Photo by Andrew Huff, used under Creative Commons

Years ago, through smart reporting and good sleuthing, it came to light that Jon Burge and his men were torturing suspects on the South Side of Chicago to obtain confessions. One of the biggest stories in Chicago’s recent history, the Burge torture scandal and the news stories that exposed it serve as a reminder that investigative journalism is vital to the health of our communities. After all, someone needs to keep those in power honest.

In 1990, Chicago Reader reporter John Conroy wrote the story “House of Screams,” the piece that would introduce torture in Area 2 to Chicago and eventually lead to thousands of local and national stories about the subject. But this one story wasn’t enough. Conroy followed the Burge torture scandal for 20 years, and eventually other reporters and outlets began digging as well.

Tonight, freelance writer John Conroy (also a Studs Terkel award winner for his Burge coverage), and Michael Miner, Chicago Reader editor and columnist, will talk about police torture in Chicago, the wrongful convictions that happened as a result, and the role of journalism in exposing the atrocities. The first of a two-part series airs this evening on WFMT radio.

Part One: Monday, August 2nd — 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. CDT on 98.7WFMT Radio Chicago and via free streaming at wfmt.com

The second part in the series airs next week.

Part Two: Monday, August 9th — 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. CDT on 98.7WFMT Radio Chicago and via free streaming at wfmt.com

After airing, each part will be available indefinitely for free download, streaming, and podcast at WFMT.

I was fortunate enough to handle communications for MacArthur Justice Center for a number of years while Locke Bowman, legal director at the Justice Center, represented some of the Burge torture victims. It was some of the most rewarding work I have had the opportunity to be involved in. So many people like Conroy and Bowman have spent countless hours and days over the years working on the Burge torture scandal. The guilty verdict last month was a long time coming, and the reporters who followed this story for years, unraveling the pieces and bringing us the news, are a reminder of why good journalism is not just necessary, but a critical piece of a healthy society.

by Thom Clark
One year ago today, as we all awaited the final days of an historic election campaign, our mentor Studs Terkel passed away, his absentee ballot un-cast. The self described eclectic disk jockey, Pulitzer prize winning author and cheer leader for humanity would have railed against the media for it’s mis-coverage this past week of worker protests against bonus-buck bankers conferring in Chicago, just as I remembered him yelling at the tube’s cable talkers on a Sunday morning 54 weeks ago when I last visited him at his home. “Will Barack make it?” he wondered as the latest debate was being parsed. “What a mess the Cubs and Sox made of their seasons, again,” Studs moaned in the next moment. Then he moved onto our 2009 Terkel awardees (Scott Simon, David Jackson and Alden Loury). There was never a dull moment in Studs’ living room.We miss ya Studs!

Eric Zorn, Mary Schmich, Studs & Chris Walz lead Terkel benefit participants in rendition of "This Land Is Your Land."

Our staff tribute to Studs Terkel will be broadcast this Sunday morning at 6:30 am on WNUA 95.5 FM throughout Chicagoland.

We’re planning a small and thoroughly un-official gathering of folks to celebrate Studs’ legacy tomorrow (Friday) evening: Come share yours Studs stories and enjoy some great food, drinks and company.

5 – 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 7619 S. Wabash, Suite 201To RSVP, contact Maggie Walker at Maggie@newstips.org or call 312-369-6402  

If you can’t make it, here are some links to stories and celebrations of Studs on-line:

• History Museum press release
• WFMT’s In Memoriam comments page
• Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion song (listen to it!)
• Terkel Award winner Rick Kogan’s Chicago Tribune obit
• Terkel Award winner Tom McNamee’s Sun-Times remembrance
• Terkel Award winner Mary Schmich’s Tribune column reflections on Studs and the election
• NPR’s coverage by Terkel Award winner Cheryl Corley
• CNN’s obit
• Mike Doyle’s blog entry
• (Thanks for these to Andrew Patner): 1. One of Studs’ last interviews on Andrew’s show Critical Thinking on WFMT, August 2005, discussing music + Studs’ book And They All Sang; 2. Studs talks about his time at University of Chicago with Andrew from 2004-quicktime movie here. (Awesome comment from the latter: Andrew asks, “You had a complex relationship with the University, right?” Studs corrects him, it was not complex, it was “Mixed.”)

And visit the Studs Terkel Awards page on our home web site to see the video from 2007, the last year he was at our event (Did I miss a link? Let me know if something else should be on this list).

We here at the Community Media Workshop are very saddened by the loss of who we consider our patron saint. We want to provide a space for you here on our blog to comment and share your stories about Studs.