Brief History of City News USA

CITY NEWS USA, was born Friday February 26, 1999, the day of the highly publicized "going away party" commemorating the closure of the 108-year-old City News Bureau of Chicago.

City News Bureau alumni were invited for a final get together to bid farewell to the news organization that had become known for over a century as a springboard for hundreds of journalists, including such greats as the late great columnist Mike Royko.

City News Bureau was a jointly owned cooperative of multiple news outlets, owned principally by The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times.

The gala affair was conducted Friday evening, February 26, 2001 on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building. It drew hundreds of reporters and news professionals spanning many generations. "Twenty somethings" exchanged stories with eighty- year-old veteran reporters. Some were dressed fancy, others casual. But the one thing they had in common was that they all, at one time or another, wrote news stories for the great City News Bureau in Chicago.

But the sounds of the sobbing and warm embraces of the great fraternity of news professionals was soon interrupted by the voice of moderator Joel Weisman over P.A. system announcing that all the reporters in the room had just been "scooped."

Weisman, who was standing in for veteran Chicago Tonight host John Calloway, who was ill, said he had "breaking" news. Weisman enthusiastically proclaimed that the "going away party" didn't have to be a funeral or a dirge after all. Rather, he said, it would be a "celebration." He then proceeded to tell the perplexed crowd that City News would "go on," announcing that the Chicago Tribune had just made the decision to "save" City News Bureau and that the bureau was going to resume operations the following week under the new name City News Service (later changed to New City News Service).

Not a dirge, indeed. How about that? The management of the old-line media giant, the Chicago Tribune, supposedly arbitrarily and impulsively got the whim in the middle of the festivities to re-open City News! Somehow that story line just didn't seem consistent with the journalistically skeptical philosophy epitomized by an old sign that once hung in the old City News Bureau offices that read: "If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out."

Immediately following the announcement, a hush fell across the previously noisy crowd, yet amidst the brief mind-numbing silence one could nearly hear the collective hum within the minds of inquisitive journalists asking themselves, "Was it really an eleventh hour decision or a thinly veiled, premeditated corporate down-sizing?"

Oddly enough, virtually none of the 400 reporters in attendance ever reported that there was anything suspicious about the hastily born-again bureau. Perhaps they were too busy chomping at their food. More likely they were "chomping at the bit" to get rehired by the news organization that was to become a mere shadow of the old media monolith. Either way, it proved to be a futile attempt. Only a handful of the 400 (about 15) were hired. As for the food, the $50.00 entrance fee was quite formidable--especially since it didn't even include dinner--only hors d'oeurves. And on a reporter's salary one could hardly blame them for trying to get their money's worth by hovering over the finger food rather than covering the story and pointing the finger at one of the biggest media coupes in the history of Chicago journalism. .

But one reporter dared to point the finger and reported the story, coyly calling the Chicago Tribune the "hero of their own scandal" for causing the unemployment of many, the hiring back of a few, while claiming credit for doing something altruistic. He was outraged, likening the Tribune "reporter-recycling" to General Motors shutting down and reorganizing under the name Colonel Motors, blowing off benefits and pensions in the process.

That reporter was determined not to let the Tribune pull off their coup without a fight. He knew that the Chicago Tribune, having 100% ownership and control of the New City News organization, might try to muscle out their last remaining major daily news competitor, The Chicago Sun-Times. He knew painfully well that it wasn't long ago that Chicago had four large daily newspapers before the Chicago American and the Chicago Daily News ceased publishing. He was determined not to allow Chicago to become a single newspaper town, reasoning that Moscow had already tried that to the detriment of the people.

Ironically, earlier in the day preceding the evening gala affair, that same reporter had launched a modest new news service. He wrote and posting a few Chicago area news stories on the Internet under the name City News of Greater Chicagoland, reminiscent of the old City News bureau, but in a novel new medium. But after witnessing first hand the Tribune's slick spin at the party, the morally outraged reporter was determined to turn his mild mannered media service into a mean, lean media fighting machine. Thus, the race was on with two new City News services competing head to head.

When the dust settled, the Tribune's service, based in Chicago in the basement of the Chicago Tribune building, got an early lead by immediately acquiring about 11 clients for their Chicago news service. There are two interesting, yet suspicious, points to this. 1) The Tribune seemed to hit the ground running by immediately "winning" over these 11 clients quite seamlessly, raising the ire of conspiracy theoricists who believe contractual arrangements may have been preplanned (i.e lining up a new wife while still married to the old one). 2) After the initial 11, the Tribune added virtually no other clients, which leads one to wonder if one of the objectives of the death of the old Chicago Tribune/Chicago Sun Times partnership and the rebirth of the wholely-owned Tribune entity might have less to do with the lofty ideal of developing a better news service and more to do with the desire to KEEP THE NEWS AWAY FROM THEIR FORMER PARTNER, THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES!

City News of Greater Chicagoland (later renamed City News USA, Inc.), based in Chicago suburban Naperville, Illinois, initially provided only Chicago news to Chicago area news organizations, but quickly expanded its news coverage to the entire state of Illinois, something that even the old 107-year news organization never achieved.

Today City News USA operates its service on the Web at: www.citynews.org as a 24-hour news service with bureaus in Naperville and Springfield, Illinois, servicing dozens of radio, television, and newspaper clients, as well as other non news organizations that have need of Illinois news.

So, who won the race? City News USA of Naperville, of course--that is, if it ever was a real race.

Footnote: The old Chicago City News Bureau had an unspoken motto: "If it bleeds, it leads," because of its reputation of such thorough coverage of police blotter stories. The old City News didn't often break news, but focused more on providing extensive coverage to news organizations who didn't want to research all of the often gory details.

But City News USA, Inc. has taken a more aggressive approach. Shortly after its inception, City News USA set out to scoop other news organizations in daring new ways, redefining the identity and purpose of what a modern Chicago news bureau should be. But the transition was anything but smooth.

One example of such a scoop was the contoversial City News USA story predicting a likely early verdict in the DuPage Seven (later DuPage Five Trial.) City News USA sustained formidable criticism immediately following the release of their story. Other news organizations insisted that City News USA couldn't possibly know that there could be an early verdict to the historic and protracted 34-day trial. Certainly it would take days--not hours-- to render a verdict in such a monumental case, they assumed.

During the early stages of jury deliberation, one reporter from a large television station (that subscribed to the "other" City News organization) angrily demanded a retraction and suggested that City News in Naperville should change its name to something else, since it was doing a gross "disservice" to the fine name and long legacy left by the original City News Bureau.

The "renegade" reporter (mentioned throughout the story above) who founded the Naperville City News calmly responded, "If I'm wrong on this story, I'll change our name to mud."

During the suspenseful jury deliberations, even DuPage Jury Commissioner Joe DaMato joined the fray. Due to receiving numerous calls from Chicago news organizations erroneously thinking the news of an anticipated early verdict came from DaMato himself, he asked the trial judge to bring sanctions (including possibly jail time) against the management of City News USA for "irresponsibly" reporting that there would be an early verdict in the nationally publicized landmark case. It was a particularly uncomfortable trial because former prosecutors were on trial, being tried by new prosecutors in a most uncivil war wherein "DuPage County's Finest" were accused of falsifying evidence and intentionally sending an innocent man to death row.

Two hours later, the early jury verdict came down, vindicating City News USA. Predictably, none of the competitive news reporters ever called City News USA with an apology, no less an offer of congratulations.

Another classic contraversial scoop was when City News USA ran an entire month of exclusive stories alleging a Chicago area hospital was delivering babies born alive and left to die, without providing life support. Once again, many strongly objected to the such irresponsible "slanderous" news reporting quoting unnamed sources. But when the agreed protective period lapsed, and City News began naming names (i.e. Christ Hospital, nurse Jill Stanek, etc.) the entire nation took notice, leading to full congressional investigations and ultimately legislation passed banning the practice.

The Chicago Tribune refused to run a story on the topic for an entire month. Finally, they became conspicuous by their absence and eventually ran the story.

As the legacies and rivalries of competitive City News organizations continue, City News USA will endeavor to lead the way in excellence in Illinois news reporting.

Any individuals or organizations desiring to submit a news release or a new story may do so via E-Mail. to news@citynews.org or by phone to: 630-848-0750 or by fax to: 630-848-0752. By doing so, you are granting permission for the story to be used as is or rewritten without compensation.

Professional freelance reporters, who want to be paid for their stories, are asked to first query a City News USA editor prior to submitting a story. Editors may be reached via email at: E-Mail. at news@citynews.org or by phone at: 630-848-0750.

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