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Posted Feb. 1, 2005 Chicago Reporters Win WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two reporters from suburban Chicago’s Daily Herald are the recipients of the second annual Hal Hovey Award, presented by Governing and Stateline.org for outstanding journalistic coverage of state and local government. Sara Burnett and Dave Orrick are being honored for their series, “Fostering Frustration,” which documents the problems facing the Illinois foster care system and renders the complicated results of recent reforms on a human scale. The series appeared in the Daily Herald in September, 2004.
“This is a landmark piece of journalism,” says Alan Ehrenhalt, Governing’s executive editor, “not merely because it documents a case of social welfare policy going awry, but because it makes clear that there are dangers even in the most well-meaning and sophisticated management reforms.” In “Fostering Frustration,” Burnett and Orrick investigate why the state’s foster children — particularly those in the Chicago suburbs — have a high likelihood of changing homes numerous times.
The series paints a vivid picture of the toll that these moves take on children, families and state workers. The reporters find that the frequent moves are an unintended result of the recent implementation of performance contracts which determine which placement center will handle each child’s case. The award, which includes a $3,000 cash grant and is presented at Governing’s annual Outlook in the States conference in Washington, D.C., is named in memory of the late Hal Hovey, a dedicated public official, meticulous scholar, tireless reporter and constructive critic of state and local government who died in 1999 after a 30-year career that included major contributions to both journalism and public service at all levels. The Burnett-Orrick series can be found at www.dailyherald.com/special/fosteringfrustration/index.html The two runners up: • Kevin Fagan’s San Francisco Chronicle special report on the homeless in San Francisco, “Shame of the City,”,not only portrays the lives and struggles of the city’s destitute, but offers a sharp look at the government’s attempts to help them: • Albany Times-Union reporter Elizabeth Benjamin traveled around New York State sounding out residents about their perceptions of the problems in Albany. Her series, “Albany at the Crossroads,” illuminates the challenges that confront New York’s legislators and governor: Copyright © 2005, Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Governing, City & State and Governing.com are registered trademarks of Congressional Quarterly, Inc. |
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