Thread by @RexHuppke

1/ People who care about newspapers might come together and buy the Chicago Tribune and our sister papers. Not definite. It could still fall through, I know. But for the first time in ages, it's a glimmer of hope.

Here's why this makes me so happy.

chicagotribune.com/business/ct-bi…

2/ I work with amazing people. I work with people who change lives, people who, particularly over the past year, put themselves at risk to tell stories people need to hear. I work with people who give a damn about their community and their country and the world.

3/ For as long as I can remember, the people I work with have been kicking ass and doing things right and, for my money, doing things as well as any newsroom in the country, without an ounce of job security. We've seen buyouts and layoffs, people leaving because of low pay.

4/ We've lost seasoned veterans - literally the best in the business - and we've lost young journalists with boundless potential. And we've endured a time when journalists have increasingly become targets for death threats and all manner of hate.

5/ Through it all, everyone just kept doing their job. Everyone kept breaking news and uncovering wrongs and telling stories that help people understand the world around them. I'm not kidding, I tear up when I think about the brilliant work that's come out of this newsroom.

6/ I'm not writing this thread because we've reached a moment to holler: "Yay! We're saved!" We're not even close to that. Like I said at the start, there's a glimmer of hope. But it's enough to make me want to shout about my love for and admiration of my colleagues.

7/ I write my columns on my own. I was working from home before the pandemic, writing at weird hours to stay on top of the news. I don't see my colleagues as much. But I see everything they do, and I feel humbled every day that what I write makes it on the same pages they fill.

8/ I hope, with everything I've got, that my new Swedish billionaire best friend and the Maryland hotel magnate get hold of this paper and the others and see the potential. I hope they invest in the journalists who've given everything to keep the stories going.

9/ And I hope they build something better rather than slowly stripping it down.

The people I'm lucky enough to work with deserve it. The city of Chicago deserves it. And, at the end of the day, our whole damn democracy needs it.

Thanks for reading. END