Regretfully, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, this year’s awards ceremony will be rescheduled for mid-July. We look forward to bringing together outstanding journalists and those who appreciate their work at that time. Stay tuned for details.
BGA
Posted inAction, Analysis, Policy
BGA Supports Stronger Legislative Inspector General
The legislative oversight system in Illinois is dysfunctional, BGA Policy Director Marie C. Dillon told a state panel considering ethics reforms. Changes are needed to empower the Legislative Inspector General and to make the process more transparent.
Posted inEvents
Submit Now for the 2020 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for Investigative Reporting
The Costly Toll of Dead-end Drug Arrests, published in December, examined how thousands of Chicagoans — mostly Black men — are arrested on drug possession charges judges, police and prosecutors all know will never stick.
Posted inAction, Analysis, Policy
BGA Calls For Stronger Conflict-of-Interest Laws
Illinois needs better disclosure laws for public officials and explicit, mandatory rules about what lawmakers must do when conflicts arise, BGA Policy Director Marie C. Dillon told a state panel considering ethics reforms.
Posted inPress Release
Others Join BGA in Suing Chicago Over Records Involving Former Police Supt. Eddie Johnson
City repeatedly denied requests for videos, police reports and 911 calls that would shed more light on October 2019 incident in which officers found Johnson asleep behind the wheel of his running vehicle.
Posted inPress Release
Event Recap | Pilsen Community Event
BGA and WBEZ hosted an event in Pilsen to hear from community members after a recent investigation regarding the 25th Ward.
Posted inAction, Analysis, Policy
Dillon: Ethics Panel Should Focus On Big Picture
BGA Policy Director Marie C. Dillon testified at the second meeting of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform.
Posted inPress Release
BGA Joins Six Other Chicago Newsrooms to Examine Mayor Lightfoot’s First Year
The new “Lens on Lightfoot” series will pool the resources of multiple newsrooms across the city to evaluate the mayor’s administration.
Posted inPress Release
BGA Investigations Win Emmy, Award from Chicago Journalists Association
The two pieces focused on mismanagement at O’Hare airport and the cost to taxpayers of government sexual misconduct cases.
Posted inPress Release
BGA Files Suit for Records Involving Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson Found Asleep in Parked Car
CPD denied open records request for reports and videos related to the October incident in which police officers discovered Johnson. The matter is under investigation by the city inspector general.