How big is Chicago’s homicide problem, actually? As in much of the country, the homicide rate has fallen dramatically here from 1990s and early-2000s levels. Even in 2012, when the number of homicides spiked to more than 500—the most in the nation—the “murder capital” moniker was imprecise; many smaller cities had higher rates. Calls to send in the National Guard to deal with “Chiraq” blur that reality.
It’s against this backdrop that the city’s two big newspapers have been developing new storytelling platforms that focus on “humanizing” the victims, families and communities.
[Photo: John/Flickr]
[For more of this story, written by Rui Kaneya, go to http://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/chicago_gun_violence_coverage.php]
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