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State Week: Illinois' culture of corruption

State Week 23 logo (capitol dome)
Brian Mackey
/
NPR Illinois

Illinois has a long history with corruption. It has made the state the butt of jokes along with damaging the public's faith in government. The Chicago Tribune is reporting a series titled "Culture of Corruption." It details some of the most infamous cases at the federal, state and local level. On this episode, we talk about corrupt officials and why wrongdoing remains persistent.

Host Sean Crawford is joined by Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler and Tribune investigative reporter Ray Long.

The former director of the Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) graduate program is Professor Charles N. Wheeler III, a veteran newsman who came to the University of Illinois at Springfield following a 24-year career at the Chicago Sun-Times.
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