* Mary Randolph with the Northwestern University Medill Local News Initiative…
The CEO of the Illinois Press Association, who had joined a lawsuit against the Trump administration for actions toward journalists outside a Chicago-area ICE facility, resigned this week following a dispute with the IPA’s board over the litigation.
Don Craven, who had led the IPA since 2021, added the organization to the lawsuit Sunday alongside other Illinois news outlets and advocacy groups. The IPA board disagreed with the decision and told him “to do whatever necessary to dismiss the IPA as a Plaintiff in that litigation,” which Craven did before submitting his resignation, according to an email Craven wrote to an organization of other press associations Wednesday. […]
The IPA board did not respond to a request for comment. It released a statement to the association’s members Wednesday afternoon, which read that a six-person executive team will oversee operations as the board begins recruiting candidates. […]
The IPA is a part of the Newspaper Association Managers, a fraternal organization of press associations across the country which organizes discussions among members on relevant industry issues. Layne Bruce, the executive director of the Mississippi Press Association who serves as the volunteer clerk for NAM, said this news will “without a doubt” be on the agenda for NAM’s next meeting in December.
“As far as I’m aware, this is the most significant development in a press association in the current political climate,” he said.
* I was able to obtain Craven’s letter to the national Newspaper Association Managers group…
Yesterday, I submitted my resignation as President/CEO of the Illinois Press Association. I made a decision as President/CEO and counsel on Sunday to add the IPA to litigation seeking to preserve and protect the First Amendment rights of journalists covering the protests at the ICE facility in suburban Chicago. Journalists reported being singled out for detention, being shot by rubber bullets, and being exposed to gas pellets, all because they were doing their jobs. A minister, in clerical garb, was shot at and gassed, while praying in front of the facility.
The IPA Board obviously disagreed with my decision and felt strongly that I should have either polled the Board, or perhaps polled the entire membership, and instructed me to do whatever necessary to dismiss the IPA as a Plaintiff in that litigation. I made the decision on Sunday night, to allow for a Monday morning court filing.
I followed the Board’s instruction, telling the attorney for the Plaintiff group to dismiss the IPA from the litigation, and submitted my resignation to the Board.
[Redacted friendly personal stuff.]
The Board has not yet decided what to do with this vacancy, so moving forward please contact Ron Kline directly with any NAM issues involving Illinois.
I am returning to the practice of law with my son, and if you need me, please call my cell [redacted].
Cheers,
Don
The IPA is a newspaper publishers’ association. Craven has been the group’s lawyer since the early 1980s. He stepped in to run the day to day operation a few years ago.
I’m just saying, but the only way a guy like Craven gets pushed out is if some of the state’s biggest publishers demanded it.
He’s a good guy and I wish him nothing but the best.
* The plaintiffs prevailed, by the way…
Judge To Grant Temporary Restraining Order Protecting Northern Illinois Journalists from Federal Agents
The Chicago Headline Club and other local media outlets and organizations hailed a victory from a federal judge for upholding the right for journalists to do their jobs without facing unprovoked attacks from federal agents. The club took legal action following multiple examples of federal agents assaulting journalists who were covering recent protests at an ICE facility at Broadview, Ill.
“The Chicago Headline Club stood up for the First Amendment, and the judge delivered a significant victory for press freedom,” the CHC board of directors said.
Judge Sara Ellis said she planned to issue a written temporary restraining order Thursday that will apply to the entire northern district of the Chicago area federal court and not limit the Temporary Restraining Order to Broadview only. Ellis said she needed more time to craft the wording in the written order that is as “clear and direct as possible.”
*** UPDATE *** The order has now been issued…
- Tony Kane - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 9:54 am:
Just wanted to echo the sentiment of Mr. Craven being a good egg. I dealt with him on several occasions as a journalist and I know that he knows his First Amendment, too.
- Juice - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 10:18 am:
Don’s work over the years has been not just a service to his client/until recently Board, but to the population of Illinois as a whole. Particularly with forcing the Blagojevich administration in being more transparent about the depths of the corruption that we being investigated at that time. Those revelations likely gave the legislature some semblance of cover to not move forward with different additional proposals that Rod and his crew could have taken advantage of for their own personal benefit.
While the resignation is disappointing, I do understand why the board would feel that they should be given a heads up on a lawsuit with this kind of implication. Though that doesn’t mean the rest of us should move on from questioning the potential motives of some of those board members given the current environment. Would have preferred to see this handled in a different way.
- Drifter182 - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 10:26 am:
Cowardice on the part of these publishers. Pulling your punches won’t save you.
- Howdy - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 10:30 am:
I wonder how the reporters for the Press Association members feel about not be supported by their employers. It is easier now to just not report on important issues.
- Andrea Durbin - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 10:39 am:
This is one of the most depressing things I have read all day.
- Amalia - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 10:42 am:
well those board members don’t care about news.
- Perrid - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 10:55 am:
I wonder how much this is the board not liking him doing it without their approval, or how much it was the board not wanting it done at all. Fairly different slants
- Norseman - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 11:06 am:
It’s about money, not free press. As we see print news disappear, we see the total abandonment of any suggestion of them disseminating accurate news.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 11:09 am:
Worth noting…
- Tom - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 11:18 am:
Don ran for the legislature years back. I echo that he is a good, principled man.
- Joe Schmoe - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 11:59 am:
My guess is the good old boy network of conservative publishers didn’t take a liking to Don’s actions if it signified any opposition to Trump….
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 12:19 pm:
A man who’s last name could not be further from his actions.
- Norseman - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 12:40 pm:
Hat tip to Chris Wetterich.
- Norseman - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 1:45 pm:
Celebrate for a little bit. Things haven’t usually worked out for the good guys during the appeals process.
- Amalia - Thursday, Oct 9, 25 @ 2:11 pm:
https://www.illinoispress.org/AboutUs/IPABoard.aspx I wonder how they voted Cause several of those people represent publications that aren’t say, of the attitude of maybe the Tribune