IRE Radio Podcast | The Adjustment Factor

On this week’s episode, former Chicago Tribune reporter Jason Grotto explains why investigating municipal finance isn’t as dry and daunting as you might think. What started with a dig through county property taxes ended with a three-part series delving into how and why Chicago’s broken property tax system benefited the wealthy and burdened the poor. During his two-year investigation, Jason ran up against complex data analysis, tight-lipped officials and hesitant sources.

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EPISODE NOTES

Looking for links to the stories and resources we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.

• Read “The Tax Divide” on The Chicago Tribune’s website.
• Read Jason’s study “Fairness and Accuracy of Residential Assessments in Cook County” on The Tribune’s website.
• Read the paper that evaluated Chicago’s property tax appeals system here.
• Members only: Read more about investigating property taxes here.

MUSIC

When in the West (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Venndet (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Vengeful (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Solage (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Inamorata (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Grapefruit (Podington Bear) / CC BY-NC 3.0

November Mist (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

CREDITS

Erin McKinstry reported this story. IRE Editorial Director Sarah Hutchins edits the podcast. Original episode artwork comes by Blake Nelson. We are recorded in the studios of KBIA at the University of Missouri.