Jennifer Kho named executive editor of Chicago Sun-Times

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Public Media on Thursday named Jennifer Kho to be the executive editor of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Kho, the former managing editor of HuffPost and Guardian US, will be the first woman and the first person of color to lead the Sun-Times newsroom.

She will start her new position Wednesday and relocate from Los Angeles in September.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join the historic Chicago Sun-Times at this pivotal moment, with its new public media ownership, to create a strong sense of connection and community throughout Chicago,” Kho said in a news release.

Leaders of Chicago Public Media, which owns the Sun-Times, described Kho as a strategic editorial leader and digital innovator with a record of engaging audiences.

Kho said she would prioritize data-based investigations and coverage of topics such as pollution, crime-reduction efforts, economics and social change.

Kho currently is a digital media consultant. She is vice president of journalism and information equity for DoGoodery, which helps organizations reach their impact goals, and president of the Journalism and Women Symposium.

“The Chicago Sun-Times is widely known as the hardest-working newsroom in the country, and Jennifer has that same tenacious spirit, as well as a transformative view of what local journalism means to the community,” said Nykia Wright, CEO of the Sun-Times.

Interim Editor-in-Chief Steve Warmbir, a 22-year veteran of the Sun-Times, said he is leaving the paper. The longtime investigative reporter was a candidate for executive editor. The position has been open since the fall of 2020.