[troutman]

music critic Jim DeRogatis honored by Chicago Foundation for Women for R. Kelly abuse coverage

https://columbiachronicle.com/profes...abuse-coverage

Whether it be from his own decades-long reporting on the abuses by disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, or the journalism awards he has yielded as a result, Jim DeRogatis, associate professor of instruction in the English and Creative Writing Department, said he is “not worthy” of his recent award from the Chicago Foundation for Women.

“This story [needed] to be told. I just listened. And all right, I reported it, I stayed on it,” DeRogatis said. “I don’t feel like I made the impact, I feel like those women did.”

DeRogatis was awarded the Beacon Award by CFW in March, a part of their annual “Impact Awards,” which are given out to Chicago-based advocates for women across the city. The Beacon Award specifically honors local leaders whose published work has highlighted issues women and girls are facing in Chicago and who are actively working to have their voices be heard.

DeRogatis’ diligent reporting led to the bombshell stories about Kelly’s abuses in 2000 from an anonymous fax stating that Kelly had “a problem with young girls,” all the way through 2017 when DeRogatis reported Kelly was holding women against their will in a “cult.”