Crain’s Forum, a monthly feature that explores the public policy challenges facing Chicago and the region, won top honors for Best Series in the 2021 Neal Awards.
Crain’s Forum, published with support from the Joyce Foundation and CIBC, is a free offering that examines topics ranging from the water quality of Lake Michigan to new ideas on curbing crime in Chicago’s neighborhoods to untangling the gridlock that’s choking freight transportation throughout the Midwest. In addition to Crain’s in-depth reporting, each issue also features a wide range of guest commentaries that shed additional light on the issues, offer diverse perspectives and suggest solutions to some of the community’s most vexing problems.
The latest edition of the Forum—”A Moment or a Movement?”—analyzes the way corporate Chicago responded to the calls for racial equity in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and, one year later, how well those employers lived up to their pledges.
The Jesse H. Neal Awards, established in 1955, are among the most prestigious awards for business journalism.
“This Neal Award reflects the hard work and vision of our current Forum editor, Cassandra West, and her predecessor, Bob Secter, as well as the design ingenuity of Jason McGregor and Karen Freese Zane and the contributions of many staff and freelance writers, photographers and illustrators,” said Crain’s Editor Ann Dwyer. “We’re proud to continue the tradition of the Forum and look forward to more groundbreaking work.”