Pioneer Press

The Pioneer Press publishes 32 local newspapers in the metropolitan Chicago area. It is a division of the Chicago Tribune Media Group. Pioneer Press is based out of Chicago.

The community newspapers are the main source of local news in affluent communities like Winnetka, Highland Park and Lake Forest.

Unrest among staffers has marred Pioneer Press' reputation. In March 2002, a sportswriter covering Highland Park High School basketball learned his beat would switch to covering the village of Lake Bluff and the city of Lake Forest, effective immediately. It meant he would not be afforded the chance to cover the high school's first-ever trip to Illinois' boys basketball quarterfinals in Peoria. Angry with that and stung by several other actions by the newspaper, including the paper allowing Chicago Sun-Times publisher David Radler to overturn endorsement decisions made by staff, the sportswriter wrote an angry letter to then-Executive Editor Paul Sassone. The letter was distributed and the letter-writer was terminated. Pioneer's lead editorials and political endorsements now "represent the view of the Sun-Times News Group of 100 papers in Metropolitan Chicago" rather than the voice of the community paper.