A Year of Experimentation, Collaboration — and Impact
2024: A Big Year for Chicago Area News
It’s been another big year for Chicago area news. The Democratic National Convention came to town for the first time since 1996, and Chicago voters elected 10 school board members for the first time ever after the entire Chicago Public Schools board resigned. Voters also elected a new slate of U.S., state and county officials and approved nonbinding measures recommending the state create civil penalties for election interference, raise taxes for those with incomes over $1 million and expand pregnancy benefits to include in-vitro fertilization and other reproductive health treatments.
Experiments to Engage New Audiences
In the Sun-Times newsroom, it’s been a year of experimentation and collaboration. Experiments to engage new audiences — which included tests of new approaches for stories, social media, liveblogs and our home page, as well as the launch of our text-messaging chat — grew loyal readers ages 18-24 by 45% and social audiences in that group by 22%, among other results.
Growing Partnerships and Community Connections
We also grew our partnerships with other news outlets and deepened our community connections with public news meetings, ongoing community listening sessions, our second Chicago’s Next Voices contest to find new community guest columnists and the launch of a student version (submissions are due Dec. 31). Overall, we’re featuring more community members on our pages: The editorial board published hundreds of opinion stories and letters written by community members this year.
Money Desk and Sunday Edition Revamp
In response to what we heard from our communities, we launched our Money desk in January to protect consumers and taxpayers, help Chicagoans make the most of their money and better understand how business and financial decisions affect their families and communities. We also reenvisioned our Sunday edition based on community feedback.
Distinctive Coverage and Impact
Our distinctive coverage aims to hold public officials accountable, protect consumers and taxpayers, examine inequities, share information about efforts to improve our communities, grow understanding of Chicagoans’ diverse lived experiences — and celebrate the shared experiences, fandom and “only in Chicago” moments that bring us together.
Examples of Our Impact
Over the last year, Sun-Times reporting — which won more than a dozen top national awards — directly led to more than $1 million in past-due payments to the city and protected Chicagoan Robert Christie from City Hall citations related to damage from trucks that kept backing into his home. It resulted in the return of campaign contributions that were banned, that violated ethics rules or were from donors who won big contracts after making them. Our coverage was cited in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of a decorated Army veteran who was denied college money under the GI Bill; prompted a $10,000 donation from “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston to the Bears Care charity; and resulted in a public rebuke of Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain for decisions that led to a fatal police shooting in Aurora.
Conclusion
The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, whose study estimated that 25% of Illinois lawyers had experienced bullying in the past year, reported being flooded with calls and messages about bullying — and ideas and initiatives to help change the culture of the profession — after we wrote about it. After our coverage of especially large tax breaks on 15 Cook County properties, including an erroneous one, the Assessor’s Office began demanding proof that homeowners qualify for the tax breaks — and is revisiting them.
FAQs
Q: How can I support the Sun-Times?
A: You can consider making a donation or subscribing to our publication.
Q: How can I stay informed about the Sun-Times’ reporting and initiatives?
A: You can follow us on social media, sign up for our newsletters, and visit our website regularly.
Q: What are some examples of the Sun-Times’ reporting and impact?
A: Some examples include our reporting on past-due payments to the city, campaign contributions, and tax breaks, as well as our coverage of bullying in the legal profession and police shootings.
