Sun-Times reporter resigns in dispute with investor turned candidate for governor

Chicago Sun-Times reporter Dave McKinney has resigned saying, "I'm faced with a difficult decision due to the disturbing developments I've experienced in the last two weeks that cannot be reconciled with this newspaper's storied commitment to journalism." The resignation follows news that he'd been sidelined for five days after complaints from the campaign of GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner about one of McKinney's stories.

Sun-Times Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jim Kirk said he regretted McKinney's resignation, but that he calls the shots at his newspaper. "It is with reluctance that I accept Dave McKinney's resignation," Kirk said. "As recently as this Monday on our Op/Ed page, I stated that Dave is among the best in our profession. I meant it then and I mean it now. The pause we took last week was to ensure there were no conflicts of interest and was taken simply to protect Dave McKinney, the Sun-Times and its readers as we were under attack in a heated political campaign. We came to the right result, found the political attacks against us to be false and we stand by our reporting, our journalists and this great newspaper. I disagree with Dave's questioning the integrity of this newspaper and my role as editor and publisher. I call the shots. While I've been here, our ownership and management have never quashed a story and they have always respected the journalistic integrity of this paper."