Leading, experimenting, drafting history for Chicago

A Chicago journalist recently told me that I had picked the worst time to lead news in Chicago.

I disagree. This is our time to lead and document history.

In September, I started in my role as editor-in-chief of Chicago Public Media, overseeing the 150-person editorial operation of the Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ and Vocalo. We’re the largest local nonprofit newsroom in the nation.

My start date collided with the onset of "Operation Midway Blitz," elevating Chicago to the epicenter of President Donald Trump’s controversial — and in Chicago, deadly — federal immigration campaign.

I found myself in a room full of our talented staff, cracking open a Google doc and crafting an ambitious plan. I let them know that it was “our responsibility to lead” in this moment and create the photos and words to document history.

This wasn’t unfamiliar territory. Though I was born and raised here, I had just relocated from Washington, D.C. During those 13 years, I led through the first Trump administration as Washington bureau chief at the Los Angeles Times, documenting Trump and Stephen Miller’s immigration policies. Our work on his Remain in Mexico policy, a partnership with "This American Life," received the first-ever Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting. I led our coverage during the fatal Jan. 6 insurrection with two of my journalists inside the Capitol among rioters. I had also been an investigative reporter covering police abuse at The Washington Post, where I earned a Pulitzer Prize in national reporting.

I was not afraid of the challenge.

We accomplished a lot during our roughly eight weeks covering Chicago’s blitz:

• We deployed dozens of reporters to cover protests and raids and launched an interactive map of ICE and National Guard sightings, populated in part by submissions from the public.
• We launched a pop-up investigative unit that produced more than a dozen stories.
• We gathered a group of seasoned journalists to create videos to explain the moment in ways that a typical news story couldn’t.
• By early December, we had produced nearly 400 stories, newsletters and videos detailing the operation and its impact. Our photos were shared around the world.

This all came at a cost. Chicago was hurt and scared. Our staff was rocked — over a dozen injured by pepper balls and tear-gassed during the protests. Others were doxed and subjected to online threats, while our office also became a target of threats. But our staff was resilient, empowered and emboldened to record a first draft of history.

What we accomplished this year

The Trump administration’s immigrant deportation campaign was only one storyline. WBEZ launched two new talk shows in September: “In the Loop” with Sasha-Ann Simons, weekdays at 9 a.m., and at 10 a.m., “Say More,” a call-in hour hosted by Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith. These programs unpack what’s happening in the news through conversations with newsmakers and listeners.

We piloted a brand-new event concept — Theater Club. In November, WBEZ theater reporter Mike Davis hosted a couple dozen arts lovers to see “Jekyll & Hyde” at the Chopin Theater before convening a lively talk-back with the show’s director and lead actor.

Our groundbreaking reporting kept coming. Digging into health research, Kristen Schorsch uncovered an astonishing number: 20 years. That’s the difference in life expectancy for someone from majority-Black West Garfield Park compared to a resident of Chicago’s predominantly white Loop. Kristen’s reporting about people living with this so-called “death gap” is an example of how local journalism reveals important truths about our city.

Our future

These first three months and my nearly 30 years as a journalist, investigative reporter and executive have informed what I think about our future. I will bring that experience to bear as we grow this organization, hire and create the future of journalism.

Here’s just a part of what I’m excited about:

Leading news coverage: As the largest local nonprofit news organization in the country, it’s important for us to continue to lead in Chicago news coverage.

Experimentation: Many local news operations are shutting down. It’s imperative that we invent the news engines that will sustain the industry. We have to deliver information people can trust wherever and however they consume news — whether it’s text, audio, photos, graphics or video.

Community engagement: For so long, the news industry has operated in one direction — reporters gather the news and disseminate it. The future requires us to engage the public in that process. And I’m excited that our news organization will collaborate with the public on what that looks like.

Unlike what the journalist up top had said, it was, in fact, the right time to come home. It’s been nice to return to my family, friends and community. I appreciate Chicagoans’ fierce loyalty. And even more, I appreciate your loyalty as readers and members of the Sun-Times, WBEZ and Vocalo. I look forward to getting a chance to meet you, whether that’s in person at a Chicago event or engaging with you over email.

Best wishes for the new year, and I look forward to working with you as our teams serve up even more great journalism in 2026.

Kimbriell Kelly
Editor-in-Chief
Chicago Public Media