Community Renewal Society

For Immediate Release

CHICAGO, Oct 18, 2011 — The Community Renewal Society’s Executive Director Calvin S. Morris, Ph.D. today announced that Alden Loury, Publisher of The Chicago Reporter investigative news publication, has accepted a position as a senior investigator at the Better Government Association. Kimbriell Kelly, editor of the Reporter for the past four years, will serve as interim Publisher.

(Photo: http://flickr.com/gp/communityrenewalsociety/n7M936 )

(Photo: http://flickr.com/gp/communityrenewalsociety/q6evh3 )

“I’ve enjoyed every bit of my 12 years with The Chicago Reporter, and it’s been an honor to lead the magazine these past four years as publisher,” said Loury. “I’ve seen the true power of investigative, computer-assisted and analytical reporting with a focus on race and poverty. Our brand of journalism has raised important questions and affected policy in a number of areas including public housing, policing, criminal justice, immigration and mortgage lending. I will truly miss the work, the people and the institution.”

“On behalf of everyone at Community Renewal Society, I would like to thank Alden for his 12 years of service,” said Morris. “We will miss his passion for the publication, his dedication to exposing race and poverty disparities in our city and telling the stories of those communities that often go untold.” 

During his time at the Reporter, Loury’s investigations won local and national awards, including the Studs Terkel Award and an Open Society Institute fellowship, for his work examining the effectiveness of community policing and projects documenting racial disparities in drug sentencing, jury selection and jury verdicts. As senior editor from 2002 to 2007, Loury led more than 50 investigative projects examining the impact of race and poverty in lottery ticket sales, retail leakage in black neighborhoods, residential development surrounding the sites of demolished public housing and home mortgage lending, among others. Loury was promoted to Publisher in 2008.

 “Alden has given the Reporter and its team a great 12 years, and we know that he will continue to produce incredible investigative journalism and create great success throughout his distinguished career,” said Morris. 

Kelly, who joined the Reporter in 2004 as an investigative reporter, was promoted to Editor in 2008. She will continue her editorial responsibilities during the transition, leveraging her more than 15 years of journalism experience and managing the publication.  Her work on predatory lending practices helped spur an $8.7 billion settlement from Countrywide Financial over unfair mortgage lending to minorities. 

”I don’t believe there is anyone more capable of taking The Chicago Reporter to the next level than Kimbriell Kelly,” said Loury. “She’s a dynamic leader, and I’m confident that she and the Reporter’s great team of editors, reporters and bloggers will make sure the publication doesn’t miss a beat.”

The Chicago Reporter is published by the Community Renewal Society. The Reporter is an award-winning bimonthly print and online newsmagazine that serves as a watchdog of government and other institutions. CRS is an organization rooted in a faith-based tradition which empowers people to combat racism and the effects of poverty by providing tools such as objective, investigative journalism, organizing and training to civic leaders, community activists and congregations. For more information visit www.communityrenewalsociety.org

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Contact:  Al Shaw
312-673-3865
ashaw [at] communityrenewalsociety [dot] org