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BY JUDY CARMACK BROSS<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUntil now, the focus\u00a0of much investigative journalism has been on finding structural failings in government. Solutions journalism takes that a step further: applying the rigor of investigative reporting to what seems to be working. If we can find what works, and prove it with the same level of certainty that we apply to traditional investigations, this offers some hope. Our problems, as significant as they are, can be addressed,\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n David Greising (right) and David Barstow at the 2022 Richard H. Driehaus Awards for Investigative Reporting. Photo by Kasia Jarosz.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n With a Pulitzer Prize in hand; a partnership with the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, which will grant $10 million over the next five years; and the opportunity to recruit some of the finest reporters in the country, the Better Government Association will launch the Illinois Solutions Partnership with a website in September, directly impacting local and state journalism.<\/p>\n \u201cOur reporters not only invest in issues but also in possible solutions,\u201d Editor-in-Chief Reinaldo Ramos explains. \u201cThey will start with an issue, looking at it with critical eyes, evaluating what has really worked in other situations and locations, and have the good sense to know what could really make a difference. It is a new way of looking at things, and we will now have the tools to do it and always in a non-partisan way. It stops short of advocating for specific policy options.\u201d<\/p>\n BGA leaders, including Board Chair Paulette Dodson, as well as Timothy Knight, President and CEO of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, recently welcomed a group of supporters to a briefing at the Arts Club. Greising asked a group of Chicago leaders to name some of the city\u2019s most urgent challenges and by the program\u2019s close, there was a tangible optimism in the air.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Paulette Dodson, Chairman of the Board of BGA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n David Greising.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe exercise of asking the audience what problems facing the city and state are most on their minds has several purposes. First, it is important for us as journalists to know this information. It can help inform story judgments, can help us decide where to direct our investigative and solutions reporting, can let us know what issues will resonate,\u201d Greising says.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if we do so effectively, then people are more likely to read our stories. They\u2019re more likely to be motivated by them and ultimately, they\u2019re more likely to get involved, to become supportive of the demand for better, and perhaps even get personally involved in working toward solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Timothy Knight, CEO of Robert R. McCormick Charitable Trust.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Timothy Knight, The Robert R. McCormick Foundation\u2019s President and CEO, adds, \u201cWe are confident the Illinois Solutions Partnership will make an important impact in helping our city and state identify and pursue solutions to key challenges we are facing.\u00a0Solutions journalism presents a new way to provide ideas for reform to the public and policymakers.\u00a0Beyond investigating the issue, we expect to uncover solutions to address the issue and empower Illinois-interested news consumers to hold their government accountable and actively participate in their democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Carroll Joynes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Carroll Joynes, University of Chicago Senior Research Fellow and co-author of\u00a0Building Better Arts Facilities:\u00a0Lessons from a U.S.<\/em> National Study<\/em>, has served as a member of the BGA Board for almost nine years. \u201cThe BGA\u2019s goals are very strategic as we build out this high quality digital local news hub.\u00a0At the moment, many Illinois citizens are quite skeptical about government\u2019s capacity to address the many problems we currently face, but the fact remains that for many large-scale, systemic problems, government is the only entity that has the capacity to tackle these,\u201d Joynes reports.<\/p>\n \u201cCollaborating closely with other independent newsrooms like WBEZ\/Sun-Times<\/em> and Block Club, which are now part of the changing face of journalism here, the BGA is committed for the long term to provide reliable local news in Chicago and across Illinois,\u201d he continues. \u201cA number of similar news organizations around the country are closely watching this project, and our work will hopefully result in similar solutions-based journalism newsrooms appearing across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Students at a memorial the building where four children died in a pre-dawn fire on Sept. 8, 2014. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In May the BGA and the Chicago Tribune<\/em> won a Pulitzer Prize for local reporting, one of the highest awards in journalism, for \u201cThe Failures Before the Fires,\u201d adding to the momentum of the current effort. The series exposed the city\u2019s failure in keeping residents safe from deadly fires in dangerous residential buildings.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just a great moment to celebrate with the staff, it\u2019s like winning Oscars in our field, and a great moment in BGA history,\u201d\u00a0 Ramos shares. \u201cWe have a great track record for doing robust journalism, and we feel that the website can be seen as one-stop shopping with articles focusing on government finance and accountability, education, equity issues, and access to services.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n BGA staff celebrating the Pulitzer Prize announcement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The expanded newsroom, a focus on key issues in need of reform, an investigative journalist based in Springfield, collaborative reporting partnerships, newsletters, podcasts, data visualization, social media, and other initiatives will be part of the process. The BGA Solutions Laboratory will convene small groups of problem solvers, some with government experience, to build bipartisan solutions.<\/p>\n For 99 years, BGA\u2019s newsroom has uncovered government inefficiency, inequities, and failures to serve constituents and communities. The watchdog organization has used deep-dive investigations and collaborations with other news organizations to expose life and death issues, criminal justice system failures, and Medicaid fraud. Their dedication has resulted in federal investigations, criminal indictments, legislative reforms, and policy changes. From ethics reform to fair electoral maps to open meetings and open records, BGA researches and proposes policy reforms and advocates for election reforms.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n BGA Editor-In-Chief Reinaldo Ramos.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Currently Ramos, formerly the executive of the non-profit news site The Daily Memphian<\/em>, and his team are recruiting reporters from across the country: \u201cWe have one of the most diverse newsrooms, expertise in many areas, and deep local sources. We are taking a very sophisticated team approach studying what has worked elsewhere, what obstacles and opportunities there are, and the cost. We think readers will be much more informed. We need to find the best ways to hold our leaders accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n To learn more about Solutions Journalism and the Better Government Association, visit bettergov.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\u2013David Greising, President and CEO, The Better Government Association<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/classicchicagomagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/David-Barstow-and-David-Greising.jpg\")
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