Vernal Coleman

Reporter

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Vernal Coleman is a reporter for ProPublica’s Midwest newsroom. He came to ProPublica from the Boston Globe, where he had been a member of the newsroom’s strike investigations team, specializing in data analysis for quick turnaround investigations. Before joining the Globe, Coleman was a watchdog reporter with the Seattle Times’ Project Homeless initiative, where he wrote stories about the intersection of housing, mental health and local efforts to combat homelessness. Prior to joining the Seattle Times, in 2014, he covered policing and public safety in Newark, New Jersey, for the Star-Ledger and NJ.com.

Coleman began his career as a fellow with Northwestern University’s Academy of Alternative Journalism, where he produced multiple news articles for various Chicago-based publications, including the Chicago Reader.

Medical Care and Politics Go Hand in Hand at a Chicago Safety Net Hospital

Under the leadership of CEO Tim Egan, Chicago’s Roseland Community Hospital has awarded business to his friends and acquaintances, employees have donated to his political funds and he has appeared in a campaign ad for the state’s comptroller.

Deaths Linked to Neglect, Error Raise Concerns About Quality of Care at This Safety Net Hospital

Roseland Community Hospital promises the “best quality care” for Chicago’s South Side, but a whistleblower complaint and a rash of fatalities, lawsuits and negative federal inspection reports suggest the situation had become dire during COVID-19.

The State Took His Kids Three Times. And Three Times It Gave Them Back.

In Southern Illinois, many families suspected of neglect cycle through the child welfare system. Too often they don’t get the help they need.

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