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Outlet profile

Chicago Sun-Times

U.S. center-left

Owned byChicago Public Media, a nonprofit organization that also owns WBEZ public radio
FundingNonprofit model — philanthropic donations from foundations (including MacArthur and Pritzker Traubert) and individual donors, member subscriptions, advertising, and some corporate sponsorship; no single funder contributes 50% or more of revenue
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Chicago Sun-Times was founded in 1948 through the merger of the Chicago Sun, started by Marshall Field III in 1941, and the Chicago Daily Times, which dated to 1929. The Marshall Field family owned it for decades before it passed through a series of corporate owners, most notably Conrad Black's Hollinger International in the 1990s, whose financial scandals led to Black's criminal conviction and the paper's sale. It went through further ownership changes under Wrapports and then a union-backed investment group led by the Chicago Federation of Labor in 2017, followed by a group backed by Chicago investors Michael Sacks and Rocky Wirtz in 2019. In January 2022, Chicago Public Media — operator of public radio station WBEZ — completed its acquisition for roughly $61 million raised in philanthropic pledges, converting the paper to a nonprofit model for the first time in its history. The transition came amid broader concerns about the viability of local print journalism; the paper had shed significant staff over prior years. Historically the Sun-Times held down the liberal end of Chicago's two-paper rivalry with the more conservative Chicago Tribune, a divide that persisted through editorial endorsements of Democratic candidates. In 2022 the paper announced it would stop publishing institutional editorials, though it continues to run columnists and opinion pieces. Federal public media funding cuts announced in 2025 put additional financial pressure on Chicago Public Media, threatening both WBEZ and the Sun-Times.

Sources

  1. Chicago Sun-Times — Wikipedia
  2. With $61M pledged, Chicago Public Media now owns the Sun-Times — Current.org
  3. $61 million in donations help complete Sun-Times sale to WBEZ parent — Chicago Sun-Times
  4. Chicago Sun-Times Media Bias — AllSides
  5. Chicago Sun-Times — Bias and Credibility — Media Bias/Fact Check
  6. Public media funding cuts hit Chicago: WBEZ, WTTW brace for impact — Axios
  7. Trump, his lackeys will try to steal 2026 elections — Chicago Sun-Times (opinion)
  8. Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times maintain political divide — Crain's Chicago Business

Profile compiled 2026-09-14; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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