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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION 939 | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives are proud to congratulate Laura Rodriguez, | ||||||
| 4 | Gregory Pratt, and editor Erika Slife on receiving the 2026 | ||||||
| 5 | Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for their courageous and | ||||||
| 6 | impactful coverage of Operation Midway Blitz; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, Through fearless investigative journalism and | ||||||
| 8 | powerful storytelling published by the Chicago Tribune, Laura | ||||||
| 9 | Rodriguez, Gregory Pratt, Adriana Perez, Kate Perez, Richie | ||||||
| 10 | Requena, editor Erika Slife, and Tribune staff documented | ||||||
| 11 | militarized immigration enforcement operations that | ||||||
| 12 | traumatized immigrant families and communities across the | ||||||
| 13 | Chicagoland area; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, The Chicago Tribune's Operation Midway Blitz | ||||||
| 15 | reporting exposed the fear, uncertainty, and harm experienced | ||||||
| 16 | by working families while elevating the voices of residents, | ||||||
| 17 | advocates, students, workers, and local communities who came | ||||||
| 18 | together in resistance and solidarity; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, The Pulitzer Prize Board recognized the Chicago | ||||||
| 20 | Tribune's reporting "for its powerful coverage of the Trump | ||||||
| 21 | administration's militarized immigration sweep of the city | ||||||
| 22 | that described in vivid, muscular prose how the siege-like | ||||||
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| 1 | incursion of ICE agents unified Chicagoans in resistance"; and | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, At a time when immigrant communities have too | ||||||
| 3 | often been targeted, silenced, or dehumanized, the work of | ||||||
| 4 | Laura Rodriguez, Gregory Pratt, and editor Erika Slife | ||||||
| 5 | demonstrated the essential role journalism plays in protecting | ||||||
| 6 | democracy, demanding accountability, and ensuring that the | ||||||
| 7 | stories of impacted communities are not ignored; and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, The Chicago Tribune's coverage of Operation | ||||||
| 9 | Midway Blitz helped bring national attention to the realities | ||||||
| 10 | facing Latino and immigrant communities in Illinois and serves | ||||||
| 11 | as an important historical record of a painful chapter that | ||||||
| 12 | deeply affected families throughout the region; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, A free and courageous press is fundamental to | ||||||
| 14 | democracy and public accountability, especially when reporting | ||||||
| 15 | on abuses of power and the lived experiences of vulnerable | ||||||
| 16 | communities; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 17 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 18 | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 19 | we congratulate Laura Rodriguez, Gregory Pratt, and editor | ||||||
| 20 | Erika Slife on receiving the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Local | ||||||
| 21 | Reporting, and we thank them for their commitment to truth, | ||||||
| 22 | justice, accountability, and the people of Illinois; and be it | ||||||
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| 1 | further | ||||||
| 2 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 3 | presented to Laura Rodriguez, Gregory Pratt, and Erika Slife | ||||||
| 4 | as a symbol of our respect and appreciation. | ||||||