Residents of two predominantly Latino neighborhoods in Chicago faced years of poor air quality living near a coal-treating plant. But it wasn’t until the plant was demolished, sending a plume of dust into the air and finally bringing attention to its environmental impact, that news outlets took notice. The plume was easy to cover. It…
Police officers almost always avoid legal liability for abusing citizens because of the doctrine of qualified immunity. The doctrine has its roots in ugly chapters of American history — from enforcement of racial segregation at a lunch counter in Mississippi; to the National Guard killings of students at Kent State; to President Nixon’s firing of…
In the days and weeks since the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building and its police officers, it’s becoming clearer just how local this story is, even as the national media outlets have moved to the inauguration and the first days of the Joseph Biden presidency. The people who participated in the insurrection…
St. Louis Public Radio is searching for a new permanent general manager following the ouster of Tim Eby, after he came under pressure from journalists at the station who made public allegations of racism in early August. University of Missouri-St. Louis officials announced a management shakeup in a staff memo on Thursday. Tom Livingston, a…
We are in the midst of a racial reckoning in our country that is more visible in some places than others, but in all places it is long overdue, including in our newsrooms. The mostly peaceful protests that have swept the nation following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by police feel like a…