Tag Archives: Chicago Tribune

Huppke column shows how easy it is for us all to spend Branson, Bezos money

“Let’s guilt Branson, Bezos and space tourists into making charitable donations before they leave Earth.” That was the headline of a recent column by Rex Huppke of the Chicago Tribune. In the piece, he sets forth a popular perspective: as the uber-wealthy Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson spend gobs of money on space travel, they […]

Journalism, PR & the First Rough Draft of History

One of my favorite aphorisms about journalism is that it’s the first rough draft of history. True enough. Sometimes, though, it proves to be the only history, especially for local news of lesser import. And as for those stories that have follow-ups over time, the term “rough draft” may suggest that debut stories have a […]

Chicago Tribune’s Hyper-Hyper-Local Push

What’s next, URLs by the block? Sure, “hyper-local,”  as a way of describing the trend in journalism toward coverage centered on ever-smaller geographic areas, has been overused in recent years. But I can’t help but think that the Chicago Tribune, some four years after launching TribLocal to up the media market’s ante in the suburbs, has […]

‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Flashback: My Chicago Trib Story on Karolyn Grimes, aka ZuZu Bailey

Karolyn Grimes, as a 6-year-old ZuZu, in Jimmy Stewart’s arms A P.S. here to my post last week about Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest and It’s A Wonderful Life. Exactly four years ago, to the day, I had the privilege of writing a story for the Chicago Tribune about Karolyn Grimes, the actress […]

Rahm Emanuel Residency Brouhaha is Latest in Chicago Area’s Storied `Silly Season’ History

Rahm Emanuel, (occasional) Chicago resident The residency flap over Chicago mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel is just a variation on the “Silly Season” theme in Chicago-area politics. Six years ago, one of the central characters in the Emanuel controversy, Burt Odelson, was in the midst of a scrum in Cicero that I covered for the Chicago Tribune. […]

Marketing/Journalism Tension Flares at Tribune

If you haven’t noticed lately, the line between journalism and marketing has been getting blurrier. The latest case in point: the Chicago Tribune’s marketing department apparent soliciting of “subscribers’ opinions on stories before they were published,” according to an Associated Press story. As the AP reported, “An e-mail signed by 55 reporters and editors, sent […]

The Cyber-News Tension: A Story’s Worth

I had to chuckle this morning when I came across a story online at The Wall Street Journal. It was about the Chicago Tribune’s announcement that next Monday it will soon be offering a tabloid edition (with the same content as its home-delivered version) for newsstand sales Earlier, I had seen the story, by Phil […]

Minasian Exhibit Gains Tribune Coverage

Minasian Rug Co.’s textile arts exhibit that I’ve been promoting the past few months received a nice mention in today’s Chicago Tribune, as an “Editor’s Pick” in the House & Homes section. You can check out its coverage of “Island Magic – Court and Tribal Textiles from Indonesia” online here. Previously, I posted more background […]

Emperor Blagojevich’s Anti-Tribune Plot

Shocking. Revolting. Disgusting. Those are just a few of the words that come to my mind on the heels of reading the 76-page complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago against Emperor (aka “Illinois Governor”) Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris. But, especially as it relates to his alleged effort […]