The Chicago Tribune: The Underdog of Newspapers

At the start of the 19th century, more than 200 newspapers were in circulation in the United States. The journalism bug was starting to spread like smallpox and everyone wanted to do one thing: write. Three ambitious men from Chicago were quickly infected and by 1847 they had joined the 200+, coining the name The Chicago Tribune. 

Just because you know how to string a series of sentences together and bring the public the newest headlines does not mean that you know how to run a business. Within eight years, The Tribune was bankrupt. To save the paper from the shambles that it so quickly entered, the paper was sold to Joseph Medill in 1855. Medill knew how to write and he knew money. He made The Tribune profitable and kickstarted a powerhouse that would be a worldwide name within the next century. 

To make money, you have to find what sells. In the years leading up to the Civil War, politics sold. Medill knew this and used The Tribune to promote his abolitionist and free soil ideals. He supported Lincoln heavily and in turn, so did the paper. Much of what was printed surrounded his presidency and helped to advocate for his policies and positions. Once the war began in 1861, The Tribune began to follow its events, publishing more and more copies to keep up with the action. As a result, it grew tremendously, circulating the most copies it ever had in its almost 20 years of existence. In 1855, the company produced roughly 1,400 copies of its paper. At the height of the Civil War, that number rose to 40,000. 

For the entirety of the 19th century, The Tribune remained liberal leaning in its writing. At the turn of the century, big changes came for the company in both its leadership and production. In 1899, Joseph Medill passed away, leaving the company to his grandson, Robert McCormick. McCormick took a moderately Republican stance and changed the course of writing until his death in 1955. 

Following McCormick, Clayton Kirkpatrick and Harold Grumhaus took over and much less risks were taken. Focus shifted from politics and government to the average life. Midwesterners and the average life changed production and the face of the paper as it advanced into modern day. 

Today, the paper stands as one of the most influential companies in the history of journalism. Since the introduction of the Pulitzer Prize in 1918, The Chicago Tribune has won 27 prizes from 1932-2017. They were the first paper to print all 246,000 words of the Watergate tapes and release them to the public less than 24 hours after they were released. They started the tradition of the MLB All-star game during the 1930s World Fair. Less happily, they managed to embarrass themselves during the 1948 election by announcing the wrong winner in all of their papers. 

Their influence is one that has affected the way journalism exists today and from hence forth. They are currently the 8th most circulated paper in the U.S. and will likely maintain their presence, given their legacy, in the coming years. 

To follow their current publications, visit https://www.chicagotribune.com/