A joint investigative report by Chicago Talks and The Beachwood Reporter wins national SPJ award

April 13, 2009 – The Society of Professional Journalists announced the recipients of the 2008 Sigma Delta Chi Awards for excellence in journalism today.

We were pleased to learn that a joint investigation by Chicago Talks and The Beachwood Reporter has won SPJ’s 2008 national award for online investigative reporting by an independent media outlet.

With assistance from Jay Stewart and the Better Government Association, the investigation found that the committees of Chicago’s City Council routinely acted on measures without a quorom, without a record of testimony by those appearing before the committees, and even without records of attendance by city council members themselves.

Judges chose the winners from over 900 entries in 53 categories including print, radio, television and online. The awards recognize outstanding work published or broadcasted in 2008.

The awards will be presented during the SPJ Convention and National Journalism Conference, August 27-30 in Indianapolis.