Wednesday, December 9th, 2015
"Tell the truth and don't be afraid...that's the credo that matters m ost" - Dave McKinney
On Tuesday, December 8th ICPR honored four Chicago reporters at ICPR's annual Dawn Clark Netsch Straight Talk Awards fundraising event. We presented awards to Greg Hinz with Crain's Chicago Business, Natasha Korecki with POLITICO Illinois Playbook, Dave McKinney with Reuters, and Laura Washington with Chicago Sun-Times. These reporters are known for their unrelenting spirits, tenacious reporting, and honest voices. The awardees were introduced by Lauren Chooljian, city politics reporter for WBEZ. We now bring you our event wrap up, complete with quotes, pictures, and fun facts from our awardees! 
Greg Hinz

Greg Hinz currently covers Chicago politics and government for Crain's Chicago Business, where he has worked since 1996.  During his speech, Greg noted that he saw "a lot of elected officials" at the event, after which he (playfully) thanked them for giving him  "a lot of good reporting material over the years." It was clear to those in the audience that Greg loves his job, and while it may be difficult at times, he remarked, "it's so fun to do." In fact, he said it's a "secret little untold truth that [reporters] would pay to do this job!"
Natasha Korecki

Natasha Korecki spoke about the current political climate in Chicago, one Chicago has not seen since the "City Council Wars" of the 1980s. She discussed this in reference to her recent interview with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, where she was able "to press the mayor on the Department of Justice investigation" and "hold his feet to the fire." Natasha ended her speech on a note of unity: "It really takes every single one of us [reporters] to get down to it and expose the truth. I think we have some of the fiercest and most dogged reporters in the country and we will continue to do that."
Dave McKinney

Dave McKinney is a veteran in the world of political reporting. White House correspondent Christi Parsons sent her congratulations to Dave, writing: "He is a rough and dogged journalist, but most importantly, he is principled." Dave's work includes reporting many hard hitting topics, from the corruption charges of ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich to the press conference that was held for ICPR's establishment!  McKinney's top advice for aspiring journalists? "Tell the truth and don't be afraid...that's the credo that matters most."

Laura Washington

While introducing Laura Washington, Lauren Chooljian noted that Laura has worked with several of Chicago's top news outlets and is the recipient of various reporting awards. In her work, Laura says she tries to "get beyond the obvious" and "beyond the political correctness" and to the real story. She says that is is "an honor to be a reporter in Chicago," and that while "Chicago is a tough place, there's no greater city in this country." We at ICPR concur! 
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