John P. McCormick

In a first-person essay titled "Life on Blago's enemies list", McCormick expressed his bafflement at being singled out by Blagojevich. He wrote, "If somebody did try for more than a month to extort or otherwise muscle the Chicago Tribune—a newspaper I sold as a child—it did not work. I did not know about it. My boss did not know about it. His boss did not know about it. I hope you fathom how gratifying that is." McCormick also noted that he "never had a personal tiff" with Blagojevich, who had always been cordial when he visited the Tribune for editorial board meetings. McCormick further said that he did write many editorials strongly critical of Blagovich, who he described as "the governor who cannot govern."

In tape-recorded conversations in November and December 2008, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, allegedly discussed threats to withhold $100 million or more in state money for renovations to the Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field baseball stadium, which is owned by Chicago Tribune parent Tribune Company, unless McCormick was fired by the Chicago Tribune.

McCormick received the American Society of Newspaper Editors 2002 Distinguished Writing Award for Editorial Writing, for his editorials on the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Afghanistan War, the "Renaissance of Black Chicago", and plans for a new football stadium in Chicago. And in 2003, he received the Scripps Howard Foundation's Walker Stone Award for a series entitled "Homicide: The Chicago Crime' Also in 2003, McCormick was also featured by Poynter Online in its series on "Best Newspaper Writing".

Around 1982, McCormick joined Newsweek as its Midwest correspondent, where he would work for the next 18 years.

A native of Manchester, Iowa, McCormick earned a bachelor's degree in 1972 from Northwestern University, majoring in political science and journalism.

John Patrick McCormick (born March 5, 1950), known professionally as John P. McCormick, is a former correspondent for Newsweek and the current editorial page editor for the Chicago Tribune. Before joining the Tribune, he was Newsweek's Midwest correspondent for 18 years. He was the recipient of the American Society of Newspaper Editors' 2002 Distinguished Writing Award for Editorial Writing, for his editorials on the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Afghanistan War, the "Renaissance of Black Chicago", and efforts to sell naming rights for the Soldier Field. In December 2008, he also drew considerable attention for his role in the Rod Blagojevich scandal.