The Chicago Sun-Times, like its across-the-street competitor, the Chicago Tribune, has gone downhill in a big way since the 1970's. While in the past, despite its tabloid form, it presented reasonable news, it's now largely fallen into the excesses of the New York Post variety of screaming headlines on matters of little permanent interest.

In other words, it's a lowbrow paper for the masses, not necessarily a bad thing in itself but the educated need look elsewhere--and that elsewhere doesn't include the Trib.

The paper comes in one section. The first eight or so pages are national, international, and major local news (including scandals, natch). News articles are spotty after that until we get to the editiorial and op-ed pages. The editorial page is mildly to the right but has its share of left-wingers. Regular columnists include the conservative Michael Novak and liberal Jesse Jackson, Andrew Greeley, and the execrable Cindy Richards. The op-ed page is reasonably balanced, all things considered.

Features follow. They are thin and gossipy. The rock reviewer is competent, the other features, well, blah.

The paper's best known columnist is movie reviewer Roger Ebert. Frankly, he's the only reason to buy the paper, an outstanding and perceptive critic unpolluted by years of exposure to the chittering nitwits who write in the NYT and New Yorker and such like. You'll get an honest review that will help you make a decision whether to see a movie.

Another columnist is south suburban expatriate Richard Roeper, a mildly amusing fellow who is Ebert's partner on "At the Movies", I think it's called (Roeper is the late Gene Siskel's replacement). He reminds me a lot of Bob Greene, without Greene's writing ability and proclivity for chasing after 18-year old girls (which cost him his job at the Trib). Neil Steinberg's opinion column is knee-jerk liberal.

Business is very light, headline type stuff, of no use to any one in executive positions (they aren't reading the Sun-Times anyway, though).

Not surprising in a tabloid, the sports section is thorough and for the most part at least as good as the Trib's. It's one reason to buy the paper, despite the presence of that total, utterly biased fool Jay Moronetti--I mean Jay Marotti. Rick Telander is OK but has an occasional tendency to become overheated. College football coverage is heavy Notre Dame at the detriment of Northwestern and Illinois, and heavy Illinois and DePaul in basketball. Pro coverage is thorough and heavy on the Bears.

Bottom line: give the Sun-Times fifteen minutes and you'll have a glib high-school current event level glimpse of the world. If you--like I--want more, go elsewhere.

buffoonery’s magazine and newspaper reviews:

Wall Street Journal
Commentary
The Economist
National Review
The Nation
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Sun-Times
First Things
The American Spectator
The New Republic
Guitar World
Guitar World Acoustic
Guitar One
Guitar Player


Recommended: No

Describe the newspaper's political views: It is moderate