Report: 20% of Chicago Sun-Times staff agree to resign after buyout offer

CHICAGO (WGN) — Thirty employees of the Chicago Sun-Times (CST)—around 20% of its payroll—have agreed to resign after accepting buyout terms ownership offered them, according to a report published online by the paper Tuesday evening.

The Sun-Times’ David Roeder said most of the cuts consist of writers and editors, many of which have decades of experience with the paper.

Those leaving the Sun-Times include the following journalists, who confirmed their departures either by interview or social media posts:

• Chicago Sky and women’s sports beat writer Annie Costabile
• Assistant Breaking News Editor Scott Fornek
• Editorial Page Editor Lorraine Forte
• CST Board Member Tom Frisbie
• CST Board Member Marlen Garcia
• Public Safety and Justice Editor Dan Haar
• Assistant Features Editor Darel Jevens
• Sports Columnist Rick Morrissey
• Deputy Editor of Politics and Government John O’Neill
• Advice Columnist Ismael Perez
• Bears Beat Writer Mark Potash
• Columnist Michael Sneed
• Sports Columnist Rick Telander
• White Sox Beat Writer Daryl Van Schouwen

Other prominent staffers are expected to announce their own departures in the coming days, Roeder wrote.

The Sun-Times, owned in conglomerate with WBEZ under Chicago Public Media (CPM), has 30 employees set to depart, with five more WBEZ employees also included in this round of buyouts.

23 of the 30 Sun-Times departures are from within the newsroom. CST’s current editorial staff sits around 107, counting union and non-union personnel.

In January 2025, Roeder wrote CPM opened buyouts to deal with a fiscal cliff: an expected expiration of grant support at the end of 2026.

For more information on buyouts and cuts happening at the Sun-Times, read the full report on their website by clicking here.