Our mission is to protect the future of the Chicago Tribune, its community publications and all its journalists.
Chicago Local 34071
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ICYMI, @Suntimes covered our Freedom Center picket today. We’re all back at work tomorrow, but here’s what went down today:
chicago.suntimes.com/busines…
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Greetings. We’re the journalists of the Chicago Tribune and its community publications, and we proudly announce the formation of the Chicago Tribune Guild. We’re unionizing to protect the future of the newspapers we love and bring readers the best journalism possible. #TribUnion
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1/ Historic news! Faced with the overwhelming unity of our newsrooms, Tronc has agreed to voluntarily recognize the Chicago Tribune Guild.
We expect official union certification from the National Labor Relations Board in the coming week. #TribUnion
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This is a tough one to write. Twenty-six of our union journalists are leaving the Tribune in the buyout offered by new owners Alden Global Capital. We salute each of them, but not Alden’s desire to diminish our paper, in the following tweet thread:
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FINALLY: After six years, we at the Chicago Tribune Guild have won our first contract.
We are so proud of what we ratified today with near unanimous support: raises, bonuses, salary minimums, AI protections, seniority rights & more. How did we get this done? (1/7)
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Here's the letter that went out in the Chicago Tribune newsroom this morning. Signs are now going up all over. It's a new day. #TribUnion
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Chicago Tribune journalists are going on strike for 24 hours tomorrow for the first time in history.
@CTGuild has bargained for a fair contract since 2018.
Alden responded by offering functional pay cuts & fewer benefits despite the Trib's profits. We're done playing games.
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Today we're celebrating the careers of 16 of our @chicagotribune colleagues who accepted buyout offers from Tribune Publishing. These incredibly talented journalists have been essential to our coverage of Chicago and the suburbs for decades ...
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Today, @chicagotribune laid off five guild staff members in a roughly 10% cut to our newsroom. These layoffs underscore a sad but unsurprising failure of leadership by Alden Global Capital, our hedge fund owner, and local management.
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The Chicago Tribune newsrooms took a group coffee break this afternoon to support our colleagues the company is trying to keep out of our union. Blue Wave!
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We’re thrilled to say that @tribpub has done the right thing and agreed to give the protections and benefits of union membership to our hard-working resident journalists.
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Our employer wants the power to replace our reporters with AI. Today, we’re reminding our newsroom leadership that our people are our strength.
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John Kass has written his second misleading column in a week about internal Tribune business, and we feel compelled to set the record straight.
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1/ Exciting news! More than 85 percent of our colleagues have signed union cards, an overwhelming level of support. This morning we delivered a letter to Tronc asking the company to voluntarily recognize our union. If Tronc declines, we will file our cards with the NLRB tomorrow.
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We welcome the move to separate John Kass's columns from our news coverage but that doesn't address the concerns we raised internally to managers last week. Bigotry has no place in any of our pages robertfeder.com/2020/07/27/t…
BREAKING: @ChicagoTribune moving @John_Kass column ‘to maintain the credibility of our news coverage': bit.ly/330aIim
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Today we mark the departures of more than a dozen colleagues, both in and out of the Guild, across all Chicago-area Tribune Publishing newsrooms, who have chosen to take the most recent round of buyouts. We wish them the best in this new era for their careers and their lives.
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Here’s how you can show your solidarity:
DO NOT click on stories at ChicagoTribune.com
DO NOT engage with Trib social media accounts
DO NOT open and engage with Chicago Tribune emails and news alerts Thursday.
Respect our picket line by not crossing the “click it” line!
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We're deeply disappointed that Tribune Publishing is shutting down Hoy, which has gone beyond stereotypes and provided meaningful news to the vast body of Spanish-speakers in our region. This is a disservice to our journalists, our readers and our company.
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If there’s money for dividends, there’s money for journalists. chicagotribune.com/business/…
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It is time to #SaveOurTribune
This morning the journalists of the Chicago Tribune Guild launch a campaign, saveourtribune.org, to bring ownership of our newspapers back to our communities.
Please sign the petition and help us keep Chicago journalism strong.
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Tronc has declined to meet our deadline for voluntarily recognizing the Chicago Tribune Guild. We'll file cards with the National Labor Relations Board today and move toward an election with close to 90% newsroom support. We hope Tronc will change its mind in the interim. Onward!
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Update: We've reached a tentative agreement with @tribpub on a deal that fends off permanent pay reductions and assures us that the company will not try further cuts until at least the end of July.
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Kass, with the apparent blessing of editors, evidently wants people to think he is being “cancelled." That’s not right, either. We asked for a conversation and an apology for writing and publishing an offensive column. That’s not cancellation. That’s ethics and accountability.
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In negotiations today, @tribpub's leaders revealed that they want to furlough half of the Tribune’s features and sports departments, plus an unspecified number of photographers, for three straight months. This is disgraceful, unnecessary and dangerous to the company's future.
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We're reviewing @tribpub's new proposal to furlough many of our members for three weeks, but it's crystal clear that the company shouldn't be asking us to sacrifice without opening its books so we can understand the reasons we're taking pay cuts.
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Our deepest sympathies and heartfelt solidarity go out to the staff and all employees of the @capgaznews. If we can help in any way at all, please let us know. And please keep reporting.
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We're losing valued colleagues this week. With sadness and gratitude, we wish goodbye and the best to our members Blair Kamin, Howard Reich, Mark Gonzales, Dan Haar, Zbigniew Bzdak, Phil Vettel, Kasondra Van Treeck, Gary Marx and our colleague from the editorial board Michael Lev
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We also say a sad goodbye to photographer @ZBzdak. Since joining the Tribune in 2002, he's covered war, disaster and politics, among other many things. We'll miss his intrepid spirit, warm nature and commitment to getting the shot. Thanks for serving our readers, friend.
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Sending "Tribunion" solidarity from the 22nd floör of Tribune Tower, perched high above Michigan Avenue, to @newyorkerunion. From Los Angeles to Manhattan — and everywhere in between — let's make this industry a better place for working journalists together!
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We will not go without a fight. Thanks to everyone who is stepping up for our readers, our newsrooms and our company. nytimes.com/2020/01/26/busin…
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Sorry, we are not accepting lectures from partisan bloggers about objective journalism today
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The @chicagotribune is offering buyouts to our journalists. This move by Alden Global Capital, our rapacious ownership group, shows a total lack of vision and respect for the newsroom and the city we serve. We will do whatever we can to support our members. (1/4)
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We demand fair reimbursement of our work-from-home costs. @tribpub is hoarding cash to hand to rich people while stiffing underpaid journalists who pay extra for WiFi, electricity & equipment. We will not hand further chunks of our checks to the wealthy people gutting the company
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We're deeply concerned that Alden Global Capital has purchased a majority share in Tribune Publishing. Alden has hurt journalism and journalists. We don't have all the answers tonight, but we promise we'll never stop fighting for our members, our company and our readers.
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We give heartfelt thanks to @crepeau, who is stepping down as Guild president in a few weeks. She helped drive our historic unionization push and has given countless hours, while working a busy beat, to building a better future for our journalists, our readers and our company.
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This is profoundly disappointing news. Chicago needs more good journalism, not less. And the Tribune needs local, civic-minded ownership, not outsiders who see only the potential to peel away profits.
Tribune Publishing, publisher of the Chicago Tribune and other major newspapers, has agreed to be acquired by Alden Global Capital in a deal valued at $630 million. trib.al/zRPPiJl
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We bargain next week with @tribpub, which wants our journalists to make concessions to get bonuses like those our non-union colleagues got without asking. We owe the company nothing more than we've put forth but see below to understand what our members gave over the last year.
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We’d like to give a special thanks to our brave, talented photojournalists, who remain out in the field informing our readers about this crisis. chicagotribune.com/visuals/c…
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We're sad to say goodbye to our own @dahaar, an editor with more than 40 years of journalism experience. Behind the scenes, his steady hand molded countless breaking news and criminal justice stories. He'll be missed, particularly by the many colleagues who count him as a friend.
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We are dismayed to say that TribPub wants some of our members to take a permanent 4.5% pay cut — in the middle of a global pandemic, while we work to bring readers essential, potentially life-saving news. ...
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The Chicago Tribune Guild is celebrating its momentous day at the Billy Goat (@Cheezborger). Lots of pride. And cheeseburgers.
Drop in and shout your support. #TribUnion
(photo from @royalpratt)
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We are once again asking @tribpub to do the right thing and modify its policies so that journalists who fall ill after covering the pandemic don’t have to use their own sick time. We’ve asked @colinjmcmahon @chrissywtaylor & Par Ridder to stand with us, and we hope they will.
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Data visualization journalist Jemal Brinson @jemalbrins helped readers understand complex issues such as COVID, disinvestment in Black and Latino neighborhoods, power line safety regulations and the high cost of pork production. Talented and wicked smart, he made stories better.
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Our esteemed Professor Ron Grossman is 86 today. We weren't able to sing his praises in-person so we gathered in an online meeting, where Ron drew his harmonica and serenaded us with "Over the Rainbow." Here he is on his birthday last year. We look forward to the 87th already.
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Our new owners are using us to finance our own destruction. If you were one of the people who could have stopped this but didn't, history will remember you for it.
In closing the Tribune deal, Alden borrowed $278M, all of which goes on Tribune's books. $218M comes from PE firm Cerberus; $60M from Alden's other news co, MNG, at an eye-popping 13% interest, additionally lining Alden's pockets on Trib's balance sheet sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edg…
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We're sad to lose @philvettel after 41 years at the Tribune. Phil's incisive, entertaining restaurant reviews and dining coverage have illustrated how journalism can serve as a practical guide to living and enjoying life. Thanks for your loyal service to our readers.
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Journalists at the Chicago Tribune have been bargaining for 5 years for a fair contract. Today, we strike.
Our colleagues here @Guildsuburban plus @tribdpsguild, @TBContentGuild, @MCallguild, @CourantGuild, @Tidewaterguild + @OS_Guild are walking out with us.
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We're humbled by the immediate outpouring of support from readers, fellow journalists and other guilds. Thank you all.
Aside from Twitter, you can follow or like us on:
Instagram: instagram.com/ctguild/
Facebook: facebook.com/ChicagoTribuneG…
#TribUnion
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The company's leaders told us last week that our journalists participating in residency programs don't deserve union protections. We strongly disagree, @tribpub. We’d like to introduce our residents and explain how they help our newsroom and serve our readers.
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We're excited to announce that @royalpratt will take over as president of the union next month. We know Greg will be relentless as he leads our fight for our journalists, our readers and our company.
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We are mightier together. #TribUnion
npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/…
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"The idea that journalism is somehow not worth investing in has been proven dead wrong...Invest in journalism." Thanks to @gregkot and @moconnor51 for sharing their stories and our message. news.wttw.com/2020/02/10/tri…
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Happy Labor Day from the Chicago Tribune Guild, our first as unionized newsrooms.
A few thoughts from our executive committee as we reflect on the historic accomplishments of the past year and prepare to fight for our future together:
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Your Chicago Tribune is in immediate danger as it comes increasingly under the control of greedy, irresponsible hedge fund owners. Imagine a day without the news we have provided for 173 years. It's not far off. Please act now to save this institution.
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2012 Pulitzer winner Mary Schmich @maryschmich has been described, accurately, as the heart and soul of the newsroom. In her columns and reporting projects, Mary delivered work infused with the highest standards of literature and humanity.
Her farewell:
nitter.app/MarySchmich/status/140…
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From columnist’s legman to stellar reporter to rock-steady early morning metro editor, Liam Ford @ltaford has been a vital part of the reason the Tribune’s city coverage continues to shine.
Liam keeps bees and is the author of “Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City.”
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We respect and value our colleagues from other outlets, but running a competitor's story while our journalists are furloughed is not right. Tribune Publishing should not outsource our work while pointlessly cutting our pay to enrich executives and shareholders.
Not thrilled to see outsourced education coverage on the Chicago Tribune homepage, particularly while our only full-time education reporter, @HannahMLeone, and other @CTGuild colleagues are on unpaid @tribpub furlough.
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Chicago Tribune Guild members outside the @tronc shareholder meeting. It's a beautiful day to stand united! #TribUnion #FerrosMillions
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2/ The NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America tell us that in decades of organizing, they have never seen a newsroom earn voluntary recognition from a company of this size and with such a long history of anti-union bias. We have indeed been mightier together.
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Tribune journalists have been fighting for a fair contract for nearly five years. Enough is enough. Join us for a rally at Tribune Tower on Dec. 16. Learn about our fight with 'destroyer of newspapers' Alden Global Capital and show them our communities want quality local news!
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It’s a beautiful day for a strike.
We’re here outside the Freedom Center until noon, walking out for a fair contract.
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Update: @tribpub is still trying to exploit the pandemic to diminish newsrooms. How can a company cry poor and demand sacrifices from underpaid journalists while planning to lavish millions on shareholders, including the hedge fund Alden Global Capital? mailchi.mp/fb98d2162d8f/pay-…
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If you get your news online, thank the unflappable @CerconeJeff. Getting up before sunrise, he made sure the site was up to date and engaging, while juggling reporters' calls, monitoring web traffic and working with the breaking news team.
His farewell:
nitter.app/CerconeJeff/status/140…
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Investigative reporter Ray Long went on strike because he hasn’t had a raise “in years & years & years” as Alden squeezes reporters and readers.
“We want Alden to know that we will not buckle to their baloney and we’re ready to rock — harder & harder & harder.” — @RayLong
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A gifted writer in her own right, Jennifer Day @dayjenn was the founding editor of Printers Row, the paper’s late, great standalone books section. She moved on to editing books, film and TV, all with a sharp eye and a graceful touch.
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*There’s no money for raises.
*There’s no money for hiring.
*There’s no money for professional development.
*There’s no money so we need layoffs and buyouts.
There’s an awful lot of money in this company that keeps telling us there’s no money for our newsrooms. 🤨🤔
As newsroom employees go without raises, @tribpub reported $2.7 million in profit this past quarter. apnews.com/91f282cdbfbcb48b7…
It's past time to share the wealth with @TidewaterGuild @baltsunguild @ChesapeakeGuild @CourantGuild @mcallguild @CTGuild
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.@ElyssaCherney wrote thoughtful, incisive stories on the higher education beat. A Northwestern grad, she previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel, where her team’s work on the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting was a Pulitzer finalist.
Her farewell:
📢 Today’s also my last day w/@chicagotribune, but I'm fortunate to say l’ll keep covering higher education + some other industries at @CrainsChicago. I've learned so much @ the Trib & it will always be a cherished part of my identity. Keep subscribing, reading, supporting! ✊🏻
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An examination of pay at the Chicago Tribune undertaken by the guild uncovered a troubling but sadly unsurprising truth: The Chicago Tribune regularly pays women and people of color less than men and white people. Here's what we found: chicagotribuneguild.com/pays…
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The Chicago Tribune Guild has sent the following letter to Tribune Publishing's Board of Directors as the board prepares to choose the company's new owner.
"We need an owner with vision, who understands there’s still a way to make money in newspapers and do it with integrity."
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Tronc has declined to voluntarily recognize the @TidewaterGuild. This is a mistake, as they have the support of more than 80 percent of their newsrooms. We stand with our colleagues in Virginia. Our statement:
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This is a heartless, insulting and tone-deaf exercise, @tribpub. What a profoundly cruel way to taunt journalists after you just stole three weeks of our pay to hand more cash to shareholders and hedge fund vultures.
Tribune Publishing sent @chicagotribune journalists a faux phishing email saying we're getting $5,000-$10,000 bonuses if we just click <here> as a sort of security test.
Considering Alden, and the economic challenged faced by our members @CTGuild, it's a gross exercise.
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Heidi Stevens @heidistevens13 had designing, editing and reporting jobs before starting her Balancing Act column in 2012. Covering her life as a parent and telling heartfelt stories, it became one of the paper’s most popular features. Her farewell:
chicagotribune.com/columns/h…
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We're bargaining today and @tribpub refuses to discuss giving bonuses to our members, as the company is doing for our non-union colleagues. Our front line journalists have spent the last 10 months risking their lives for this organization. The company's behavior is disgusting.
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Senior reporter Laura Rodriguez decided to strike because she knows journalists of color deserve to be paid as much as their counterparts here @chicagotribune.
“I’m ready to escalate because our company won’t even acknowledge that.” — @LAURA_N_ROD
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Thanks to everyone who worked hard yesterday to cover a pandemic and an election on the same day. And thank you to our readers for being the reason we keep showing up. We're going to stay in the fight.
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Attn: Heath Freeman
We are not going away. Come to the table and stop playing games with our communities and our newspapers.
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.@scribeguy addresses a Tribune staff fed up with cash being thrown at shareholders while the journalists who make the Tribune what it is see nothing — see less than nothing in some cases as cost of living and expensive benefits eat into pay. Enough. This is simply wrong.
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Shannon Ryan @sryantribune was the first woman to be named Illinois Sportswriter of the Year. A versatile writer and dogged reporter, she wrote about issues of racial and gender inequity in sports long before they became front-page topics.
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“When you stand up for local news, you stand up for our communities,” says Brandon Pope (@BpopeTV), president of NABJ Chicago chapter.
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It’s probably easier to list the jobs Steve Johnson @stevenkjohnson didn’t do during his 35 years at the Tribune. But his most cherished runs were a decade as TV critic and another decade as the museums/culture reporter. Here’s his farewell:
The lede is buried, and this is too long for Twitter, but here goes:
In 35+ years at the Chicago Tribune, I have been: fresh-from-college intern, suburban reporter (Rosemont), city reporter (Chicago), fill-in editor, metro GA, features writer (moment of silence for Tempo)...
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A Georgia native, 2017 Pulitzer finalist Dahleen Glanton @dahleeng covered the South with depth and humanity for the Tribune, and since she moved back to Chicago she’s been writing a column that does the same for the city. Here’s her farewell:
chicagotribune.com/columns/d…
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The words and thoughts of Phil Rosenthal @phil_rosenthal have shined like diamonds as he wrote columns on TV, sports and media, first at the Sun-Times and, for the last 16 years, at the Tribune. Here’s his farewell:
nitter.app/phil_rosenthal/status/…
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We take this unprecedented step together, with more than 97 percent of the membership voting in favor of the strike and signing a public pledge to demonstrate our solidarity. To Alden, this is why we are striking:
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Why we're unionizing: Powerful testimonials from some of the Chicago Tribune journalists who came together to create the Chicago Tribune Guild: vimeo.com/264002146
#TribUnion
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Nuccio DiNuzzo went from film to digital seamlessly. He covered Michael Jordan’s career, many Olympics, Stanley Cups, World Series. But his photo from an O’Hare protest of Trump’s travel ban touched hearts worldwide. chicagomag.com/images/cache/… @ChiTribNuccio
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We all need to be taking notes. Here we have a well-researched, thoughtful project on a difficult subject that challenges the common historical narrative...AND it’s commercially successful. It can be done! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
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Today many employers and the federal government are recognizing Juneteenth. Our employer? Nope. And it’s part of our broader frustrations as we try to make @chicagotribune better not just for us, but for readers. A quick 🧵-
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Big news on our big fight with our hedge fund owners: Fed regulators agree @tribpub broke the law when they jacked up journalists’ health insurance as they covered the pandemic. A quick recap below on why it matters not just for us, but for readers:
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If you read a big metro story with lots of bylines and it was smooth, stylish and logical, chances are Dan Hinkel @dhinkel wrote it. He also did great investigations, including into wrongful prosecution and weed-license inequity. Here’s his farewell:
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You can read more about what we’re doing at chicagotribuneguild.com. Join us on this journey. We hope you’ll stand with us. #TribUnion
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Building trust with people who have survived something terrible or know deeply held government secrets to tell their story in a nuanced, sensitive way is a deeply human thing. Opening the door to replacing that careful work with A.I. for profit is bad for the public interest.
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An investigative reporter by title and by nature, Todd Lighty has done too much great work to list. But his most recent investigation, documenting the damage done in 2020’s civil unrest, is a fine example:
chicagotribune.com/investiga…
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We will all miss Elise De Los Santos @elisekdelo. She’s not just a powerhouse copy editor who fixes our mistakes with laser precision — she’s a calm, steady presence in the newsroom, with a wicked sense of humor, whose quiet leadership was appreciated during the toughest moments.
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Congratulations to our colleague @robertloerzel on the publication of his new book! chicagomag.com/city-life/Aug…
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