A Different Time in Chicago Newspapers
“Those were still the days that were pretty rough in newspaper newsrooms, and you know, we had a lot of cases of people keeping whiskey in their desk drawers- which I never did (laughs).”
Upon arrival in the newsroom of the Chicago Daily News in 1956, groundbreaking female journalist Lois Wille found herself immersed in a news culture markedly different from today- one that was often hyper-masculine, volatile and hedonistic.
“The city editor who let me move to the newsroom, his name was “Ritz” Fisher…he warned me when I got there-don’t cry,” Wille said. She recalled that “you could look around and see men not showing up for several days if they’d been off on an alcoholic binge, or smashing their typewriters in a temper tantrum, or fighting or screaming, so I had to always be very calm and careful.”
Despite the tumultuous environment in the newsroom, Wille did not sense any direct hostility from her male colleagues. However, she claimed that “[it was] different when you went out on assignments.” On her first trip to Cook County Hospital, which was adjacent to the building where the Morgue was housed, employees “deliberately pulled out every dead body that had been there for months unattended- something just that they thought was funny.”
A consummate professional, Wille remained composed and focused in spite of the chaotic atmosphere in and out of the newspaper. Her stellar work eventually led to a lengthy tenure as editorial page editor at both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune, which became more reputable and profitable publications where one didn’t have to be “careful about how many pencils you used and how much paper you used.” However, to this day, she still displays nostalgia for the time when Chicago reporters could be found “drinking in Billy Goat’s every night.”
Upon arrival in the newsroom of the Chicago Daily News in 1956, groundbreaking female journalist Lois Wille found herself immersed in a news culture markedly different from today- one that was often hyper-masculine, volatile and hedonistic.
“The city editor who let me move to the newsroom, his name was “Ritz” Fisher…he warned me when I got there-don’t cry,” Wille said. She recalled that “you could look around and see men not showing up for several days if they’d been off on an alcoholic binge, or smashing their typewriters in a temper tantrum, or fighting or screaming, so I had to always be very calm and careful.”
Despite the tumultuous environment in the newsroom, Wille did not sense any direct hostility from her male colleagues. However, she claimed that “[it was] different when you went out on assignments.” On her first trip to Cook County Hospital, which was adjacent to the building where the Morgue was housed, employees “deliberately pulled out every dead body that had been there for months unattended- something just that they thought was funny.”
A consummate professional, Wille remained composed and focused in spite of the chaotic atmosphere in and out of the newspaper. Her stellar work eventually led to a lengthy tenure as editorial page editor at both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune, which became more reputable and profitable publications where one didn’t have to be “careful about how many pencils you used and how much paper you used.” However, to this day, she still displays nostalgia for the time when Chicago reporters could be found “drinking in Billy Goat’s every night.”