The Chicago Sun-Times named Jennifer Kho, a former managing editor of HuffPost and Guardian US, as its executive editor. Kho will be the paper’s first woman and person of color to lead the Sun-Times’ newsroom in its 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 press release. “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.”
The search was led by Koya Partners, an executive search and strategic advising firm in January of 2022. At the same time Chicago Public media acquired the Chicago Sun-Times, making it one of the largest nonprofit news organizations. All together the Sun-Times and Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ Chicago reach an audience of more than 2 million people a week in all media channels.
“The Chicago Sun-Times is widely known as the hardest-working newsroom in the country, and Jennifer has that same tenacious spirit, as well as a transformative view of what local journalism means to the community,” said Nykia Wright, CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times. “She has a passion for local journalism, community engagement, deepening audience connections, and serving news audiences across digital platforms. I am thrilled to have her leadership and her vision to carry us into the Sun-Times’ next era.”
Steve Warmbir, the interim editor-in-chief since 2020, said he is leaving the Sun-Times. Warmbir, has been a longtime investigative reporter and been with the paper for 22 years.
“No one stays in the editor-in-chief job for too long,” Warmbir wrote in an email to staff. “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.”
Kho is the president of the Journalism and Women Symposium and the vice president of journalism and information equity for DoGoodery. She is also currently an organizational strategy consultant. Kho is involved with multiple professional groups including Asian American Journalists Association, Online News Association (ONA), News Nerdery and Journalists of Color.
“More than any other type of news, I believe local journalism can serve as a counterpoint to much of what people say they dislike and distrust about news today,” Kho said in a press release. “The Sun-Times has a unique and exciting opportunity to truly democratize news and to demonstrate what the future of local journalism looks like — innovative, deeply engaged in its communities, and making valuable contributions to its audiences’ lives every day.”
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