Chicago Tribune staff demands answers from editor over Journatic

The editorial staff of the Chicago Tribune has written to its editor, Gerould Kern, demanding answers about the company’s continued relationship with under-fire content provider Journatic.

90 Tribune journalists — including Pulitzer prize-winning columnists Mary Schmich and Blair Kamin and several Metro desk editors — have written to Kern, citing “deep frustration and concern in the newsroom over the Tribune’s continued relationship with Journatic, one that threatens to jeopardize our credibility.” The letter refers to other incidents of plagiarism and false bylines at other Journatic clients, including the Houston Chronicle, and says “repeated incidents of false bylines and false datelines, along with plagiarism, have been exposed at several Journatic clients.” The journalists write that they know Kern shares their concerns about the credibility of the Tribune. But they say they want answers from Tribune management about what the Tribune’s relationship with Journatic will be in the future. Specifically, they are demanding to know how much the Tribune invested in Journatic; what percentage of Journatic it owns; how the company was vetted; who decided not to immediately sever ties with Journatic; how content provided by Journatic will be labeled for readers if it is brought back; and how the Tribune’s credibility as a watchdog can be maintained if the Tribune doesn’t demand the same high standards from its business partners.