Founded in 1847, the Chicago Tribune once branded itself as “The World’s Greatest Newspaper.” That was no modest claim, but there was a time it might have been taken seriously. For decades, the paper wielded enormous influence over Midwestern politics and national opinion, often leaning Republican and embracing a muscular editorial tone. However, like so many legacy newspapers in America, the Tribune has drifted hard to the left in recent decades, abandoning its historic commitments to journalistic restraint, balanced reporting, and civic conservatism. Today, it is largely indistinguishable from other coastal progressive outlets in terms of ideology and bias, though it still attempts to maintain a veneer of Midwestern moderation.
Ownership
The Tribune is currently owned by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund infamous for gutting newsrooms while claiming to “save” newspapers. In 2021, Alden purchased Tribune Publishing in a controversial deal that saw the Chicago Tribune join a stable of papers including the New York Daily News, Baltimore Sun, and Orlando Sentinel. Alden is often criticized for prioritizing profit over journalism—but ironically, this has not translated into a more conservative editorial direction. Instead, the paper’s newsroom culture has leaned even further left, perhaps in reaction to perceived threats from corporate ownership.
While Alden is not a partisan donor in the traditional sense, its hands-off approach has allowed the editorial staff—particularly columnists, opinion editors, and lifestyle writers—to align closely with the broader progressive journalistic consensus. Contributors often source from and echo the talking points of left-leaning NGOs, academic institutions, and activist coalitions.
Revenue and Priorities
The Tribune, like many legacy newspapers, has struggled with declining print circulation and shifting digital revenue. It relies heavily on subscriptions, digital advertising, and syndication services. In recent years, it has also leaned into identity-focused opinion journalism and click-driven outrage content—trends consistent with its ideological drift. These financial pressures have incentivized ideological conformity rather than balanced reporting, as the paper increasingly courts a younger, progressive, urban readership.
Typical Claims and Outlook
The Chicago Tribune maintains a public tone of moderation and fairness, but beneath the surface, its reporting and editorial decisions reveal a clear progressive worldview. On issues of race, gender, immigration, and religion, the paper rarely strays from the prevailing narrative of the Left.
Its articles frequently emphasize systemic injustice, equity-based policies, and intersectional grievances. In its coverage of criminal justice, the Tribune tends to favor reformist language and often elevates activist voices while marginalizing victims of crime or proponents of law-and-order policies. On gender and sexuality, it promotes “gender-affirming care,” uses progressive pronouns without question, and regularly decries opposition as bigotry.
The Tribune is less bombastic than outlets like MSNBC or HuffPost, but its ideological leanings are no less clear. Its subtlety lies in what it omits: voices from the religious right, traditional families, national security conservatives, or those critical of open-borders policies are rarely featured except in dismissive tones.
The editorial page—once a bastion of Midwestern conservatism—now resembles a checklist of progressive priorities: climate alarmism, abortion access, LGBTQ+ advocacy, racial equity, and the steady demonization of Republican populism, especially in the Trump era.
Specific Incidents of Bias
1. Election Integrity
In the wake of the 2020 election, the Chicago Tribune provided extensive coverage of supposed “disinformation” and “baseless fraud claims” from Trump and his allies. But while it was right to scrutinize unfounded accusations, the paper almost completely ignored legitimate concerns about ballot harvesting, mass mail-in voting vulnerabilities, and private funding of election offices (e.g., Zuckerbucks). Rather than investigate these concerns, it parroted Democratic Party language about “safe and secure elections” without balance.
2. Transgender Policy in Schools
During the battles over transgender bathroom and sports access in Illinois public schools, the Tribune overwhelmingly framed opposition as driven by “fear,” “ignorance,” or “religious bias.” The voices of parents, conservative teachers, and women’s rights advocates were minimized. The editorial board even criticized those opposing gender-affirming care for minors as engaging in “moral panic.”
3. War in Gaza (2023–2024)
When Hamas launched a brutal terrorist attack on Israeli civilians in October 2023, the Tribune’s initial coverage rightly condemned the violence. However, within days, its tone shifted dramatically, emphasizing the humanitarian impact of Israel’s counteroffensive and adopting the language of Palestinian grievance. Civilian deaths were featured prominently, while the moral clarity of Hamas’ terrorism was quietly downplayed. Critical context—such as Hamas embedding in civilian zones—was often buried or omitted.
Neo-Marxist or Ideological Influence
The Chicago Tribune does not openly call itself “Neo-Marxist,” but its ideological alignment reflects a wholesale embrace of the frameworks advanced by Cultural Marxism, Critical Theory, and Leftist academic activism. Common buzzwords like “equity,” “decolonize,” “white supremacy,” and “lived experience” appear regularly in its features and op-eds. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) language permeates education reporting and cultural analysis.
The Tribune often quotes activist organizations uncritically, such as Black Lives Matter, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and the Human Rights Campaign. Faith-based perspectives—especially evangelical or Catholic voices—are largely absent unless framed as backward or dangerous.
The ideological tilt is evident in how stories are selected, headlined, and framed. Leftist academic sources are cited as authoritative, while dissenting views—particularly those rooted in traditional Christianity or constitutional originalism—are ignored or portrayed as fringe.
Most Ideologically Reflective Figures
Though the Chicago Tribune does not have as many nationally recognized progressive celebrities as outlets like The New York Times or CNN, several of its editors, columnists, and contributors have consistently reflected and shaped the paper’s ideological orientation.
Heidi Stevens – Former Columnist and Lifestyle Writer
For years, Stevens served as one of the most influential progressive voices at the Tribune. Her columns routinely amplified themes of feminism, LGBTQ+ affirmation, and leftist cultural commentary. Stevens embraced the language of privilege, gender fluidity, and intersectionality, often using her platform to scold conservative viewpoints and champion progressive social causes. Though she left the Tribune in 2021 to join a left-leaning nonprofit initiative (Parent Nation), her style and tone still influence the Tribune’s features desk.
Rex Huppke – Former Columnist
Huppke’s columns, which mixed sarcasm and snark with political commentary, reflected the Tribune’s condescending stance toward conservatives during the Trump years. He routinely belittled evangelical voters, Republican officials, and traditionalist positions on gender and sexuality. His writing was less journalism than cultural mockery, often using the language of “resistance” popularized by MSNBC and progressive Twitter.
Dahleen Glanton – Editorial Board Contributor
Glanton’s writing focused heavily on race, policing, and “equity” in Chicago and beyond. She was one of the Tribune’s most reliable voices for the view that America is systemically racist and in need of structural transformation. Her pieces during the 2020 George Floyd riots showed a clear sympathy for the Black Lives Matter movement, framing looting and property destruction as symptoms of deeper oppression.
Eric Zorn – Longtime Op-Ed Writer
Zorn offered a more genteel progressivism, but his consistent support for abortion rights, liberal criminal justice reform, and hostility to gun rights placed him firmly in the progressive camp. He also pushed back against critics of gender ideology, framing opponents of child transitions or bathroom access as transphobic or uninformed.
Editorial Board as a Whole
The Tribune’s editorial board, though historically a center-right counterweight to the city’s progressive establishment, has shifted significantly since the 2000s. On nearly every hot-button issue—climate change, gun control, abortion, policing, immigration, and gender identity—the board has taken stances that align with Democrat Party orthodoxy. Even its criticisms of Democrats tend to come from the Left, urging more ambitious action on social justice or environmental policy.
Scandals and Controversies
While the Chicago Tribune has not faced the same volume of national scandals as CNN or The New York Times, it has experienced notable controversies, particularly when progressive ideology collided with public backlash or poor editorial judgment.
1. Suppression of the Hunter Biden Laptop Story (2020)
Like many mainstream outlets, the Tribune refused to report seriously on the Hunter Biden laptop scandal in the critical final weeks of the 2020 presidential election. Instead, it parroted the now-debunked claim that the story was “Russian disinformation,” despite evidence and sources confirming its authenticity. This mirrored the behavior of other progressive-aligned newsrooms and contributed to a widespread media blackout of a major corruption story.
2. Coverage of Jussie Smollett (2019)
In the early days of the Jussie Smollett hate hoax, the Tribune ran credulous headlines and sympathetic pieces that assumed his claims of a MAGA-inspired racist and homophobic attack were true. While the Tribune eventually corrected course when the hoax was exposed, its early coverage showed a clear eagerness to accept a narrative that fit its ideological framework.
3. Police Defunding and Public Safety
Throughout 2020 and into 2021, the Tribune editorial team offered sustained support to “reimagining” public safety and increasing civilian oversight of the police. Op-eds and feature stories frequently framed the police as a source of systemic harm, while giving less space to the perspectives of law enforcement, victims of violent crime, or supporters of traditional policing. This imbalance was particularly striking in Chicago—a city grappling with record-breaking crime and homicide rates.
4. Firing of John Kass from the Editorial Board (2021)
One of the most high-profile controversies involved veteran columnist John Kass, who had been a rare conservative voice at the Tribune. Kass wrote a column in 2020 linking the increase in Chicago violence to the role of left-wing billionaire George Soros in funding progressive prosecutors. After leftist activists and internal staff accused him of trafficking in “antisemitic tropes,” he was demoted from the editorial board. Kass denied the accusations, arguing he was being silenced for challenging progressive orthodoxy. The episode became a flashpoint over viewpoint diversity and the narrowing range of acceptable opinion at the Tribune.
Evaluations by Issue
Below is an issue-by-issue analysis of how the Chicago Tribune frames core moral and political topics. This section highlights the unmistakable pattern of progressive bias.
1. Election Integrity and Voter Laws
The Tribune consistently frames voter ID laws and election security measures as attempts at “voter suppression.” It downplays documented vulnerabilities and tends to treat all skepticism of mail-in voting as conspiracy theory.
2. Abortion and Reproductive Rights
The Tribune refers to abortion as “healthcare,” opposes virtually all restrictions, and amplifies pro-choice activists. Crisis pregnancy centers are often described as “deceptive.”
3. Gender Identity and Transgender Policies
The Tribune uses preferred pronouns, promotes gender-affirming care for minors, and characterizes critics as bigoted or religious extremists.
4. Race and Systemic Racism
It heavily endorses the idea of systemic racism. “Equity,” “white privilege,” and “anti-racism” are treated as moral imperatives.
5. Climate Change and Energy Policy
The Tribune supports sweeping climate legislation, vilifies fossil fuels, and promotes renewable energy subsidies, rarely giving voice to climate realists or energy policy skeptics.
6. Immigration and Border Security
The Tribune’s coverage is sympathetic to illegal immigrants, sanctuary policies, and DACA recipients. Immigration enforcement is framed as cruel or nativist.
7. Israel and the Middle East Conflict
The Tribune oscillates between tepid support for Israel and strong sympathy for Palestinian grievances. Israeli self-defense is framed in morally ambiguous terms.
8. Second Amendment and Gun Control
Gun ownership is portrayed by the Tribune as a threat. Mass shootings are emphasized, while defensive gun use is largely ignored.
9. LGBTQ+ Rights and Religious Liberty
The paper champions LGBTQ+ rights, even when they conflict with religious conscience claims. Religious liberty is treated with skepticism when it favors conservative Christians.
10. COVID-19 Policy and Mandates
The Tribune supported lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and censorship of dissenting views. Natural immunity was dismissed until long after it had been scientifically confirmed.
11. Policing and Criminal Justice
The Tribune favors police reform and civilian oversight, often giving sympathetic coverage to activists calling for defunding or abolishing the police.
12. Education and Parental Rights
The Tribune’s education coverage aligns with teachers’ unions and DEI advocates. It criticizes school choice and portrays parental rights groups as reactionary.
13. Censorship and Big Tech
The paper supports content moderation to stop “misinformation.” It downplays concerns about censorship of conservative views.
14. January 6 and Political Violence
The Tribune describes January 6 as an “insurrection” and national trauma. By contrast, the 2020 riots are treated as legitimate protests against injustice.
15. Corporate Wokeness and ESG
The Tribune praises companies for diversity pledges and ESG compliance. Critics of corporate wokeness are portrayed as backward or political agitators.
16. Hunter Biden, Biden Family, and Political Corruption
The laptop story was buried or ignored. Current Biden administration scandals receive minimal or delayed coverage.
17. Trump and the Republican Party
Trump is portrayed as an existential threat. MAGA voters are consistently caricatured as ignorant, racist, or anti-democratic.
18. Affirmative Action and Racial Preferences
Racial preferences are defended as necessary tools of justice. The Supreme Court’s rejection of affirmative action was met with disappointment and scorn.
19. International Institutions and Sovereignty
The paper promotes trust in the WHO, UN, and other global bodies. Critics of global governance are portrayed as conspiracy theorists.
20. Culture War Issues
The Tribune embraces inclusive language, drag queen story hours, and progressive definitions of hate speech. It scorns traditional moral values as outdated or harmful.
Conclusion and Summary Judgment
The Chicago Tribune, once a stalwart of Midwestern common sense and editorial independence, now serves as a mouthpiece for progressive orthodoxy. While it still markets itself as a paper of record for a diverse and complex metropolis, its reporting, editorial priorities, and institutional sympathies reveal a narrow ideological agenda. That agenda is increasingly indistinguishable from the dogma of elite academia, left-wing nonprofits, and Democrat Party machinery.
What makes the Tribune particularly concerning is not just its predictable embrace of progressive causes, but its selective silence—or worse, complicity—in some of the most destructive policies affecting Chicago’s future, especially in the area of education.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have become ground zero for a deeply embedded ideological program that includes gender ideology, critical race theory, and DEI indoctrination. Curricula feature materials promoting “gender-affirming care,” queering of childhood, and racial guilt as early as elementary levels. Teachers’ unions have aligned with far-left causes, endorsing political protests, backing drag events in schools, and opposing transparency laws that would inform parents of classroom content. Despite these facts, the Chicago Tribune rarely, if ever, calls out CPS leadership or the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) for their role in politicizing education.
Instead, the Tribune routinely portrays parent resistance to these trends as dangerous or reactionary. Those who protest sexually explicit books, transgender policies, or race-based curriculum are often painted as bigots or extremists. Meanwhile, the Tribune editorial board and columnists have offered repeated cover to Chicago’s succession of progressive mayors—Lori Lightfoot and now Brandon Johnson—both of whom have pushed aggressively for leftist education agendas. The paper has minimized or ignored the long-term academic and social fallout of these policies, focusing instead on racial equity, “safe spaces,” and combating “misinformation.”
In essence, the Chicago Tribune has become what it once opposed: a partisan vehicle for entrenched political power. It does not challenge the ideology of those who run the city or its school system—it amplifies them. Its reporters do not expose the harmful consequences of educational indoctrination—they sanitize it.
The Tribune may still report crime statistics or publish occasional dissenting guest columns, but these are drops in an ocean of bias. Its newsroom and editorial staff operate within a progressive moral framework that sees traditional American values—faith, family, merit, and liberty—not as ideals to be upheld, but as systems to be deconstructed. It is not neutral, not balanced, and not reformable in its current state.
The Chicago Tribune belongs squarely in the Hall of Shame. Not simply for the stories it writes, but for the ones it refuses to write. Not merely for the ideology it espouses, but for the corruption it shields. In a city desperately in need of truth-telling, the Tribune has chosen propaganda. And for that, it earns its shame.
S.D.G.,
Robert Sparkman
MMXXV
christiannewsjunkie@gmail.com
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