Publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times has filed for bankruptcy protection following in the footsteps of its rival, Tribune Co, which filed last December.

Full story at this link…

• Tribune agreement could bring bankruptcy exit
• PaidContent: Star-Tribune files for bankruptcy
• US-based Tribune files for bankruptcy but continues operating
• Media Release: Reader’s Digest emerges from bankruptcy in US
• AFP: LA Times and Chicago Tribune in foreign desks merger

Editor&Publisher reports that the Sun-Times Media Group Inc., publishers of the Chicago Sun-Times and other newspapers, and career website operator Monster Worldwide Inc., will launch cobranded job search and recruitment websites.

• Tip of the day from Journalism.co.uk: slick searching with Google’s ‘inanchor’ operator
• Media Week: Times website loses 1.2m readers
• FT.com: ‘Web pact’ for Microsoft and News Corp?
• Spot the difference: AFP withdraws ‘digitally altered’ missile shot
• IPC takes its Wedding magazine online

Sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times Jay Mariotti has quit the paper after 17 years, claiming sports journalism has an online-only future.

• Sports Journalists’ Association: FT to drop Saturday Sports section
• Alcohol helps diversify Singapore newspaper’s revenue stream
• Why the Guardian is killing technology print supplement
• Election day newspapers sold on eBay
• Newspapers and PCC deny Baroness Buscombe claims

A beta version of the Huffington Post’s new site for Chicago has gone live.

The site is the first of a potential dozen local Huffington Post sites set for launch and will aggregate news for Chicago from local sources and posts from local bloggers.

Local information, such as crime stats, events listings and nightclub opening hours, will also feature in a ‘rotating at-a-glance’ way, said editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington in an introduction to the new site.

“Transferring The Huffington Post’s blend of news, opinion, and community – delivered with our familiar look and attitude – to a local level, HuffPost Chicago is part local news source, part resource guide, and part virtual soap box,” said Huffington.

The site will be edited by Ben Goldberger, a former reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times.

• MediaGuardian: Huffington Post plans local news expansion
• All Things Digital: HuffPo to expand into New York and Denver
• Bloggers showing ‘plenty of interest’ in writing for HuffPo UK
• Arianna Huffington: ‘Enormous opportunities’ for online video channel
• Wired.com: HuffPo accused of stealing content

Top 50 US news sites for February 2008, according to Nielsen Online.

(Also, have a look at: February Worries Boost News Traffic)

Brand Uniques  (000) Time Per Person (hh:mm:ss)
All Events & Global News 101,336 127:01

CNN Digital Network 37,181 0:40:11
Yahoo! News 35,274 0:23:10
MSNBC Digital Network 34,013 0:29:50
AOL News 21,119 0:36:14
NYTimes.com 18,975 0:33:29
Tribune Newspapers 14,716 0:10:09
Gannett Newspapers 13,998 0:21:28
ABCNEWS Digital Network 12,324 0:09:54
Google News 12,050 0:10:14
WorldNow 10,588 0:13:16
USATODAY.com 10,571 0:14:16
Washingtonpost.com 10,441 0:17:30
Fox News Digital Network 10,177 0:41:10
CBS News Digital Network 9,970 0:09:09
Hearst Newspapers Digital 8,349 0:17:38
McClatchy Network 8,343 0:11:41
IB Websites 7,565 0:11:00
Advance Internet 6,791 0:13:08
BBC News 6,437 0:10:42
Slate 6,261 0:07:29
Gannett Broadcasting 6,174 0:09:18
Topix 6,121 0:06:30
MediaNews Group 5,850 0:12:41
Associated Press 5,353 0:07:03
Cox Newspapers 5,197 0:20:08
Boston.com 4,904 0:07:47
Belo Television 4,827 0:05:58
Fox Television Stations 4,758 0:06:06
New York Post Holdings 4,605 0:09:12
NewsMax.com 4,054 0:10:35
TheHuffingtonPost.com 3,749 0:08:04
Freedom Interactive 3,613 0:07:51
Daily News Online Edition 3,563 0:06:46
Belo Newspapers 3,476 0:05:52
Drudgereport.com 3,445 0:59:49
Guardian.co.uk 3,391 0:02:49
Daily Mail 3,364 0:09:11
Telegraph 2,990 0:03:39
Times Online 2,852 0:06:37
Community News Network 2,846 0:10:40
Swift Newspapers 2,750 0:05:42
Scripps News Group 2,713 0:18:00
Netscape 2,709 0:11:03
Breitbart.com 2,674 0:09:20
Int Herald Tribune 2,598 0:02:02
Fisher Interactive Network 2,526 0:05:08
Seattle Times Network 2,245 0:11:03
Philly.com 2,204 0:04:52
Chicago Sun-Times 2,203 0:08:29
Star Tribune 2,108 0:25:08

• US-based Tribune files for bankruptcy but continues operating
• Nieman Journalism Lab: How Gannett Blog works its niche
• Editor&Publisher: US Tribune Group to drop AP subscription for nine newspapers
• Editor and Publisher: Top US News sites beat Google News for traffic
• New York Times launches behind-the-scenes video feature