 | |
| Founded | 1923 |
|---|---|
| Founder | E.J. Davis |
| Type | Non-profit Organization |
| Location | |
| Website | http://www.bettergov.org |
The Better Government Association (BGA) is a Chicago-based investigative journalism non-profit organization.
| | |
| Founded | 1923 |
|---|---|
| Founder | E.J. Davis |
| Type | Non-profit Organization |
| Location | |
| Website | http://www.bettergov.org |
The Better Government Association (BGA) is a Chicago-based investigative journalism non-profit organization.
The BGA was established in 1923 to increase voter participation in Chicago elections, and was originally intended to serve as a non-partisan guide to better government. [1] This was also part of an effort to thwart Al Capone's influence from local politics during the Prohibition era. [2] However, the organization started to focus more on watchdog journalism during the 10-year tenure of George E. Mahin as executive director. Under Mahin's leadership, the BGA began investigating the administration of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. [1]
The BGA has also developed a strong relationship with the media, often working together with journalists on investigations. This was especially apparent during the tenure of George William Bliss as the BGA's chief investigator from 1968 to 1971. Bliss had previously worked for the Chicago Tribune , and would later return to the Tribune as an investigator in 1971. Even when the BGA conducts its investigations on its own, a press conference is usually called to discuss the results. [1]
One of the BGA's most famous investigations took place in 1977 when it worked with the Chicago Sun-Times to open and operate a fake bar called Mirage Tavern. The investigators uncovered widespread corruption, including tax skimming and kickbacks, among Chicago officials, [3] and led to a 25-part series on the Sun-Times. The sting led to numerous terminations and reforms in the city. [2] However, the investigation was denied a Pulitzer Prize due to concerns that the Sun-Times had engaged in unethical deception to get the story. [4]
The BGA has roughly nine investigators (as of 2014) on its Investigations team, which has always partnered with media organizations on reporting and monitoring government bodies. Over a five-year period, the team has produced 290 investigations, about 90 of which have resulted in "tangible reforms". [2]
The BGA's Policy and Civic Engagement teams focus on advocacy that promote good government. The Investigations and Policy teams operate autonomously, to ensure a separation between the BGA's reporting and advocacy. [5]
In addition to partnerships with traditional media outlets like the Chicago Sun-Times , the BGA has also looked into forming relationships with online and niche publications, including Crain's Chicago Business , Catalyst Chicago , and the Chicago News Cooperative . [3]
The BGA maintains an Illinois Public Salaries Database, which allows the public to research the compensation for employees in all levels of state government. The BGA submitted nearly 1,000 Freedom of Information Act requests to update the database in 2020. The database separates bonus pay and overtime from base salaries, and also allows users to track the work histories for individual employees. [6]
The BGA and the Center on Wrongful Convictions won the Edward R. Murrow Award for a June 2011 investigation into the high cost of wrongful convictions. The investigation documented the human and financial toll of alleged government and police misconduct that led to 85 people wrongfully incarcerated for violent crimes they did not commit. [7]
The BGA was awarded the Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award, presented by Sigma Delta Chi and the Society of Professional Journalists, in 2017 for their work that led Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to acknowledge he had been conducting government business using private email accounts to circumvent public records laws. [8]
In 2018, BGA reporters won the Thomas L. Stokes Award for Best Energy Writing from the National Press Foundation for a series on lax nuclear oversight. [9]
The BGA shared the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting [10] with the Chicago Tribune for its investigation into Chicago's long history of failed building- and fire-safety code enforcement.
Alphonse Gabriel Capone, sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit. His seven-year reign as a crime boss ended when he went to prison at the age of 33.
The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", it remains the most-read daily newspaper in the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region. In 2022, it had the seventh-highest circulation of any American newspaper.
The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It frequently ranks as the top school of journalism in the United States. Medill alumni include over 40 Pulitzer Prize laureates, numerous national correspondents for major networks, many well-known reporters, columnists and media executives.
The Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting has been awarded since 1953, under one name or another, for a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single article or series in a U.S. news publication. It is administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.
The Sun Sentinel is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Broward County, and covers Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and state-wide news, as well. It is the 4th largest-circulation newspaper in Florida. Paul Pham has held the position of general manager since November 2020, and Julie Anderson has held the position of editor-in-chief since February 2018.
John M. Crewdson is an American journalist. He won a Pulitzer Prize for The New York Times, where he worked for 12 years. He subsequently spent 26 years in a variety of positions at the Chicago Tribune.
The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) is a nonprofit news organization based in Emeryville, California. It was founded in 1977 as the nation’s first nonprofit investigative journalism organization, and has since grown into a multi-platform newsroom, with investigations published on the Reveal website, public radio show and podcast, video pieces and documentaries and social media platforms, reaching over a million people weekly. The public radio show and podcast, “Reveal,” co-produced with PRX, is CIR’s flagship distribution platform, airing on 588 stations nationwide. The newsroom focuses on reporting that reveals inequities, abuse, and corruption, and holds those responsible accountable.
George Bliss was an American journalist. He won a 1962 Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism for the Chicago Tribune and was associated with two others:
Stephen J. Berry is an American investigative journalist. In 1993, while working for The Orlando Sentinel, he and Jeff Brazil won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for a report exposing a sheriff department drug squad's unlawful seizure of millions of dollars from motorists, mostly minorities. He is now an associate professor at The University of Iowa's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Berry is the author of a book about investigative journalism entitled Watchdog Journalism: The Art of Investigative Reporting.
Sharyl Attkisson is an American journalist and television correspondent. She hosts the Sinclair Broadcast Group TV show Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.
The Franklin News Foundation, previously the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, is an American online nonprofit news organization that publishes news and commentary from a conservative and free market, limited government perspective on state and local politics. Its journalism platform is called The Center Square, rebranded from Watchdog.org. Founded in 2009 in North Dakota, the organization moved to Virginia and is now based in Chicago.
The Mirage Tavern was a drinking establishment at 731 N. Wells St. in Chicago purchased by the watchdog group Better Government Association and the Chicago Sun-Times in 1977 to investigate widespread allegations of official corruption and shakedowns visited on small businesses by city officials. The journalists used hidden cameras to help ensure that city inspectors caught accepting payoffs for ignoring safety hazards were all properly documented.
Scott Higham is a Pulitzer Prize-winning member of The Washington Post's investigations unit. He graduated from Stony Brook University, with a B.A. in history and has a M.S. from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Higham also earned an A.S. in criminal justice at Suffolk County Community College.
The Investigative Reporting Workshop is a nonprofit, editorially independent newsroom based at American University in Washington, D.C. in that trains undergraduate, graduate student and early career journalists by pairing them with professional newsrooms on investigative, enterprise and data journalism projects. Since its founding, the IRW has partnered with dozens of professional newsrooms on hundreds of investigations, and trained more than 240 student journalists -- many of whom now work in leading newsrooms across the country.
Chuck Neubauer is an American investigative reporter and journalist. He has written for Chicago newspapers including Chicago Today, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, and other news organizations including the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Times.
Joseph "Joe" Berrios is a Democratic politician who was the Assessor and Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party of Cook County, Illinois, as well as a registered Illinois state government lobbyist. He was the first Hispanic American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly and the first and only Hispanic American to chair the Cook County Democratic Party. He was also a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Review, a property tax assessment appeal panel.
Bernard Judge was an American journalist who served in management positions at the City News Bureau of Chicago, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.
Carol Marbin Miller is a senior investigative reporter at The Miami Herald. Marbin Miller began covering social welfare programs at the St. Petersburg Times in the 1990s. She joined The Miami Herald in 2000 and has reported extensively on Florida's services to children as well as the state's juvenile justice system, programs for people with disabilities, mental health and elder care.
Michael J. Berens is an American investigative reporter. He won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.
Cecilia Reyes is a senior reporter at Insider Inc. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting in 2022.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
