Robservations on the media beat:
Jennifer Kho, a Los Angeles-based digital media consultant and former managing editor of HuffPost and Guardian US, was named executive editor of the Sun-Times Thursday. Chicago Public Media, which acquired the newspaper in January and switched it to nonprofit status, introduced Kho as “the first woman and first person of color to lead the Sun-Times’ newsroom in the paper’s 178-year history.” “I couldn't be more excited to join the historic Chicago Sun-Times at this pivotal moment, with its new public media ownership, to create a strong sense of connection and community throughout Chicago,” Kho said in a statement. “I’m determined to build on the paper’s incomparable legacy and make the most of this huge opportunity to create a new model of community-supported journalism as an inclusive, trusted source of cohesion, empathy and positive change.” Kho starts on the job next week and will move to Chicago in September, according to the Sun-Times report.
Steve Warmbir, who served as interim editor-in-chief since 2020, confirmed he's leaving the Sun-Times after 22 years. "No one stays in the editor-in-chief job for too long," he wrote in an email to staff Thursday. "I plan to recharge this summer before tackling other opportunities. I welcome Jennifer Kho to the newsroom and wish her nothing but the very best. I will always be the biggest cheerleader for the Sun-Times — and now our new partner, WBEZ. My goal when I started this position was to leave the Sun-Times better off than I found it, and I’ve done that, in large part thanks to all of you. . . . I will always be in the Sun-Times’ corner, and no one will be rooting harder for you than me." Warmbir, who grew up in Chicago and west suburban Downers Grove, started his career at the Daily Herald. A first-rate journalist and solid professional, he joined the Sun-Times in 1999, culminating in his rise to award-winning investigative reporter, managing editor and interim editor-in-chief. Continue reading