Leo A. Lerner (1907–1965) was an American

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

and

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

, who founded

Lerner Newspapers Lerner Newspapers was a chain of weekly newspapers. Founded by Leo Lerner, the chain was a force in community journalism in Chicago from 1926 to 2005, and called itself "the world's largest newspaper group". In its heyday, Lerner published 54 ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, at one time the largest chain of

weekly newspaper A weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly new ...

s in the world. He was a staunch advocate of

community journalism Community journalism is locally-oriented, professional news coverage that typically focuses on city neighborhoods, individual suburbs or small towns, rather than metropolitan, state, national or world news. If it covers wider topics, community j ...

, fond of statements like, "A fistfight on Clark Street is more important to our readers than a war in Europe."The Cleburne News
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Newspaper career

Born in Chicago, Lerner attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

, graduating in 1928. While there he was the Night Editor and Drama Editor for the ''Daily Northwestern''. After graduation he worked for several local Chicago papers until the late 1940s, and was the only neighborhood newspaperman accredited by the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nat ...

to cover the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

Conference at San Francisco in 1945. In the late 1940s he partnered with A. O. Caplan to become owner and manager of sixteen local papers, with a total circulation of 219,000. By 1958 Lerner was president, editor, and publisher of four newspaper conglomerates with more than 19 different papers.

Public service

Lerner was very active in public service. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the ...

and of

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting pr ...

, founder of the

Independent Voters of Illinois The Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO) is an independent, not-for-profit, Illinois political organization. Often referred to by its acronym, IVI-IPO, has roots dating to 1944, when the Independent Voters of ...

(IVI), and President of the Citizens Schools Committee. He helped found

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a Private school, private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois, Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frankli ...

, where he taught

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

and eventually became President of its Board of Trustees. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Scandinavian Seminar, which funded nine months of study in any

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

n country for qualified students. He was a member of the Board of the Chicago

Better Business Bureau Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 97 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the Unit ...

and was appointed to the Illinois Parole and Pardon Board. In 1964 President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

invited him to join the Citizens Advisory Board of the Community Relations Service.

Awards

* Chicago Medal of Merit (1961) * Editorial Award,

Illinois Press Association Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

(1937) *

National Herrick Award National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(1951) * Publisher of the Year Award (1953)

Bibliography

*''Continental Journey'' (1947), written during a tour of Europe *''The Itch of Opinion'' (1956) *''The Italics Are Mine'' (1960) *''The Truth Ripens'' (1967)

References

Leo A. Lerner papers
at Syracuse University Special Collections Research Center American male journalists 20th-century American journalists American editors 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) American newspaper chain founders Businesspeople from Chicago 1907 births 1965 deaths {{US-editor-stub