How a niche Chicago site cracked open a major schools scandal
In this 2012 file photo, Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett speaks at a news conference. The former CEO was indicted Oct. 8 on corruption charges following a federal investigation into a $20 million no-bid contract. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
When the former head of the Chicago Public Schools was indicted earlier this month in connection with a multi-million dollar bribery and kickback scheme, every media outlet in the city was on the story.
That wasn’t the case two years ago when Sarah Karp, a veteran education reporter, first disclosed details of a questionable $20.5 million no-bid contract to train school administrators. Karp’s initial reporting on the contract, which ran on the website of the newsmagazine Catalyst Chicago, didn’t make much of a splash. But it caught the attention of the school district’s inspector general, who reached out to Karp to learn more. It also drew notice from federal prosecutors, whose investigation into the case became public earlier this year—the US Attorney even made reference to Karp’s 2013 article when he announced the indictment this month. A few days later, the former schools chief, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, pleaded guilty to fraud.
It was an extraordinary coda to a story that Karp and Catalyst were responsible for breaking. The 25-year-old niche publication focuses exclusively on urban education issues in the home of the nation’s third largest school district, with veteran editors and reporters like Karp staying on the beat for years or decades at a time. Although it covers breaking news, Catalyst’s specialty is in-depth reporting.
“What we do is give our staff the gift that most journalists want, which is time,” said Linda Lenz, publisher and founder of Catalyst, which is published by the faith-based Community Renewal Society but is editorially independent. “Our journalists have time to go through reports. They become really expert on the nitty-gritty, how a school system works. And then they have the time to go after things.”
After noticing the comparatively large no-bid contract with a firm named SUPES Academy in June 2013, Karp said, she spent three or four weeks trying to learn more. Her article raised questions about the size of How a niche Chicago site cracked open a major schools scandal - Columbia Journalism Review:
