Going behind the byline

Take your reading experience to the next level with unlimited digital access! Get your first month for only $1.     Thank you for subscribing to a Sun-Times newsletter! From time to time, we'll send you information directly from our team — like the note from reporter Stephanie Zimmermann included below. If you prefer to not receive these messages, simply unsubscribe here.  Dear Sun-Times newsletter readers, The questions inevitably come up at backyard barbecues: “Why do you do what you do?” Or: “How can you work in news when so much of the news is depressing?” My answer – and I’m guessing it’s the same answer many of my Sun-Times colleagues would give – is that I was drawn to journalism because I’m curious about the world. I stayed because I believe that when people have information, they can make their community, city and world a better place. Yeah, I know, that last part sounds corny. But it was drilled into me at a very young age. My parents were both immigrants to the United States, having spent childhoods in war-torn Europe. My dad grew up in Germany and was 5 years old when Hitler came to power. My mom was born in Lithuania and fled from both the Soviets and the Nazis. Both my parents knew what it was like to live in a society with no free press. Over the years, I’ve heard cliches and complaints about American journalism. Some are true and others infuriatingly false. Here are a few: If it bleeds, it leads. This one mostly targets TV news, and it’s true that visual media tends to focus on compelling video. But I can tell you, my Sun-Times colleagues who cover crime in our city do not get a kick out of gory stories. When crime happens, they cover it – and some of them carry heavy burdens from doing this work. Their job is to reflect the city back to itself, whether it’s tracking homicides, examining gun violence or reporting on people who are turning things around. Our reporters know that for every sad story, there’s an equally uplifting one. You just need to know where to look. If your mother says she loves you, check it out. This one is true. All good reporters know this saying; it’s the first thing young journalists learn in school. Put simply, it means digging deep before simply taking the word of those in charge. Sometimes leaders are telling the truth, but other times they aren’t. And you, dear reader, deserve to know. Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. As a consumer reporter, I have a soft spot for the financially afflicted, whether it’s a scam victim, a homeowner in trouble or children of veterans caught up in bureaucracy. The powerful people in our society have lots of levers to pull. Sometimes the “little guys” need someone to shine a spotlight on their troubles. Fake news! My ears always prick up at this one. It’s easy to forget that the words “fake news” originally described purposeful disinformation, like the completely made-up stories by Macedonian bloggers in 2016 to get money from clicks. (Some of them became quite wealthy.) Former President Donald Trump changed the meaning when he used it to assail accurate reporting that he didn’t like. Anything critical of his campaign or presidency was likely to be called “fake news.” Like most of my colleagues, I’m heartbroken over this delegitimization of news gathering. We’re not those screaming faces on cable TV — we’re your neighbors, fellow LSC and PTA members, your co-commuters on the CTA. We’re the people who grill your elected officials for the accountability you deserve, and the ones making dozens of phone calls to craft a fitting tribute for a beloved local Dollar Tree manager. Fortunately, surveys have found Americans still have faith in their local news sources. A 2019 Knight Foundation/Gallup report found 61% of Americans said their local news organizations do an “excellent” or “good” job of educating people on what’s going on in their area. The journalists at the Sun-Times take seriously your faith in us. We hope you’ve found useful our recent reporting on government, schools and the coronavirus, not to mention fun stuff like Chicago’s vast array of murals. (And we have the best sports coverage in the city!) I wish I could afford to subscribe, but it’s just too expensive. It’s true that some online subscriptions are pricey, especially for national or specialty publications. But guess what? A digital Sun-Times subscription is just 8 cents a day. That’s less than a third of what our print paper cost way back in 1978, the year of the famous “Mirage Tavern” exposé. You can probably find 8 cents in your couch cushion or glove compartment. Whether it’s helping you find a vaccine in a pandemic or learn the latest school news or make the most of the last fleeting days of summer, we try every day to provide you with information you need. When you subscribe to the Chicago Sun-Times, you help us continue providing the top-notch journalism you rely on. Your support keeps our reporters in City Hall, Halas Hall, and in your neighborhoods. We’re working hard to keep your trust in us. Sincerely, Stephanie Zimmermann Consumer Affairs Reporter Chicago Sun-Times     © 2021 Chicago Sun-Times 30 N Racine Ave. Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60607 customerservice@suntimes.com Preferences  |  Unsubscribe