Leo A. Lerner was an American newspaper editor and publisher, who founded Lerner Newspapers

Lerner Newspapers

Lerner Newspapers was once the largest chain of weekly newspapers in the world. Founded by Leo Lerner, the chain was a force in community journalism in Chicago from 1926 to 2005....

 in Chicago, Illinois, at one time the largest chain of weekly newspaper

Weekly newspaper

A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...

s in the world.

He was a staunch advocate of community journalism

Community journalism

Community journalism is locally oriented, professional news coverage that typically focuses on city neighborhoods, individual suburbs or small towns, rather than metropolitan, state, national or world news....

, fond of statements like, "A fistfight on Clark Street is more important to our readers than a war in Europe."

Newspaper career

Born in Chicago, Lerner attended Northwestern University

Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

, graduating in 1928. While there he was the Night Editor and Drama Editor for the Daily Northwestern. After graduation he worked for several local Chicago papers until the late 1940s, and was the only neighborhood newspaperman accredited by the State Department to cover the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 Conference at San Francisco in 1945. In the late 1940s he partnered with A. O. Caplan to become owner and manager of sixteen local papers, with a total circulation of 219,000. By 1958 Lerner was president, editor, and publisher of four newspaper conglomerates with more than 19 different papers.

Public service

Lerner was very active in public service. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Public Library

Chicago Public Library

The Chicago Public Library is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 79 branches, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the city....

 and of Americans for Democratic Action

Americans for Democratic Action

Americans for Democratic Action is an American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA works for social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research and supporting progressive candidates.-History:...

, founder of Independent Voters of Illinois, and President of the Citizens Schools Committee. He helped found Roosevelt University

Roosevelt University

Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...

, where he taught journalism

Journalism

Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...

 and eventually became President of its Board of Trustees. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Scandinavian Seminar, which funded nine months of study in any Scandinavia

Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

n country for qualified students. He was a member of the Board of the Chicago Better Business Bureau

Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...

 and was appointed to the Illinois Parole and Pardon Board

Parole Board

A parole board is a panel of people who decide whether an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving at least a minimum portion of their sentence as prescribed by the sentencing judge. Parole boards are used in many jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the United...

. In 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...

 invited him to join the Citizens Advisory Board of the Community Relations Service.

Awards

• Chicago Medal of Merit (1961)
• Editorial Award, Illinois Press Association (1937)
• National Herrick Award (1951)
• Publisher of the Year Award (1953)