Tribune, We Hardly Know Ye

The Chicago Tribune was founded in 1847, and it was an early supporter of Abraham Lincoln’s presidential campaign. The hedge fund Alden Global Capital completed its buyout of Tribune Publishing, owner of the Trib and other newspapers, on May 24, 2021. Two days later, the new ownership offered buyouts to newsroom and editorial staff. Many found the terms irresistible, especially those whose long employment meant they would be receiving nearly a full year of pay. And of course, the not-so-veiled alternative was massive layoffs of both unionized and non-union employees.

The exodus has thus far been enormous, including many of the Tribune’s most familiar and widely read columnists: Eric Zorn, Steve Chapman, Dahleen Glanton, Mary Schmich, John Kass, Heidi Stevens, and Phil Rosenthal. The missing voices included progressive, libertarian, feminist, minority, and reactionary perspectives, all of which contributed to the lively tradition of local Chicago journalism. Another 35 or so newsroom and editorial staffers also accepted the buyout. Going forward, the Tribune is going to be a very different newspaper indeed.

The Washington Post’s Paul Fahri wrote a moving appreciation of Metro columnist Mary Schmich, and of metro columns in general, which are now a vanishing feature:

In 29 years as a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, Mary Schmich was often adored and occasionally reviled by readers, as are all good newspaper columnists. She wrote thousands of columns that poked, prodded and — she hopes — soothed some heartache in her adopted metropolis.

Mostly, she says, she tried to provide “the connective tissue” that seems to be fraying in civic life. “The classic metro column helps people understand the place they live, including the places they wouldn’t ordinarily go,” she said this week.

“Chicago newspaper columnist” is a deeply evocative phrase. It recalls characters both real — like Mike Royko, the bar-haunting tough guy whose alter ego, Slats Grobnik, channeled Chicago’s ethnic White working class — and fictional, like the scamps of “The Front Page” and the cynical Mary Sunshine of the musical “Chicago.”

Schmich, 67, was at the distinguished end of the trade. Among other accolades, she won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2012, for what the judges called “her wide range of down-to-earth columns that reflect the character and capture the culture of her famed city.”

But columns like Schmich’s are becoming nostalgia items. While people still write about cities, the classic metro newspaper column is fading as fast as the sound of a bundled bag of newsprint dropping on the walkway each morning.

You  can read his entire column here (and hoping the WaPo is not going to be subject to a similar buyout anytime soon).

Mary Schmich's most famous column, perhaps the most famous Metro column ever published in the United States, appeared on June 1, 1997. It was her fictional speech to that year's graduates (often misattributed to Kurt Vonnegut), beginning with this timeless admonition: "Wear sunscreen."

Disclosure: I have often written opeds for the Chicago Tribune, including a regular humor column in the 1990s. I have carried on friendly correspondence with both Eric Zorn and Steve Chapman. I cannot stand John Kass's politics or writing style -- he was the successor to Mike Royko, with all of the tirades and none of the humor -- but he has played an important role holding local government to account. I recently renewed my subscription in the hope that the Trib will continue to be worth reading.

Comments

[Michael Risch]

Pretty sad. I was in law school in Chicago in 1997, and I remember that Schmich wear sunscreen column from when it was published.

[Jeff Rice]

While I agree with virtually all you wrote, I must take exception to John Kass. He was rancid hot air, hating minorities, women, reform as well as a mindless resentment of government and unions. He did not even qualify as a thoughtful conservative. He lacked the empathy and critical eye of Royko. Unlike the others he will not be missed.