Tribune Press Release

Tribune Statement on Blagojevich Criminal Complaint


CHICAGO, December 9, 2008 -- Tribune Company said today the actions of the company, its executives and advisors working on the disposition of Wrigley Field have been appropriate at all times. No one working for the company or on its behalf has ever attempted to influence staffing decisions at the Chicago Tribune or any aspect of the newspaper’s editorial coverage as a result of conversations with officials in the governor’s administration.

"No one within Tribune Company has ever complained to me about the positions taken by our editorial board, or attempted to influence our coverage of the governor in any way," said Gerould Kern, editor of the Chicago Tribune. "It should be clear to anyone reading our recent coverage of the governor and his administration that it is fair, balanced and factual."

The staffing decisions of the Chicago Tribune are completely unrelated to the editorial positions expressed within its pages. In fact, the current leadership of the Chicago Tribune editorial board has been in place since 2000. The most recent change to the composition of the board occurred in November 2007, when a board member voluntarily left the company for other employment and was not replaced.

Tribune Company and its executives will fully cooperate with the government during its investigation of the governor.