Solving for Chicago is a collaborative of 20 print, digital and broadcast newsrooms working cooperatively to cover pressing issues facing the public. The collaborative’s current focus is coverage of the workers deemed “essential” during COVID-19 and how the pandemic is reshaping their work and professions. You can find all Essentials stories at Chicagoessentialworkers.org.
This project is funded by the Google News Initiative and the Solutions Journalism Network, and is managed by the Local Media Foundation.
THE ESSENTIALS
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and people were ordered to stay home, nearly a third of the workforce in Chicago found themselves labeled “essential” and continued to come in to work. Considered vital to keep the economy going amidst the crisis, healthcare workers were an obvious category, but others like food service, transportation and construction trades were also identified by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker as essential. Many of these workers have to be around other people to do their jobs, which considerably increases the risk of contracting the virus and bringing it home to their families and communities.
The situation these workers face raises new questions about our workforce and what is essential for a functioning economy compared to what is essential for a functioning community. It reveals the stark divisions by race that still exist within our labor force. Worsening unemployment shows that an essential job is not necessarily a secure job. Participating newsrooms are investigating these and other questions about how the pandemic is reshaping work and employment.
PARTNER NEWSROOMS
- Shaw Media
- WBEZ
- Chicago Reader
- Inside Publications
- La Raza
- Loop North News
- Chicago Music Guide
- WTTW
- Injustice Watch
- Windy City Times
- Borderless Magazine
- Block Club Chicago
- South Side Weekly
- Austin Weekly News
- Chicago Defender
- Chicago Crusader
- Hyde Park Herald
- Wednesday Journal
- Forest Park Review
- Riverside Brookfield Landmark
Recent Stories From Solving for Chicago
- Hazardous Conditions, Low Wages and a Pandemic: One Undocumented Cleaner’s Story (Borderless Magazine)
- Some Chicago Cops Still Won’t Wear Masks Despite 1,200 COVID Infections — Will A New PSA Actually Help? (Block Club Chicago)
- I Caught COVID-19 (Coronavirus) at Work (Chicago Defender)
- Pandemic Creates Challenges, Opportunities for Doulas, Expectant Families (WTTW)
- Young Chicagoans Step Up To Work The Polls As Fewer Elderly Apply (WBEZ)
- Frontline Workers – Managing Multiple Careers During COVID-19 (Chicago Music Guide)
- Risking COVID-19 Exposure Again Is The Only Option For These Temp Workers (WBEZ)
- Chicago’s Biggest Coronavirus Surge Is On The Southwest Side, Where Groups Are Begging For More Testing (Block Club Chicago)
- Protegen a Vendedores Ambulantes de La Villita del Contagio de Covid-19 (La Raza)
- The pandemic has brought a new wave of younger election judges, but will it be enough to staff polling places? (Shaw Media)
- Find more stories at Chicagoessentialworkers.org
CONTACT US
If there’s a story or topic you think Solving for Chicago’s partner newsrooms should cover or if you’d like to talk to us about anything, please contact project manager Sam Cholke or fill out the form below.
OUR FUNDERS
