earlier in The Jerusalem Post .

In August 1988, Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Coakley died at the age of 41 from complications related to AIDS .

In November 1992, Searle “Ed” Hawley, an associate subject editor at the Tribune, was arrested by Chicago police and charged with seven counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. The charges alleged that he had engaged in sexual activity with three juveniles at his home in Evanston, Illinois . Hawley formally resigned from the paper in early 1993 and pleaded guilty in April 1993, receiving a three-year prison sentence.

In October 1993, the Tribune dismissed its long-serving military affairs writer, retired Marine David Evans, stating publicly that the position was being replaced by a national security writer.

In December 1993, Nicholas Horrock, the Tribune’s long-time Washington, D.C. bureau chief, was fired after refusing to attend a meeting in Chicago requested by editor Howard Tyner. Horrock, who departed the paper shortly thereafter, was succeeded by James Warren , who subsequently drew renewed attention to the Tribune’s D.C. bureau through his persistent critiques of prominent broadcast journalists in Washington.

In December 1993, the Tribune hired Margaret Holt from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel as its assistant managing editor for sports, making her the first woman to lead a sports department at any of the nation’s 10 largest newspapers. In mid-1995, Holt was replaced as sports editor by Tim Franklin and moved to a newly created position as customer service editor.

In 1994, reporter Brenda You was terminated by the Tribune after she had freelanced for supermarket tabloid newspapers and provided them with photographs from the Tribune’s photo library. She later worked for the National Enquirer and as a producer for The Jerry Springer Show before her death by suicide in November 2005.

In April 1994, the Tribune’s new television critic, Ken Parish Perkins, published an article about then-WFLD morning news anchor [Bob Sirott], quoting Sirott as making a statement that Sirott later denied. Sirott publicly criticized Perkins on air, and the Tribune subsequently issued a correction acknowledging that Sirott had not made the quoted statement. Eight months later, Perkins stepped down as TV critic and left the paper shortly thereafter.

In December 1995, the alternative newsweekly Newcity published a first-person article by a pseudonymous author, Clara Hamon (a name referenced in the play The Front Page ), who was quickly identified by Tribune reporters as former Tribune reporter Mary Hill. The article offered a strong critique of the paper’s one-year residency program, which brought junior journalists into the paper for temporary stints with little prospect of full-time employment. Hill acknowledged to the Chicago Reader that she had initially written the piece for the internet before it was edited for publication in Newcity.

In 1997, the Tribune marked its 150th anniversary by commissioning long-time reporter Stevenson Swanson to edit the book Chicago Days: 150 Defining Moments in the Life of a Great City.

On April 29, 1997, the popular columnist Mike Royko died from a brain aneurysm . On September 2, 1997, the Tribune promoted John Kass, a long-time City Hall reporter, to succeed Royko as the paper’s principal Page Two news columnist.

On June 1, 1997, the Tribune published what became an exceptionally popular column by Mary Schmich titled “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young,” also widely known as “Wear Sunscreen ” or the “Sunscreen Speech.” The most recognized version of this essay was adapted into a successful music single in 1999 by Baz Luhrmann .

In 1998, reporter Jerry Thomas was fired by the Tribune after writing a cover story on boxing promoter Don King for Emerge magazine while simultaneously working on a similar cover story for the Chicago Tribune Sunday magazine. The paper cited Thomas’s failure to inform the Tribune of his outside work and the fact that the Emerge story was published first as reasons for his dismissal. His photographer on the Emerge story, Pulitzer Prize-winning Tribune photographer Ovie Carter , was suspended for a month.

On June 6, 1999, the Tribune published a first-person travel article by freelance writer Gaby Plattner, detailing a purported incident where an Air Zimbabwe pilot, flying without a co-pilot, inadvertently locked himself out of the cockpit while the plane was on autopilot . The account claimed the pilot used a large axe to break through the cockpit door. An airline representative strongly refuted the story, calling it “totally untrue, unprofessional and damaging to our airline” and explaining that Air Zimbabwe does not carry axes on its aircraft and always flies with a full crew. The paper was consequently forced to issue a correction, stating that Plattner “now says that she passed along a story she had heard as something she had experienced.”

The Tribune demonstrated early leadership in the digital realm, acquiring a 10 percent stake in America Online in the early 1990s. It subsequently launched various websites, including Chicagotribune.com (1995), Metromix .com (1996), ChicagoSports.com (1999), ChicagoBreakingNews.com (2008), and ChicagoNow (2009). In 2002, the paper introduced RedEye , a tabloid edition aimed at readers aged 18 to 34.

21st century

Ann Marie Lipinski served as the paper’s editor from February 2001 until her resignation on July 17, 2008. Gerould W. Kern was appointed the paper’s editor in July 2008. In early August 2008, Hanke Gratteau resigned as managing editor for news, followed by the resignation of James Warren , managing editor for features, several weeks later. Both were succeeded by Jane Hirt, who had previously been the editor of the Tribune’s RedEye tabloid.

In June 2000, Times Mirror merged with Tribune Company, bringing The Baltimore Sun and its associated community publications, Baltimore Sun Media Group / Patuxent Publishing, under Tribune’s ownership.

In July 2000, Tribune outdoors columnist John Husar, who had publicly discussed his need for a liver transplant, died at the age of 63, just over a week after receiving a portion of a new liver from a live donor.

The Tribune’s Baltimore Community papers include the Arbutus Times, Baltimore Messenger, Catonsville Times , Columbia Flier, Howard County Times , The Jeffersonian , Laurel Leader, Lifetimes, North County News, Northeast Booster, Northeast Reporter, Owings Mills Times, and Towson Times. The Howard County Times was recognized as the 2010 Newspaper of the Year by the Suburban Newspaper Association. The Towson Times expanded its coverage beyond the Towson area to include Baltimore County government and politics.

The Tribune received five Pulitzer Prizes in the first decade of the 21st century. Salopek earned his second Pulitzer for the Tribune in 2001 for international reporting. In the same year, an explanatory reporting team—led by Louise Kiernan, Jon Hilkevitch, Laurie Cohen , Robert Manor, Andrew Martin, John Schmeltzer, Alex Rodriguez, and Andrew Zajac—was honored for their in-depth profile of the chaotic U.S. air traffic system. In 2003, editorial writer Cornelia Grumman was awarded the Pulitzer for editorial writing. In 2005, Julia Keller won a Pulitzer for feature reporting on a tornado that struck Utica, Illinois . In 2008, an investigative reporting team, including Patricia Callahan , Maurice Possley, Sam Roe , Ted Gregory, Michael Oneal, Evan Osnos , and photojournalist Scott Strazzante , received the Pulitzer for their series examining the failures in government regulation of defective toys, cribs, and car seats.

In late 2001, sports columnist Michael Holley announced his departure from the Tribune after only two months, citing homesickness. He subsequently returned to The Boston Globe , where he had been employed prior to joining the Tribune.

On September 15, 2002, Lipinski published a concise note on the front page informing readers that the paper’s long-standing columnist, Bob Greene , had resigned effective immediately. The resignation followed Greene’s acknowledgment of “engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct some years ago with a girl in her late teens whom he met in connection with his newspaper column.” The conduct was later revealed to have occurred in 1988 with a woman who was of the age of consent in Illinois. “Greene’s behavior was a serious violation of Tribune ethics and standards for its journalists,” Lipinski wrote. “We deeply regret the conduct, its effect on the young woman and the impact this disclosure has on the trust our readers placed in Greene and this newspaper.”

In January 2003, Mike Downey , formerly of the Los Angeles Times , was hired as a new Tribune sports columnist. He and colleague Rick Morrissey would continue the “In the Wake of the News” column, originally established by Ring Lardner .

In March 2004, the Tribune disclosed that freelance reporter Uli Schmetzer, who had retired from the Tribune in 2002 after 16 years as a foreign correspondent, had fabricated the name and occupation of an individual quoted in one of his stories. The paper terminated Schmetzer’s contract as a reporter and initiated a review of the approximately 300 stories he had written over the preceding three years.

In May 2004, the Tribune reported that freelance reporter Mark Falanga had been unable to verify certain factual details included in a lifestyle column published on April 18, 2004. The column, which described an expensive lunch at a Chicago restaurant, had asserted that a bottle of water cost $15 and a pasta entree was priced at $35. “Upon questioning, the freelance writer indicated the column was based on an amalgam of three restaurants and could not verify the prices,” the paper noted. Following this correction, the Tribune ceased assigning work to Falanga.

In October 2004, Tribune editor Ann Marie Lipinski intervened at the last minute to suppress a story intended for the paper’s WomanNews section. The article, written by freelance reporter Lisa Bertagnoli and titled “You c_nt say that (or can you?),” explored the use of a noted vulgarism . The paper dispatched personnel to the Tribune’s printing plant to remove all copies of the WomanNews sections containing the story from the October 27 package of preprinted sections.

In September 2008, the Tribune considered hiring controversial sports columnist Jay Mariotti , shortly after his abrupt resignation from Tribune’s staunch rival, the Chicago Sun-Times . However, discussions ceased after the Sun-Times threatened legal action for alleged violation of Mariotti’s non-compete agreement, which was set to expire in August 2009. Sports columnist Rick Morrissey subsequently moved to the Sun-Times in December 2009.

In April 2009, 55 Tribune reporters and editors signed an email addressed to Kern and managing editor Jane Hirt, questioning the marketing department’s practice of soliciting subscriber opinions on stories prior to their publication. They argued that this approach raised ethical, legal, and competitive concerns. The reporters declined to comment on the record to the Associated Press, with one reporter, John Chase, stating, “We’ll let the e-mail speak for itself.” In response to the controversy, Kern promptly discontinued the practice, describing it as “a brief market research project.”

Throughout the first decade of the 21st century, the Tribune experienced multiple rounds of staff reductions through layoffs and buyouts, a consequence of the industry-wide decline in advertising revenues. These reductions included:

  • In December 2005, the Tribune eliminated 28 editorial positions through a combination of buyouts and layoffs, marking what were believed to be the first layoffs in the paper’s history. Among the reporters who departed were Carol Kleiman, Bill Jauss, and Connie Lauerman.
  • In June 2007, approximately 25 newsroom employees accepted buyouts, including well-known bylines such as Charles Madigan , Michael Hirsley, and Ronald Kotulak, along with noted photographer Pete Souza .
  • In March 2008, the paper offered buyouts to around 25 newsroom employees, including sportswriter Sam Smith .
  • On August 15, 2008, the Tribune laid off over 40 employees in its newsroom and other editorial departments, including reporters Rick Popely, Ray Quintanilla, Lew Freedman , Michael Martinez, and Robert Manor.
  • Also in August 2008, approximately 36 editorial employees took voluntary buyouts or resigned, including prominent bylines like Michael Tackett, Ron Silverman, Timothy McNulty, Ed Sherman, Evan Osnos, Steve Franklin, Maurice Possley, Hanke Gratteau, Chuck Osgood, and Skip Myslenski.
  • On November 12, 2008, five editorial employees in the paper’s Washington, D.C. bureau were laid off, including John Crewdson .
  • On December 4, 2008, approximately 11 newsroom employees were laid off. Sports columnist Mike Downey had departed several weeks prior when his contract was not renewed. Well-known bylines among those laid off included Neil Milbert, Stevenson Swanson, Lisa Anderson, Phil Marty, Charles Storch, Courtney Flynn, and Deborah Horan.
  • In February 2009, the Tribune laid off about 20 editorial employees, including several foreign correspondents and some feature reporters and editors. Although some, like Charles Leroux and Jeff Lyon, technically accepted buyouts, reporters such as Emily Nunn, Susan Chandler, Christine Spolar, and Joel Greenberg were among those let go.
  • On April 22, 2009, the paper laid off 53 newsroom employees. Prominent bylines included Patrick Reardon, Melissa Isaacson, Russell Working, Jo Napolitano, Susan Diesenhouse, Beth Botts, Lou Carlozo, Jessica Reaves, Tom Hundley, Alan Artner, Eric Benderoff, James P. Miller, Bob Sakamoto, Terry Bannon, and John Mullin. This number was lower than the 90 newsroom jobs Crain’s Chicago Business had previously reported were slated for elimination.

The Tribune broke the story on May 29, 2009, revealing that several students had been admitted to the University of Illinois based on connections or recommendations from the school’s Board of Trustees, Chicago politicians, and members of the Rod Blagojevich administration. Initially denying the existence of a so-called “Category I” admissions program, university President B. Joseph “Joe” White and Chancellor Richard Herman eventually acknowledged instances of preferential treatment. While they asserted the list was short and their involvement was minor, the Tribune’s investigation, utilizing FOIA requests, uncovered emails showing White had received a recommendation for the admission of a relative of convicted fundraiser Tony Rezko . The Tribune also later published emails from Herman advocating for the acceptance of underqualified students. The Tribune has since initiated legal action against the university administration under the Freedom of Information Act (United States) to obtain the names of students who benefited from administrative influence and impropriety.

On February 8, 2010, the Chicago Tribune reduced the width of its newspaper by one inch. The paper stated this change aligned with an emerging industry standard and would result in minimal content alterations.

In July 2011, the Chicago Tribune conducted its first round of editorial employee layoffs in over two years, affecting approximately 20 editors and reporters. Among those let go were DuPage County reporter Art Barnum, Editorial Board member Pat Widder, and photographer Dave Pierini.

On March 15, 2012, the Tribune laid off 15 editorial staffers, including security guard Wendell Smothers (Smothers later died on November 12, 2012). Concurrently, the paper offered buyouts to six editorial staffers, including Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter William Mullen, Barbara Mahany, and Nancy Reese.

In June 2012, the Tribune’s Pulitzer Prize-winning cultural critic Julia Keller departed the paper to join the faculty of Ohio University and pursue a career as a novelist.

In September 2012, Tribune education reporter Joel Hood resigned from the paper to become a real estate broker. City Hall reporter Kristen Mack left to serve as press secretary for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle . The Tribune also hired Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer John J. Kim from the Chicago Sun-Times.

In October 2012, the Tribune’s science and medicine reporter, Trine Tsouderos, resigned to join a public relations firm.

Also in October 2012, the Tribune announced plans to implement a paywall for its website, offering digital-only subscriptions at $14.99 per month, effective November 1, 2012. Subscribers who received the seven-day print edition would continue to have unlimited online access at no additional charge.

In February 2013, the Tribune agreed to a settlement totaling $660,000 to resolve a class-action lawsuit filed by 46 current and former reporters from its TribLocal local-news reporting group concerning unpaid overtime wages. The lawsuit had been filed in federal court on behalf of Carolyn Rusin, who worked as a TribLocal staff reporter from July 2010 to October 2011. The paper’s TribLocal unit, established in 2007, utilized staff reporters, freelance writers, and user-generated content to produce hyperlocal news for Chicago-area communities.

On June 12, 2013, a tribute to the Boston Marathon bombing was re-posted, featuring the words “We are Chicago” above the names of Boston sports teams. On the graphic displayed on June 12, the word “Bruins” was shown as ripped off, with the accompanying comment, “Yeah, not right now we’re not,” referencing the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals , which pitted the Chicago Blackhawks against the Boston Bruins . Gerould Kern later tweeted that the Tribune “still supports [Boston] after all you’ve been through. We regret any offense. Now let’s play hockey.”

On November 20, 2013, the Tribune laid off an additional approximately 12 editorial staffers.

On April 6, 2014, the Tribune increased the newsstand price of its Sunday/Thanksgiving Day paper by 50 percent to $2.99 for a single copy. The newsrack price rose by $0.75, or 42.9%, to $2.50. By January 2017, prices saw further increases: newsrack prices rose by $1, or 40%, to $3.50, while newsstand prices also increased by $1, or 33.3%, to $3.99.

On January 28, 2015, Peter Kendall, the metropolitan editor, was appointed managing editor, succeeding Jane Hirt, who had resigned several months prior. Colin McMahon was named associate editor.

On February 18, 2016, the Tribune announced the retirement of editor Gerould Kern and the immediate promotion of the paper’s editorial page editor, R. Bruce Dold, to the position of Tribune’s editor.

On June 9, 2018, the Tribune concluded its 93-year tenure at Tribune Tower, relocating to One Prudential Plaza . The former Tribune Tower was subsequently redeveloped into condominiums.

2020s

On February 27, 2020, the Tribune announced that publisher and editor Bruce Dold would depart the Tribune on April 30, 2020, stepping down immediately as editor in chief. Colin McMahon was appointed as his successor. The paper also announced that Peter Kendall, one of the two managing editors, would leave the Tribune on February 28, 2020.

In January 2021, the Chicago Tribune relocated its offices and newsroom from One Prudential Plaza to the Freedom Center.

In May 2021, the paper was acquired by Alden Global Capital. Alden promptly initiated a round of employee buyouts, reducing the newsroom staff by 25 percent, and these cuts have continued. A former reporter characterized the situation as the paper being “snuffed out, quarter after quarter after quarter.” A report published in The Atlantic described Alden’s business model as straightforward: “Gut the staff, sell the real estate, jack up subscription prices, and wring as much cash as possible out of the enterprise until eventually enough readers cancel their subscriptions that the paper folds, or is reduced to a desiccated husk of its former self.”

Mitch Pugh was named the Tribune’s executive editor on August 20, 2021, following an eight-year tenure in the same role at The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina .

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Tribune Tower , the newspaper’s headquarters, opened in Chicago in 1925.

Policy

In a 2007 statement of principles published in the Tribune’s print and online editions, the paper’s editorial board articulated the newspaper’s philosophy, from which the following is excerpted:

The Chicago Tribune believes in the traditional principles of limited government; maximum individual responsibility; minimum restriction of personal liberty, opportunity and enterprise. It believes in free markets, free will and freedom of expression. These principles, while traditionally conservative, are guidelines and not reflexive dogmas.

The Tribune brings a Midwestern sensibility to public debate. It is suspicious of untested ideas.

The Tribune places great emphasis on the integrity of government and the private institutions that play a significant role in society. The newspaper does this in the belief that the people cannot consent to be governed unless they have knowledge of, and faith in, the leaders and operations of government. The Tribune embraces the diversity of people and perspectives in its community. It is dedicated to the future of the Chicago region.

The Tribune has consistently maintained an economically conservative outlook, expressing skepticism towards proposals for increasing the minimum wage and expanding entitlement spending . The paper was critical of the George W. Bush administration’s record concerning civil liberties, the environment, and various aspects of its foreign policy. Nevertheless, it continued to support Bush’s presidency while holding Democrats, such as Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and Cook County Board President Todd Stroger , accountable and calling for their removal from office.

In 2018, the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times withdrew their websites from European Union nations to avoid compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation .

Election endorsements

In 2004, the Tribune endorsed President George W. Bush for reelection, a decision consistent with its long-standing support for the Republican Party . In 2008, it endorsed Democratic candidate and Illinois junior U.S. Senator Barack Obama —marking the first time the paper had ever endorsed a Democrat for president. The Tribune reiterated its support for Obama in 2012 and, in 2020, endorsed another Democrat, Joe Biden , who had served as vice president under Obama. The paper abstained from endorsing a presidential candidate in 2024.

The Tribune has, on occasion, supported presidential candidates from other parties. In 1872, it backed Horace Greeley , a former newspaper editor associated with the Republican Party. In 1912, the paper endorsed Theodore Roosevelt , who ran on the Progressive Party ticket against Republican President William Howard Taft . In 2016, the Tribune endorsed the Libertarian Party candidate, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson , for president, opting against endorsing Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton .

Even during periods when it uniformly supported Republican presidential candidates, the Tribune endorsed Democrats for lesser offices. This included endorsements of Bill Foster , Barack Obama for the Senate , and Democrat Melissa Bean , who defeated Philip Crane , the longest-serving Republican in the United States House of Representatives . Although the Tribune endorsed George Ryan in the 1998 Illinois gubernatorial race, the paper subsequently investigated and reported on the scandals that emerged during Ryan’s tenure as Secretary of State. Ryan ultimately chose not to seek re-election in 2002 and was subsequently indicted, convicted, and imprisoned as a consequence of the scandal.

Tribune Company

The Chicago Tribune was the foundational business unit of Tribune Company (later renamed Tribune Media), which encompassed numerous newspapers and television stations across the country. In Chicago, Tribune Media owned the WGN radio station (720 AM) and WGN-TV (Channel 9). Tribune Company also owned the Los Angeles Times —which eventually surpassed the Tribune in value—and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The Cubs were sold in 2009, and the newspapers were spun off in 2014 as Tribune Publishing.

Tribune Company owned the New York Daily News from its founding in 1919 until its sale in 1991 to British newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell . The founder of the News, Capt. Joseph Medill Patterson , was the grandson of Joseph Medill and a cousin of Tribune editor Robert McCormick. Both Patterson and McCormick were proponents of simplified spelling , a characteristic that distinguished their respective papers for many years. In 2008, the Tribune Company sold the Long Island newspaper Newsday —established in 1940 by Patterson’s daughter (and Medill’s great-granddaughter), [Alicia Patterson]—to the Long Island cable television company Cablevision .

From 1925 to 2018, the Chicago Tribune was headquartered in the Tribune Tower on North Michigan Avenue (Chicago) along the Magnificent Mile . The building, designed in a neo-Gothic style, was the winner of an international competition hosted by the Tribune. The Chicago Tribune relocated in June 2018 to the Prudential Plaza office complex overlooking Millennium Park, following Tribune Media’s sale of Tribune Tower to developers.

Pulitzer Prizes

Colonel McCormick initially prevented the Tribune from participating in the Pulitzer Prize competition for many years. However, the newspaper has since earned 28 awards [^134^], including numerous accolades for editorial writing .

The Tribune received its first post-McCormick Pulitzer in 1961, when Carey Orr won the award for editorial cartooning. Reporter George Bliss received a Pulitzer the following year for reporting, and reporter Bill Jones earned another in 1971 for reporting. A reporting team won the award in 1973. Subsequently, reporter William Mullen and photographer Ovie Carter won a Pulitzer for international reporting in 1975. A local reporting team received the award in 1976, and architecture critic Paul Gapp won a Pulitzer in 1979. In 2022, Cecilia Reyes of the Chicago Tribune and Madison Hopkins of the Better Government Association were awarded a Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for their incisive examination of the city’s protracted history of inadequate enforcement of building and fire safety codes, which had allowed negligent landlords to commit serious violations, resulting in dozens of preventable deaths.

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Past

Zell ownership and bankruptcy

In December 2007, the Tribune Company was acquired by Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell in a $8.2 billion transaction. Zell assumed the role of the company’s new chairman. A year after becoming a private entity, and following a third-quarter loss of $124 million, the Tribune Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on December 8, 2008. The filing was made with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, citing debts of $13 billion and assets valued at $7.6 billion.

Sam Zell’s initial plan involved transforming the company into a private entity through the establishment of an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan). However, due to perceived mismanagement preceding his ownership, this initiative did not yield the intended results.

As part of its bankruptcy proceedings, owner Sam Zell intended to sell the Chicago Cubs to alleviate the company’s debt. This proposed sale became intertwined with corruption charges that led to the arrest of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on December 9, 2008. Specifically, Blagojevich was accused of leveraging the paper’s financial difficulties in an attempt to secure the dismissal of several editors.

In the bankruptcy proceedings, unsecured bondholders of Tribune Co. asserted that ordinary Tribune shareholders had participated in a “fraudulent transfer” of wealth. The law firm Brown Rudnick, representing the Aurelius group of junior creditors, filed claims alleging fraudulent transfer and fraud against 33,000 to 35,000 stockholders who had purchased Tribune stock. The prolonged legal battle, stemming from these claims against former officers, directors, and all former stockholders of the Chicago Tribune Company, resulted in Tribune’s bankruptcy-related legal and professional fees escalating to $500 million, more than double the typical amount for a company of its size.

The Tribune Co. emerged from bankruptcy in January 2013, with ownership partially held by private equity firms that had speculated on its distressed debt. The reorganized company’s strategy included the divestment of numerous assets.

Tribune Publishing divestment

Tribune Publishing , which owned the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, and eight other newspapers, was spun off as a distinct publicly traded company in August 2014. The former parent company, Tribune Company, was subsequently renamed Tribune Media . Tribune Publishing commenced operations with a $350 million loan, of which $275 million was distributed as a dividend to Tribune Media. The publishing company was also obligated to lease its office space from Tribune Media at an annual cost of $30 million through 2017.

The spin-off of Tribune Publishing was structured to avoid capital gains taxes that would have been incurred from selling these assets. The shares in Tribune Publishing were distributed tax-free to stakeholders in Tribune Media, with Oaktree Capital Management being the largest shareholder, holding an 18.5% stake. Tribune Media, retaining its non-newspaper broadcasting, entertainment, real estate, and other investments, also divested certain non-newspaper properties.

On February 7, 2018, Tribune Publishing Company finalized an agreement to sell the Los Angeles Times to billionaire biotech investor Patrick Soon-Shiong. The acquisition, made through Soon-Shiong’s Nant Capital investment fund, was valued at $500 million, inclusive of the assumption of $90 million in pension liabilities. The deal, which also encompassed the San Diego Union-Tribune and other assets, was officially concluded on June 16, 2018.

See also