New owners, same mission: Suburban voices, faces, focus

To our readers:

In my more than four decades at the Daily Herald, I have seen monumental changes — from our growing suburban print footprint to our ever-evolving website. The newspaper, with roots now reaching back more than 150 years, was long owned by the Paddock family, and I had the privilege of knowing two generations in my time in the newsroom.

On Tuesday, I woke up an employee of Tribune Publishing, with the sale of the Daily Herald having closed the day before. But the Daily Herald I read in the morning was the same: a deeply suburban product based in the suburbs, printed in the suburbs and written for loyal readers in the suburbs.

None of that will change.

We will continue to publish — as the Daily Herald — seven days a week in print, and to update dailyherald.com with breaking news and features throughout the day and night.

We will continue to cover a wide swath of the suburbs in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties.

We will continue to report through a suburban lens on everything from village board meetings to our in-depth summer festival listings.

And we will continue to write about suburban news, sports, business and entertainment with the same dedication and passion that we have in the past.

That means you will receive detailed coverage of village government, local crime, suburban newsmakers, transportation issues, community attractions and high school sports. At the same time, you can look forward to broader coverage of state news, professional sports and Chicago’s entertainment scene.

We have long considered the Daily Herald to be the voice of the suburbs, a wonderful place to live, work and play. We love what Chicago has to offer, but we remain committed to the suburbs.

Our reporters, editors and photographers — most with decades of experience at the Daily Herald — have been retained, so you will see familiar faces and bylines covering the news and events that matter most to you. But instead of one dedicated reporter following the Bears stadium saga in Arlington Heights, you will have a team. In many diverse ways, our access to Tribune resources will supplement our local reporting.

When people I meet hear I have worked at the Daily Herald for more than 40 years, many are surprised. I tell them all the same thing: I stayed for two important reasons. First, I love the work. And second, I have the world’s best colleagues. That was true when I was a newbie reporter, and it is true now, all these years later.

Our editors and the editors of the Chicago Tribune believe we are stronger together. I think you will agree.

Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting local journalism. It matters now more than ever.

Lisa Miner

Daily Herald Executive Editor