Industry Achiever: Milwaukee Investigative Reporter Exposes Both Sides of the Law

By: Nu Yang

Milwaukee (Wis.) Journal Sentinel investigative reporter Gina Barton’s October 2011 three-part series “Both Sides of the Law” found that at least 93 Milwaukee police officers had been disciplined for violating laws and ordinances, but didn’t lose their jobs.

Barton said it took nearly two years of records requests, a court case, and $7,500 in fees to complete the story. Her findings made an impact in the local community — and with state legislators. Senior editor Greg Borowski, who oversaw Barton’s project, called her work a “textbook example of watchdog investigation.”

Even with newsrooms seeing decreased staff, time, and resources, reporters such as Barton have kept asking the difficult questions, starting with “Why?”

“Both Sides of the Law” can be found at jsonline.com/bothsides.