CHICAGO (October 25, 2022) – Chicago Public Media received the Chicago Humanities Festival’s 2022 Civic Leadership Award at the Festival’s Annual Benefit and Celebration, held October 24. Chicago Public Media was recognized for growing and strengthening local journalism in Chicago through its acquisition of the Chicago Sun-Times in January 2022, which created one of the largest nonprofit news organizations in the country.

Now under the banner of Chicago Public Media, WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times reach more than 2 million people daily in the Chicago area across broadcast, print and digital. Most recently, the Chicago Sun-Times removed its paywall on suntimes.com and launched a voluntary membership program to support its journalism – a significant milestone toward ensuring its reporting is accessible to all.

“It is our great honor to be recipients of the Civic Leadership Award. Chicago Public Media and the Chicago Humanities Festival share a core belief that the foundation of a strong democracy is an informed and inspired community that is actively engaged in civic life,” said Matt Moog, CEO of Chicago Public Media. “We have an opportunity to reinvent how local journalism enhances civic life and to ensure it thrives in Chicago and beyond. We are grateful to the Festival for the recognition and their confidence and trust in us to tell the story of Chicago.”

The Festival underscored Chicago Public Media’s commitment to safeguarding journalism and its role in informing the public, strengthening local communities, and protecting democracy.

“Chicago Public Media is ensuring that we have a broad diversity of journalism in our community,” said Chicago Humanities Festival Executive Director Phillip Bahar at the Annual Benefit. “They are creating a new approach to journalism for our city, and serving as a national model that is already being copied. We believe they deserve this recognition, as this truly is a revolutionary moment.”

For more than 30 thirty years, Chicago Humanities Festival has served as Chicago’s home for critical conversations by providing a platform to amplify voices and ideas in ways only the arts and humanities are able. Both WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times have been long-time Festival partners, through mutual collaboration and participation in the Festival’s programming. For more information visit: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/