The Better Government Association is a nonprofit media organization with a mission is to achieve transparency, equity and accountability in government. Our organization has been in existence for almost 100 […]
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 inUpdates
Better Government Association Announces 2023 Driehaus Investigative Journalism Award Finalists
The Better Government Association has named eight investigative projects as finalists for the 2023 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for Investigative Reporting. The annual awards highlight the impact of Illinois […]
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 inWork With Us
Data Reporter
The Illinois Answers Project, a non-profit award-winning newsroom, is looking for a data reporter who can lead our database initiative and provide data visualization on key projects and investigations.
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.
Posted inPodcast
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.
Posted inPodcast
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?