CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bruce Dold, a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial leader with significant news and opinion experience, today was appointed Editor of the Chicago Tribune. Dold, the Editorial Page Editor of the Chicago Tribune for the last 16 years, is responsible for diversifying and expanding Chicago Tribune’s commentary and editorial content across print and digital platforms. The appointment, announced by Tony Hunter, Publisher & CEO of the Chicago Tribune Media Group, is effective immediately.
Gerould Kern, an instrumental leader in creating and driving a digital-first newsroom, is retiring. In his tenure as Editor, the Tribune earned the 2012 Pulitzer for commentary and was a finalist nine times, including four out of the past five years in investigative reporting. He also directed the expansion of the printed edition in 2011, adding 44 full pages of news coverage to the Tribune each week. As a result, the Chicago Tribune publishes more news in its print edition today than it did in 2007, before the Great Recession. Additionally, the Chicago Tribune has grown its digital audience significantly through the launch of new platforms, content verticals and use of social media.
In 2012, Kern was named Illinois Journalist of the Year. In the same year, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Indiana University School of Journalism.
“The Chicago Tribune staff is accomplished, courageous and united behind a mission to perform the kind of public service journalism that makes the Chicago region a better place to live,” said Gerry Kern. “It has been the greatest privilege of my professional life to work alongside my colleagues. I am forever grateful, and I will always be proud to say I was a part of the Chicago Tribune’s story.”
“I am honored to lead the Chicago Tribune and its talented team of storytellers, reporters, photographers, designers and editors,” said Bruce Dold. “The Chicago Tribune is vital to the communities we serve. We speak to that community and for that community. We’re going to be relentless in our coverage of the region and in creating new, innovative solutions for our customers.”
“Bruce is a highly-capable leader with significant experience as an editor, writer and journalist,” said Tony Hunter. “Bruce has a wealth of knowledge about the communities we serve and understands the critical role the Tribune plays in covering the region and providing thought-leading commentary. His leadership capabilities, coupled with his passion for our mission, make him an ideal choice to lead the Chicago Tribune.”
Dold joined the Chicago Tribune in 1978 as a reporter and was appointed to the editorial board in 1990 and named Deputy Editor in 2000. Under his leadership, the editorial board earned a dozen national awards and conducted numerous campaigns to improve the community, including pushing for a more ethical and transparent government in Chicago and Illinois, expanding public school choices, and launching the New Plan of Chicago project, which prompted more than 1,000 Chicago Tribune readers to contribute ideas to build a more economically vibrant city.
Dold earned the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing in 1994 for a series on the death of a three-year-old boy and the failure of the juvenile court and child welfare system to save the child. His writing contributed to sweeping reforms in the protection and care of abused children in Illinois.
He was honored with the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Journalists Association and the 2015 Dante Award from the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. He received the 2009 Sigma Delta Chi Award for editorial writing from the Society of Professional Journalists and the 1999 National Journalism Award for Commentary from the Scripps Howard Foundation.
Dold is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the American Society of News Editors. He served on the board of the Illinois First Amendment Center. He received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1977 and a Master of Science in Journalism in 1978 from Northwestern University.
About Chicago Tribune Media Group
Chicago Tribune Media Group is a diversified media and marketing solutions company that reaches 4.9 million people each month across all platforms. CTMG’s robust portfolio of media solutions includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago Tribune, and a collection of niche and digital offerings including RedEye, Hoy, Chicago magazine, Naperville Magazine, The Mash, Blue Sky Innovation, chicagotribune.com, chicagonow.com and metromix.com. As the region’s leading voice, CTMG also extends into the suburbs of Chicago through popular titles including TribLocal, The Beacon-News, The Courier-News, Lake County News-Sun, Naperville Sun, Post-Tribune in Northwest Indiana, Daily Southtown, and 32 Pioneer Press weekly newspapers.