Chicago seems to be stepping up its game in terms of investigative journalism.
The Better Government Association, which has teamed up with newspapers over the years to investigate "government waste, fraud, mismanagement, corruption, cronyism, nepotism and malfeasance," announced on Tuesday the hiring of three veteran reporters who will double the BGA's investigative presence.
John Conroy, whose reporting is credited for uncovering the John Burge police torture scandal, is joining the BGA team as a senior investigator. Bob Reed, the former editor of Crain's Chicago Business, has been hired as the BGA's new director of investigations and Bob Herguth, a longtime reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's, the Daily Herald and the Business Journal of Milwaukee has been named investigative editor.
"In a time of shrinking newsrooms and withered journalistic resources, the need for in-depth
investigations into how our city, suburbs and state operate on every level and spend each tax dollar has never been greater," BGA Executive Director (and HuffPost blogger) Andy Shaw said said in a statement. "I anticipate that the new investigative team will be a force to be reckoned with."
The announcement comes as Early and Often prepares to launch a pay site in conjunction with the Chicago News Cooperative. Early and Often will launch on October 4, and offer "unmatched coverage of the 2011 Chicago mayoral campaign, aldermanic races and the city treasurer and clerk contests - right through the April 5 run-offs." Early and Often was thought up by Mike Fourcher, who has done a lot of hyperlocal coverage in Chicago over the years, as Chicagoist reports. Fourcer teamed up with the Chicago News Cooperative for Early and Often--bringing rockstar city reporters Mick Dumke and Dan Mihalopoulos to the table.
A subscription to Early and Often is $150 before their October 4 launch.