The Basics
Protected PagesĀ
Links & Resources for South Side Weekly Contributors
Links & Resources for South Side Weekly Editors
(Can’t access these pages? If you’re already a contributor or editor, email editor@southsideweekly.com for the password. If you aren’t, email us to see how you can get involved).
Governance Documents
Board of Directors Documents
Meeting minutes from the board of directors, bylaws of the organization, and nonprofit FAQs.
Principles and Ethics of Journalism
Society for Professional Journalists Code of Ethics
Principles of Journalism from the American Press Association
SPJ Journalist’s Toolbox
Links to various web resources for journalists
Data
City of Chicago Data Portal
Datasets released by the City of Chicago.
City of Chicago Data Dictionary
Catalog of datasets available from the City of Chicago
Chicago OpenGrid
A searchable map of publicly available data from the City of Chicago
Excel Crash Course
An excellent and concise slide show by Smart Chicago on how to use Excel to analyze datasets
Illinois Schools Database
From BGA, data and documents on every public school in Illinois
Database from transparency nonprofit Lucy Parsons Lab of Chicago Police Officer names and badge numbers
Database from our partners at the Invisible Institute of tens of thousands of misconduct complaints against Chicago Police Officers. Read our coverage of the database here, here, and here
Chicago Police Department Directive Changes
Easily searchable database from CrimeIsDown of changes made to Chicago Police Department “directives,” or governing rules
Easily searchable database from Illinois Campaign for Political Reform of public campaign contributions
FOIA
FOIA Online Resources and support for writing and monitoring Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests
FOIA Machine
A basic web tool for sending and tracking FOIAs and finding contact information for FOIA departments.
Muckrock
A slightly more involved and sophisticated web tool for sending, tracking, and sharing FOIAs.