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Chicago Reader Taps Malik Jackson as Publisher Starting June 1

The hire signals Noisy Creek's plan to rebuild alternative weeklies through print experiments rooted in community ties.

Overview

  • A Noisy Creek announcement Monday named Malik Jackson publisher of the Chicago Reader, with a June 1 start date.
  • Jackson most recently led South Side Media Works as executive director and publisher, overseeing South Side Weekly and the Hyde Park Herald.
  • He says he will strengthen the Reader, test new print and distribution ideas, and use physical spaces to build closer ties with audiences and emerging writers.
  • Noisy Creek founder and CEO Brady Walkinshaw praised Jackson's vision and local roots, expressing optimism about the Reader's future.
  • The Reader, which Noisy Creek acquired last year, returned to print in February as a monthly magazine after recent belt-tightening, and Jackson now succeeds former publisher Amber Nettles.