Join us for Beyond the Byline: Featuring the 20th Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for Investigative Reporting on Thursday, May 9th, from 4:00-8:00 P.M. at Venue SIX10 in downtown Chicago.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the awards, Illinois Answers Project, the BGA’s Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom, will host an expanded event and programming, “Beyond the Byline: Sparking Change, Inspiring Action.”  

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. This year’s event will culminate with the lauded Driehaus Foundation Awards winners. In addition, Beyond the Byline and this year’s awards will feature a conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones.

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering racial justice for The New York Times Magazine and creator of the landmark The 1619 Project, an award-winning reframing of American history that placed slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative.

She is the Knight Chair in Race and Journalism at Howard University, where she is the founding director of the Center for Journalism & Democracy.

The annual Driehaus Foundation Awards for Investigative Reporting highlight the imperative impact and importance of investigative reporting in Illinois. Judged by a panel of journalists and media educators, the awards were launched two decades ago by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, thanks in large part to the late Richard Driehaus’ vested belief in the power of journalism as a cornerstone of democracy, in addition to his long-standing collaboration with awards partner, the Better Government Association. 

Tickets are available now for a $50 donation per person. As a thank you, community and news partners, and BGA supporters who donate $1,000 or more annually will receive complimentary tickets. Please contact us at YourImpact@bettergov.org for more information.

Program

4:00 – 4:30 PM
Registration + Welcome Reception

4:30 – 5:30 PM
Building Bridges: Community Collaboration and Journalism Panel with Tonika Lewis Johnson, Jamie Kalven, Mauricio Peña, and Shamus Toomey

5:45 – 7:00 PM 
Driehaus Foundation Awards + Conversation with Nikole Hannah-Jones

7:00 – 8:00 PM 
Happy Hour + Closing Reception

FINALISTS:

Large Newsroom Category

• Chicago Tribune; “Stalled Justice” by Joe Mahr, Megan Crepeau, Brian Cassella
• Investigative Project on Race and Equity & WBEZ Chicago; “Profiled: The State of Traffic Stops in Illinois” by Staff of the Investigative Project on Race and Equity & WBEZ Chicago
• Injustice Watch & WBEZ; “The Failure of Medical Release Reform” by Carlos Ballesteros, Shannon Heffernan, and Amy Qin
• CBS WBBM-TV; “The Cost of Being in Care” by Dave Savini, Michele Youngerman, Elliott Ramos, Mike Klingele, DeAndra Taylor, Chris Hacker, Paige Tortorelli, Tim Viste, Reed Nolan, Sam Vega, Jeff Harris
• WGN-TV; “Dolton’s Political Dysfunction” by Andrew Schroedter, Ben Bradley, and Vince Tagle

Small Newsroom Category

• The TRiiBE & Invisible Institute; “Hundreds of Cops Can’t Testify in Court” by Max Blaisdell
• City Bureau & Invisible Institute; “Missing in Chicago” by Sarah Conway & Trina Reynolds-Tyler
• Injustice Watch; “Exploited Elders” by David Jackson
• Cicero Independiente & MuckRock; “The Air We Breathe: People-Powered Investigations about Environmental Concerns in Cicero, IL” by Derek Kravitz, Dillon Bergin, Kelly Kauffman, Luis Velazquez, Richie Requeña, Jorge Martinez, Jesus J. Montero, Stephana Ocneanu, Glendalys Valdes, Brian Herrera, April Alonso, Irene Romulo, Karen Wang, and Sanjin Ibrahimovic