Madison Hopkins

“That building will have a memory. The neighborhood will have a memory.” The Tribune showing how it's done: a forceful story about abuse of power

Hi everyone! During the end of Election Week, I learned that @IllinoisAnswers @BetterGov was terminating the education beat due to editorial changes. I was laid off immediately. 🧵

Today is @jayohday’s birthday. She’d like you to send the data she requested, in the format she requested, by the deadline she requested, along with a tray of loaded nachos and a frozen boozy drink. This is not a difficult wish, so please don’t F it up.

I noticed a familiar face in the crowd behind Senator JD Vance at his rally last night in Derry, N.H.: The woman with short hair and a red hooded shirt is Kirstyn A. Niemela of Hudson, N.H., who was convicted for joining the crowd that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.🧵

Thank you to all the journalists covering Election Day! IRE stands with you. We know it’s often a tough job, but your work is the bedrock of a strong democracy.

For months, we've been investigating how Illinois county jails use restraint chairs. Our 1st story featured a man restrained for days in Franklin County Jail. Now, a watchdog group has found the jail restrained him for 68h and violated state/county rules. illinoisanswers.org/2024/10/15/fra…

If you live in Chicago, you must support @Suntimes, because its reporters support you. The stories may be free online, but this nonprofit newsroom needs your help, @jennkho explains: chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/202…

So grateful to @BlockClubCHI for publishing our investigation! @injusticewatch offers nonpartisan, fact-checked research on each of the 77 Cook County judges how running for retention ... tinyurl.com/4fkpn9pe

The last time the Tribune collaborated on a story with @_MJHopkins we won a Pulitzer Prize, so I was very glad to be working with her and @IllinoisAnswers and @joemahr to expose the shortcomings of the Chicago police's surveillance camera network: chicagotribune.com/2024/09/29/chi…

You know those bubble cameras atop poles across Chicago? The ones that used to be big boxes with🚨 blue lights then got (a bit) more covert? Criminals were supposed to fear them - or be caught by them. But after 2+ decades, 4K+ cams and $$$$ … (1/10) trib.al/XEqZP68

As a result, Chicago is now home to potentially the largest and most sophisticated surveillance network in the country, with little transparency, accountability or results to show for it. Check out our whole story here (and a big thanks to @MattStroud): bit.ly/47OlIic

Yet despite all of that, the POD program keeps growing. City leaders still clamor for more and more cameras, insisting that more surveillance = more safety, without showing any evidence to prove it.

Out today: @joemahr and I take an in-depth look at the promise – and at times, the futility – of Chicago’s long and expensive bet on a massive web of police surveillance cameras. 🧵 bit.ly/47OlIic

@_MJHopkins @joemahr with latest on questionable results from Chicago Police cameras.

When people learn what I do for a living, among the first questions I'm asked is: "Why is Illinois so corrupt?" In the coming weeks and months the @chicagotribune is going to explore that question and try to offer some answers. A🧵...1/14

The DNC starts today. Here's a good primer from @ad_quig about what's happening, stories the @chicagotribune is doing and what's expected tonight, including speakers (Mayor Johnson, President Biden and others). chicagotribune.com/2024/08/19/dnc…

Wow, the amount of painstaking work that must have gone into this reporting is incredible - with powerful results. Congrats to all who worked on this new @injusticewatch project! @WriterAlejandra @mdoukmas injusticewatch.org/project/tenant…