City News Bureau Records
Collection
Identifier: Midwest-MS-City News Bureau
Scope and Content of the Collection
Reporters' copy, notes, and supporting subject materials such as court documents, clippings, and press releases, primarily from the late 1980s to 2005. Also includes a small amount of office materials, reporters' notebooks, and guides. Reporters were stationed at City Hall, the Cook County Building, the Federal Court and Circuit Courts, and there is often overlap of subject matter between areas. All efforts have been made to preserve the original folder titles provided by City News Bureau reporters.
Dates
- 1944-2005
- Majority of material found within 1990 - 2000
Creator
- City News Bureau of Chicago (Organization)
Language
Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The City News Bureau Records are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The City News Bureau Records are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
History of the City News Bureau
Chicago based cooperative news agency which ran from 1890 to 2005.
The City News Bureau was founded in 1890 by Chicago Daily News publisher Victor Lawson as a low cost way to gather routine news items from the police and City Hall, and to train reporters for their newsrooms. Originally called the City Press Association of Chicago, it was supported in the beginning by eight out of the ten Chicago dailies. It was renamed the City News Bureau in 1910, and was a fertile breeding ground for up and coming reporters, employing such future luminaries as Ben Hecht, Mike Royko, Seymour Hersh, Herman Kogan, Jack Mabley, novelist Kurt Vonnegut, actor Melvyn Douglas, and sculptor Claes Oldenburg. Chicago's major daily newspapers jointly owned and used City News Bureau until the Tribune became the sole owner and renamed it the New City News Service in 1999.
The City News Bureau officially closed its doors in January 2005.
The City News Bureau was founded in 1890 by Chicago Daily News publisher Victor Lawson as a low cost way to gather routine news items from the police and City Hall, and to train reporters for their newsrooms. Originally called the City Press Association of Chicago, it was supported in the beginning by eight out of the ten Chicago dailies. It was renamed the City News Bureau in 1910, and was a fertile breeding ground for up and coming reporters, employing such future luminaries as Ben Hecht, Mike Royko, Seymour Hersh, Herman Kogan, Jack Mabley, novelist Kurt Vonnegut, actor Melvyn Douglas, and sculptor Claes Oldenburg. Chicago's major daily newspapers jointly owned and used City News Bureau until the Tribune became the sole owner and renamed it the New City News Service in 1999.
The City News Bureau officially closed its doors in January 2005.
Extent
43 Linear Feet (102 boxes)
Abstract
Reporters' copy and supporting subject materials of the City News Bureau of Chicago news agency, filed from four beat locations: Federal Court, Cook County Civil Court, Cook County Criminal Court, and Chicago City Hall.
Organization
Papers are organized in the following series
- Series 1: City Hall, 1984-2005
- Boxes 1-27
- Series 2: Criminal Courts, 1970-2005
- Boxes 28-59
- Series 3: Civil and County Courts, 1984-2004
- Boxes 60-88
- Series 4: Federal Court, 1944-2004
- Boxes 89-100
Collection Stack Location
1 12 2-5
Provenance
Gift of Paul Zimbrakos (City News Bureau), 2006.
Processed by
Lisa Janssen and Kelly Kress, 2008.
Acknowledgements
This inventory was created with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this inventory do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
- Chicago (Ill.) -- History -- 20th century
- City News Bureau of Chicago
- Civil law
- Clippings -- 1901-1950
- Clippings -- 1951-2000
- Clippings -- 2001-2050
- Cook County (Ill.)
- Criminal courts
- Daley, Richard M. (Richard Michael), 1942-
- Journalism -- Authorship
- Manuscripts, American -- Illinois -- Chicago
- Municipal government
- News agencies
- News copy
- Reporters and reporting -- Illinois -- Chicago
Creator
- City News Bureau of Chicago (Organization)
- Title
- Inventory of the City News Bureau Records, 1944-2005, bulk 1990-2000
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Lisa Janssen and Kelly Kress
- Date
- ©2008.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 08/17/2011: Revisions, additions, and updates were made.
Repository Details
Part of the The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512
reference@newberry.org
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512
reference@newberry.org