harsh treatment: a chicago tribune investigative project.

Harsh Treatment Project: “Residential treatment centers are supposed to provide a safe, healing environment for young state wards and disadvantaged children. But a Chicago Tribune investigation finds many are harmed instead.”

I worked on the Chicago Tribune’s Harsh Treatment project in 2014. To plan the social media strategy that would give credit to this years-long work, I met with reporters, editors, videographers, photographers, and graphic designers to learn what was being created and reported.

From there, I strategized the best way to post it to social media while taking analytics, audience, and specific platforms into consideration. I wrote the copy for social media posts, made an editorial calendar, and communicated with multiple departments to ensure accurate storytelling.

---

The day before the project was published, we previewed it on social media with a video 

---

After working with various teams and departments, I crafted the social media language for this large project.

https://twitter.com/ChiTribGraphics/status/544990104780300288

https://twitter.com/ChiTribGraphics/status/560490185876836352

---

This investigation was done well, and most importantly, it was full of stories that needed to be told.  I proudly promoted the project through my personal accounts.

---

For the graphic essays, I thought Tumblr would be the perfect platform to highlight the art and creative storytelling.

---

This issue received a lot of attention on city, state, and federal levels. State officials started to revamp Illinois’ child welfare system, including the closure of a Rock River, a problematic facility mentioned in the stories.

I made sure to post follow-ups and keep our readers updated.