A good day at the Journal Star

October 24, 2005
By Billy Dennis

There’s not one, but two multi-article packages that shed light on controversial topics:

First, star veteran reporter Elaine Hopkins has a sensational and infuriating package of articles about safety violations at Peoria-area nursing homes. Work the general assignment beat for long enough, and you’ll be handed a press release about some nursing home getting fined. It seems there’s at least one a month these days, usually about minor violations.

But readers don’t get the whole picture from this piecemeal approach. The details and family stories Elaine has gathered together paint a grim picture of a system that’s more concerned about the process than the care.

A job well done, Elaine.

Next up is Angela Green with her package of articles on the use — or lack thereof — of executive clemency.

Angela found some people who’ve applied for clemency, which would give them the “clean slate” they need to serve certain elected positions, adopt children and possess firearms. Some of these people are very sympathetic, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich comes across as a politician who won’t make decisions, letting deserving people twist in the wind with no assurances he will ever make decisions on their requests, one way or another.

I much prefer series to run in a single issue, not spread over multiple days. Luckily, the Journal Star seems to be on the same wavelength these days.

And finally, kudos to Terry Bibo. She’s come to the same conclusion I did months ago (here, here and here): Something stinks at the Illinois State Police, and we can’t count on Gov. Blagojevich to even admit there’s an odor. I couldn’t find a link to today’s column, so I’ll check back tomorrow. It’s a very good read.

I’ll tell this to anyone who cares to listen: I might give Peoria’s newspaper of record a lot of grief on this blog. But I love the Journal Star. I grew up reading it. I delivered it as a boy. I was an intern there.

I want to pick up the JS in the morning and see great journalism. I am happy when I and disappointed when I don’t.

Today was a good day.

I’ll even forgive them for turning the entire op-ed page over to former editorial page editor Barbara Mantz Drake so she can tell us that tiny little Peoria should emulate its museum over the Taj Mahal they’ve built in Portland, a city large enough to host an NBA team.

I trust that they will soon be offering the courtesy of a full-page rebuttal to someone or some group with a little more skepticism.

nursing homes,illinois state police,executive clemency,blagojevich,terry bibo,elaine hopkins,angela greene,museum

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