Reporter news.

In March, the National Association of Black Journalists' Chicago Chapter gave its Award for Excellence in Print News to Chicago Reporter staff members Mick Dumke, for his reporting on the reparations movement in "Power to His People" (December 2003), and Sarah Karp, for her continuing coverage of child welfare issues in "Foster Case Ends in Disaster" (February 2003).

In April, Dumke's story also earned a Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism in the features category from the Chicago Headline Club, the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

The judges wrote: "Fascinating profile that managed to explain a movement by examining one man. Well-reported. Well-written to the point that the extremely long profile was practically an effortless read."

Karp and Leah Samuel were honored with a Lisagor in the in-depth reporting category for a series on ex-offenders and employment (October and November 2003).

The judges wrote: "A hard look (with named subjects) at a difficult problem that deserves public attention: the need to put ex-offenders into jobs. The two pieces in this series are not mawkish or whiney but authoritatively point out the cost of ignoring the need for jobs for this segment of our population."