Illinois Answers Project

EVENT POSTPONED ?? Our panel discussion on the Riverwalk with Friends of the Chicago River has been postponed due to weather. We have rescheduled for Sept. 5. If you have any questions, shoot us DM.

We’re excited to share that at our Annual Luncheon, BGA President David Greising will be joined in conversation with Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. Before her appointment in 2022, she held several other roles in the Office of Inspector General, including the Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety, leading OIG’s police oversight work. Witzburg previously worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted a wide range of cases and worked closely with police, community groups and neighborhood organizations. If you’d like to join us for this conversation, click here to register and donate: https://lnkd.in/dkWq_sx3

We're excited to announce that we're partnering with Friends of the Chicago River and the McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum to present "Chicago Underwater: A Discussion on the Impact of Flooding." On August 15th at 5:30 p.m. at the Bridgehouse Museum on the Riverwalk, we'll hold a panel discussion with flooding experts and local advocates moderated by Illinois Answers Project Reporter Alex Nitkin. We will discuss issues surrounding the impact of flooding in Chicago. The panel will be followed by a short Q&A. Interested in joining us? Click here to register: https://lnkd.in/gFr_XbZN

Check out our open positions at Illinois Answers: a State Editor who will oversee projects with state-wide focus and an Investigative Reporter. Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/g8-FK2YP

May 9th was a special day for the Illinois Answers Project! We welcomed nearly 230 supporters, community partners, fellow journalists and readers to Beyond the Byline and the 20th Richard H. Driehaus Awards for Investigative Reporting in celebration of investigative journalism. #InvestigativeJournalism #DriehausAwards The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation City Bureau Invisible Institute Block Club Chicago NFP The TRiiBE Investigative Project on Race and Equity WBEZ Chicago

Press Forward?has announced more than $1.6 million in grants to 13 Chicago newsrooms. Congratulations and well-deserved celebration to our partners and fellow newsrooms including: - Borderless Magazine - Chicago News Weekly - Cicero Independiente - Growing Community Media, parent company of Austin Weekly News - Injustice Watch - Investigative Project on Race and Equity - Invisible Institute - Lansing Journal LLC - La Raza Chicago - Reparations Media NFP - Respair Production & Media - South Side Weekly - Windy City Times https://lnkd.in/g7FCqnFS

Huge thanks to our incredibly generous sponsors for making Beyond the Byline and the 20th Richard H. Driehaus Awards for Investigative Reporting possible! #Gratitude #SupportJournalism #DriehausAwards 2ND CENTURY COUNCIL The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Heather Steans and Leo Smith PLATINUM Gary Elden and Phyllis Mandler GOLD The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc. THE JOSEPH AND BESSIE FEINBERG FOUNDATION D. Carroll Joynes and Abby McCormick O'Neil Mark Rust, Barnes & Thornburg LLP SILVER PLUS Phil and Jill Calian Nykia Wright BRONZE PLUS Brian Sher, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner The Dodson Family

We’re still elated following our Beyond the Byline event, featuring the 20th Richard H. Driehaus Awards for Investigative Reporting with special guest, Pulitzer Prize journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. Thank you to our lead sponsor, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, for partnering with the Better Government Association to mark 20 years of honoring the in-depth and important work of investigative reporting. Watch our tribute video honoring Richard H. Driehaus, founder of the Driehaus Awards, and learn more about his legacy of support for regional investigative journalism. In the words of Executive Director Anne Lazar, reporting work has the power to “change minds, change policies, and change lives.” https://lnkd.in/gKsgZGcr

?? Last call for "Beyond the Byline" tickets! This event promises a dynamic and thought-provoking experience, featuring a panel of local industry leaders discussing local news' evolution and the power of news to foster community and civic engagement, ending with the Driehaus Foundation Awards winners. Our event will also feature a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Illinois Answers Reporters Jewél Jackson and Madison Hopkins. Get your tickets before they're gone here: https://lnkd.in/gvVQZJBC