Without warning, Joe Ricketts, of the family that owns the Chicago Cubs, announced he is shutting down a major source of news and information for Chicago and Illinois news.

In a notice posted this afternoon, DNAinfoChicago, has been shut down.  DNAInfo is not your traditional print news outlet, but was often referred to as a "hyperlocal digital news enterprise."

The notice Ricketts posted online stated:

Today, I've made the difficult decision to discontinue publishing DNAinfo and Gothamist. Reaching this decision wasn't easy, and it wasn't one I made lightly.

 

I started DNAinfo in 2009 at a time when few people were investing in media companies. But I believed an opportunity existed to build a successful company that would report unbiased neighborhood news and information.

 

Ricketts indicated it was a business decision. Media columnist Robert Feder reports that TheDNAInfo also closed it's digital news outlets in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington. it is estimated that more than 100 journalists will lose their jobs.

Critics on Twitter are lashing out at Ricketts, because all the work done by his reporters has been deleted.

Feder reports that Chicago Cubs owner, Ricketts, started DNAinfo in New York in 2009 and started operation in Chicago in 2012.

It's very sad to see these journalists lose their jobs and we wish them the best.

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