Editorials in the Chicago Sun-Times come to a close

In a piece published Tuesday afternoon, Chicago Public Media (CPM) Chief Content Officer Tracy Brown said the paper will no longer publish editorials, and offered thanks to the journalistic pillars of their editorial board—editor Lorraine Forte, member Tom Frisbie and editor/writer Marlen Garcia—who “strengthened Chicago with their collective positions on some of our most pressing issues.”

Forte, Frisbie and Garcia all recently accepted voluntary buyouts and have left the paper.

The reason behind the decision to bring editorials to a close Tuesday extends beyond the board accepting buyouts and moving on elsewhere.

According to the Sun-Times, when they were acquired by CPM, their business status shifted to being a part of a non-profit organization, meaning the editorial board could no longer offer endorsements of political candidates, a central function of newspaper editorial boards.

However, their status as a non-profit does not prevent them from publishing letters to the editor, opinion pieces and guest columns from Chicagoans, political leaders and scholars from the Chicago community, which will continue at the Sun-Times.

The paper said their goal is to open more doors for the public to express itself. The change doesn’t mean they are going to shy away from public discourse and debate, but instead shift their focus toward uplifting the voices that need to be uplifted in the Windy City—the voices of the people.