The Illinois Answers Project has welcomed two journalists for its new state investigative and solutions team funded by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Embedded investigative reporters Grace Hauck and Meredith […]
Illinois Answers Project
The Illinois Answers Project is Illinois’ nonpartisan investigations and solutions journalism news organization. We are published by the Better Government Association, Illinois’ nonprofit full-service watchdog organization.
Posted inWork With Us
Solutions Reporter
Are you an accomplished journalist with a firm understanding of how local and state governments work? Are you excited to hunt for solutions to the myriad problems facing Chicago and […]
Posted inWork With Us
Embedded Investigative Reporter
The Illinois Answers Project, a nonprofit award-winning news organization published by the Better Government Association, is seeking an investigative reporter with data skills to join our new state investigative and […]
Posted inUpdates
BGA Launching Bold Statewide Initiative Thanks to Driehaus Foundation Support
The Better Government Association has received a $1.43 million commitment from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation to support a novel, statewide expansion by the BGA’s Illinois Answers Project newsroom. Driehaus […]
Posted inPodcast
The Madigan Rule Episode 4: What Comes Up
In the fourth installment of the BGA’s limited series podcast “The Madigan Rule,” host Justin Kaufmann looks into Michael J. Madigan’s political legacy featuring conversations with former Governors Pat Quinn and Bruce Rauner, State Representative Kelly Cassidy (14th), Former State Representative Ken Dunkin (5th), State Representative La Shawn Ford (8th), State Representative Will Guzzardi (39th), Alaina Hampton, Dave McKinney, John Chase, Pat Brady, Ray Long and Amanda Vinicky.
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The Madigan Rule Episode 3: Power over Policy
History’s longest-serving statehouse speaker, Madigan will be remembered less for the policies he enacted than for the power he extracted. In this episode, we explore his political acumen and the […]
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The Madigan Rule Episode 1: Up From the Garbage Truck
To understand Michael J. Madigan, you have to understand where he came from. In the first episode host Justin Kaufmann explores the 13th Ward and the Chicago Machine with local […]
Posted inPodcast
The Madigan Rule Episode 2: Magic Mike
If the 13th Ward on Chicago’s Southwest Side was Madigan’s political base, then Springfield was his political playground. In Springfield the machinery of state government grinds quietly, conveying wealth and power in equal measure. This episode explores how Madigan came to control the machinery of state government–and came to rule for half a century.
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The Madigan Rule Episode 5: Patterns and Practices
One of the biggest public corruption investigations in Illinois history continues. Madigan says he did nothing wrong, but he is out of politics and his political machine destroyed. We dive into the investigation, the resignations and the end of the Madigan era. Has the game changed, or do Springfield’s new power players still follow the Madigan Rule?
