Vol. 3 Issue 31
Andrew Fan on the impact of our work beyond awards
from left: (back) Sarah Geis, Alison Flowers, Erisa Apantaku, Jamie Kalven, Andrew Fan (front) Bill Healy, Sarah Conway (City Bureau), trina reynolds-tyler, trina's mother, and Yohance Lacour celebrate at the Peter Lisagor award ceremony holding some of their awards.
In late April, I attended a gathering of roughly one hundred people in conversation about our recent reporting on missing women and girls in Chicago. The last of our eight-week series of reading groups, the event included a panel, spaces for reflection, meditation, prayer, and a poetry reading from a family member of a woman who has been missing since 2016.
Our director of data, trina reynolds-tyler described the event as “heavy but not harsh”, reflecting how she and the team tackled a deeply painful subject with empathy and a sharp attunement to the structural injustices that underlie the failures of missing persons investigations in Chicago and beyond.
That time spent grounding our work in the people confronting and navigating the failures of government institutions is especially vital since it comes amid a period of recognition by our peers. Earlier this month, the Invisible Institute won the Peabody Award for our podcast You Didn’t See Nothin. One of the highest honors in journalism, it is a testament to the years of careful reporting and thoughtful conversations that shaped YDSN and produced an evocative piece of audio reporting. The Peabody Award comes on top of our team winning two Pulitzer Prizes, one for the podcast and one for trina’s reporting on missing persons. trina’s reporting also won a Driehaus Award for Investigative Reporting, while the runner up was Invisible Institute fellow Max Blaisdell, who produced excellent reporting on officers who have been barred from testifying in court with The Triibe.
In just the last five years, our nonprofit newsroom – with barely more than a dozen people – has received a Peabody, an Emmy, and a National Magazine Award while winning three Pulitzer Prizes and being named a finalist for a fourth. These awards reflect the power of the narratives and investigations that emerge from our patient work in relationship with the communities we cover.
Ultimately we measure our work by its dual impact on public policy and public dialogue. At the gathering in late April, trina and Sarah shared the news that Mayor Brandon Johnson filed a resolution calling for a hearing about missing person cases and the creation of a dedicated task force. This development is a direct result of both our reporting and our commitment to ongoing public conversation through avenues like our reading groups. We hold no illusions that a city task force alone will transform the handling of missing persons cases, but it is a promising step and one that reflects our organizational commitment to creating and then sustaining difficult public conversations. We are proud of the moment our reporting has created and we are committed to continuing the work.
Andrew Fan
Executive Director
Chicago mayor, alders propose missing women task force as CPD continues to sideline families
For the Reader, Sam Stecklow reports on a new resolution from Mayor Brandon Johnson and a group of majority Black women alders calling for the creation of the Mayor’s Task Force on Missing Women.
This resolution recognizes the disproportionate impact the issue of missing persons has had on Black women in Chicago and directly cites our Missing in Chicago reporting.
On April 19, alders referred the missing persons resolution to the Committee on Public Safety, chaired by Hopkins. A hearing on the resolution has not yet been scheduled.
Andrew Fan named to the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) 2024 INN Emerging Leaders Council
We’re thrilled to share that our executive director Andrew Fan has been named to the 2024 Emerging Leaders Council at INN. Over four months, participants engage in one-on-one coaching and connect with a network of their peers to launch transformative projects that develop their leadership skills and strengthen their organizations. This year’s cohort will focus on succession planning, board development, fine-tuning long-term fundraising practices and growing collaborative networks that unite nonprofit newsrooms to report on key issues.
Audio Journalist Bill Healy honored with Studs Terkel Award at Community Media Awards
Last week, Bill Healy was honored alongside three other journalists for a “commitment to profound community storytelling.” “This year’s honorees archive Chicago’s history in profound ways,” said Jhmira Alexander, President and Executive Director of Public Narrative. “Their direct and indirect contributions to the news cycle speak volumes about their impact on the evolution of Chicago’s media ecosystem.”
In addition to other journalism and community work in Chicago, Bill is a member of our audio team and has produced two award-winning podcasts - the Pulitzer Prize finalist Somebody and the Pulitzer Prize winning You Didn’t See Nothin.
