The public ambulance service in the small northwestern Illinois village of Hanover was used to working in private. When Galena Gazette reporter Dan Burke asked its governing board for meeting agendas and minutes, it refused. When citizens asked for a budget, personnel qualifications and a list of purchases, it also refused. Citizens’ rights to demand information In … [Read more...] about Illinois’ Public Access Counselor frustratingly slow; AG candidates promise changes
Chicago TV news ignores ‘cheap’ murders
Analysis TV news outlets in Chicago often ignore the “cheap” murders that won’t boost ratings. Such non-reporting leaves viewers with a skewed narrative of crime in a city that too often frames victims as the bad guys, says Robert Jordan, the longtime Emmy-winning reporter and weekend anchor for WGN-TV in Chicago. “The effort is phony, contrived and manufactured to … [Read more...] about Chicago TV news ignores ‘cheap’ murders
Freelance journalists cover global hot spots
The last time Achilleas Zavallis packed his camera gear for Syria, he changed his airline ticket twice within 48 hours because he couldn’t make up his mind whether he should go to a country considered the most dangerous place in the world for journalists. His stomach was tied “in a million knots,” he recalled, as it is every time he travels to a war zone. A photographer … [Read more...] about Freelance journalists cover global hot spots