North Cook News

In response to a threat by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Daily Herald has discontinued publishing and distributing the Local Government Information Services (LGIS) newspapers, effective Thursday Sept. 22.

On Wednesday, Pritzker demanded the Daily Herald stop working with LGIS, claiming its newspapers were too critical of his administration and “represent an existential threat to quality, independent journalism.”

The move will not disrupt the distribution of LGIS newspapers.

The Daily Herald addressed the issue in an editorial signed “Senior Management of Paddock Publications.”

“Paddock Publications has made the decision to cancel commercial printing jobs with LGIS. As an independent newspaper publisher, we want no part of the flame-throwing accusations taking place between Gov. J.B. Pritzker and LGIS. Many critics cannot or refuse to differentiate between a commercial printing operation, for which the parent company Paddock Publications has many customers, and the Daily Herald's editorial mission to be unbiased and fair,” the Daily Herald wrote.

“On Thursday morning came a public news release from Pritzker's campaign manager, Michael Ollen, excoriating Paddock for the print job. No one from Pritzker's office had contacted the company regarding its concerns and instead sent out a news release announcing it would withdraw from an upcoming online forum with his Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, because of the printing issue.”

Since its founding in 2014, with DuPage Policy Journal, LGIS has grown steadily.

The chain now operates 36 local news sites across the state. Of those titles many have a print newspaper component sent directly to community members.

Paddock Publications, the employee-owned company which owns the Daily Herald, took million of dollars in payments from LGIS over a seven year period to publish and distribute the chain’s newspapers from tis 24-acre complex in Schaumburg.

That ended abruptly after the Pritzker complaint.